Chapter 27
Sustainable Management of Peatland in
Thailand
Pisoot Vijarnsorn
Abstract Peatland in Thailand covers about 60,331 ha of land, most of which is
concentrated along the eastern shoreline of the peninsula. About 69% thereof is
found to stretch across the Narathiwat Province, located near the Malaysian border.
The majority of this peat soil contains a large quantity of woody materials of
relatively high fiber content (fibric soil material). Generally, the thickness of the
peat layer seldom exceeds 3 m and is underlain mostly by muddy clay layer rich with
pyrite. The organic soil materials have low bulk density, very high organic carbon,
wide carbon and nitrogen ratio, extremely high acid, high cation exchange capacity
but very low exchangeable bases and trace elements such as copper, zinc, and
manganese. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Taxonomy, most of them are placed under Typic Haplofibrists, Fluvaquentic Haplofibrists,
Terric Haplofibrists, and Terric Sulfibemists. During the late 1960s, parts of these
soils were utilized to meet the demand on land for agriculture, especially for the
production of paddy rice, vegetables, and oil palm. The common practices included
establishment of drainage system, forest burning, land clearing, construction of
infrastructures, and cultivation. However, those agricultural developments appear
to be unsuccessful and unsustainable in most cases despite having involved the
governmental intervention. In light of that, the national management strategy was
developed in Narathiwat Province where most swamps have been used. Under the
supervision of the Pikun Thong Royal Development Study Centre as initiated by His
Majesty, the Late King Rama IX, the land use zonation was established comprising
three basic zones, namely development zone, conservation zone, and preservation
zone. Each zone has been assigned to specific task force in which the concerned
government agencies work together by the means of integration approach. Furthermore, researches on various aspects of peatland management especially soil characteristics, peatland crops and soil management, mechanization, drainage control, and
water management are still needed.
P. Vijarnsorn (*)
Chaipattana Foundation, Bangkok, Thailand
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Osaki et al. (eds.), Tropical Peatland Eco-management,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4654-3_27
725
Sustainable Management of Peatland in
Thailand
Pisoot Vijarnsorn
Abstract Peatland in Thailand covers about 60,331 ha of land, most of which is
concentrated along the eastern shoreline of the peninsula. About 69% thereof is
found to stretch across the Narathiwat Province, located near the Malaysian border.
The majority of this peat soil contains a large quantity of woody materials of
relatively high fiber content (fibric soil material). Generally, the thickness of the
peat layer seldom exceeds 3 m and is underlain mostly by muddy clay layer rich with
pyrite. The organic soil materials have low bulk density, very high organic carbon,
wide carbon and nitrogen ratio, extremely high acid, high cation exchange capacity
but very low exchangeable bases and trace elements such as copper, zinc, and
manganese. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Taxonomy, most of them are placed under Typic Haplofibrists, Fluvaquentic Haplofibrists,
Terric Haplofibrists, and Terric Sulfibemists. During the late 1960s, parts of these
soils were utilized to meet the demand on land for agriculture, especially for the
production of paddy rice, vegetables, and oil palm. The common practices included
establishment of drainage system, forest burning, land clearing, construction of
infrastructures, and cultivation. However, those agricultural developments appear
to be unsuccessful and unsustainable in most cases despite having involved the
governmental intervention. In light of that, the national management strategy was
developed in Narathiwat Province where most swamps have been used. Under the
supervision of the Pikun Thong Royal Development Study Centre as initiated by His
Majesty, the Late King Rama IX, the land use zonation was established comprising
three basic zones, namely development zone, conservation zone, and preservation
zone. Each zone has been assigned to specific task force in which the concerned
government agencies work together by the means of integration approach. Furthermore, researches on various aspects of peatland management especially soil characteristics, peatland crops and soil management, mechanization, drainage control, and
water management are still needed.
P. Vijarnsorn (*)
Chaipattana Foundation, Bangkok, Thailand
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Osaki et al. (eds.), Tropical Peatland Eco-management,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4654-3_27
725