Thailand Flora And Fauna

Thailand’s diverse topology yields a wealth of plant and animal species. Intrepid visitors to the country encounter come of the world’s best scuba diving, bird-watching, and trekking. Even the world’s best veterinarians travel to Thailand to care for endangered wildlife in its many sanctuaries and nature preserves.

Plenty Of Petals. Thailand has more than 27,000 flowering species, ranging from bamboo to fruit trees to the Ratchaphruek, the country’s national flower. Although many orchid species are endangered, Thailand is home to 1000 different types, and boasts a major orchid industry. The white or pink lotus, seen floating on ponds or depicted in Buddhist art, is a sacred symbol of wisdom, purity, peace, and compassion. Legend has it that it became sacred when one blossom grew from each of the young Buddha’s first seven footsteps. The scarlet (poisonous) poinsettia, a flower associated with Christian winters in the West, is popular in Thailand, especially in the Chiang Mai province. During the winter months, its bright, cheerful blooms compensate for the fewer hours of daylight. Flowers are a part of daily Thai life: they can be cooked or boiled as food, used as decoration, or included in traditional Thai ceremonies, and Thai remedies employ common roots and berries for medicinal purposes.

Rice And Everything Nice. Not only is rice Thailand’s most important crop and a staple of national cuisine, but it also has religious significance: rice is celebrated as an example of nature’s powers of sustenance. Early each morning (mainly in smaller villages), residents leave an offering of rice for the Buddhist monks who collect donations of food and basic daily necessities in a practice known as Binderbaht. These offerings are particularly significant during harvest festivals (timing varies by region), when it is customary to celebrate all of earth’s living things and the human labor that brings them into the home.

Religiosi-Tree. It is believed that Buddha attained enlightenment in the shade of the Bodhi tree. Those grown from a cutting of the original tree in India are the most precious, but all Bodhi trees command respect. Long branches, an irregularly shaped trunk, and heart-shaped leaves are its most noticeable traits. Buddha is also said to have sat in the shade of the Rose Apple tree, meditating on man’s sufferings. The tree’s enormous branches (13m) protected Buddha thousands of years ago; they now do the same for Thais. The Chomphu Phukha tree in Nan’s Doi Phuka National Park is extremely rare, though it isn’t the only one in the world, as locals claim. When it blooms in February, it becomes a regional attraction.

Wildlife

Endangered Animals. As a primarily Buddhist people, Thais tend to regard animals in the same way they would regard other human beings. This attitude is even reflected in Thai media: almost daily, special interest articles appear in the well-respected Bangkok Post about various animals whose names, personalities, and salient characteristics are well known. Recently, however, animals have been making the news for serious reasons: Thailand is home to a number of endangered species. The elephant, used for centuries as both the primary means of transportation in Thailand and as a battle animal, is today drugged into docility, overworked, and underfed by illegal loggers. Therefore, despite being considered sacred, elephant numbers have diminished by almost 40% in the past ten years. The Asiatic Black Bear and the Malaysian Sun Bear, the world’s smallest bear, are both native to Thailand and also on the endangered species list, thanks to poaching. A popular pet in Southeast Asia, the Sun Bear’s skin is so loose that when it is grabbed by an attacker, it is able to turn around completely and defend itself. Though the practice is illegal, both species are poached for their skins, and older bears are killed for medicinal purposes—the recipes for many traditional remedies for inflammation, fevers, and liver disease include the gallbladder and bile of these bears. Herbal alternatives to these recipes exist, but the products containing actual animal parts are far more popular. Discovered in Thailand in 1974 and found nowhere else in the world, Kitti’s Hog-Nosed Bat, which, at the size of a bumblebee, may be the world’s smallest mammal, is also endangered. So too is the Giant Mekong Catfish, which weighs in at up to 300kg.

Save The Trees. In 1961, 54% of Thailand was covered in some type of forest; by 1988, extensive logging and urban development reduced this number to 28%. In response, the Thai government set in place conservation measures, most notably the 1992 Environmental Protection Act, a law that was heralded as the dawn of environmental awareness in the country. Thailand is now home to a number of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and forest reserves, whose total area covers an impressive 13% of Thailand. However, pollution, illegal logging (and subsequent damage due to flooding), and population growth have all continued to plague the country’s wildlife. Additionally, the growth of Thailand’s two major cities, Bangkok and Chiang Mai, has caused its own environmental concerns: high air- and water-pollution rates. Moreover, according to Thailand’s Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok is sinking about 5cm per year. Developed atop a vast swamp with numerous canals, the “Venice of the East” is beset by the problems of industrialization, a set of issues the country has yet to address.