24/06/2024
A dolomite mining concession has been applied for right on the border of Kaeng Krachan national park, please read the shared post for more details.
Edit: It did not share the actual explanation by Baanmaka Naturelodge, so we will paste their post here:
As some of you may already know, an application for a dolomite mining concession has been applied for in Kaeng Krachan subdistrict. The proposed location is just 1.2km from the boundary of Kaeng Krachan NP (and Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
The area is behind the hill to the right of the lake as you look out from the jetty at Baan Maka (about 500m from the lodge at it's nearest point). The habitat comprises dry dipterocarp forest with limestone outcrops. It is currently undeveloped and still supports many animal and plant species including the highly protected Serow. The forest is contiguous with the park.
A local community group, Rak Nong Maka, has been set up to co-ordinate opposition to the mine. They are talking to conservation groups, local politicians, the media, etc.
It is already about nine months since the application was made and the application process is expected to take about two years.
The various actions the community group are taking such as erecting signs, holding meetings, trips to Bangkok, etc all cost money and their limited funds are running low. If you would like to contribute to the fund then please do so using the bank details in the shared posting below. Just a few hundred Baht will go a long way.
If you think you can help in any other way, i.e. have experience of a similar endeavour in Thailand then please get in contact with the community group directly.
A bio blitz will be organised for a coming weekend too, in order to populate iNaturalist with photographic evidence and to strengthen the group's position. More on this to come.
Thanks for your time.
