Janjira Pongrai, The Nation 29 Jul 09;
A vast mangrove area will soon be part of the first carbon credit project in Thailand - expected to generate large revenues, the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation (TGO) said yesterday.
Under the clean development mechanism, carbon credit agreements in association with mangrove and forestry areas are currently accepted only in China and Brazil. Thailand will be the third country to follow suit under a United Nations framework convention on climate change protocol, TGO director Sirithan Phairojborriboon said yesterday.
The 10,000-rai mangrove area is in the Welu River basin in Chanthaburi province. Mangroves can reduce carbon dioxide at the highest rate compared with other types of forest - meaning a large amount of revenue generated within the five-year agreement period.
Sirithan said carbon credit deals involving forest areas would expand in the next three years, when a new agreement would be settled at international level. He said TGO had been queried by owners of private forests over the carbon credit agreement, indicating their interest in joining local schemes under TGO supervision.
The Agriculture Ministry and Kasetsart University are conducting a study to implement similar carbon credit management involving rubber plantations across the country, Deputy Minister Supachai Phosu said yesterday.
A 25-year-old rubber plantation can absorb carbon dioxide and produce biomass (forest waste) in high amounts sufficient to generate good revenue, he said, adding the ministry was also pushing for other types of plantations to be part of a national carbon credit management.
A total 34,000 rai of state-owned rubber plantations would be used for a pilot project, Supachai said, adding that a proposal would be officially submitted to the ministry next month.
