During a recent meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, the committee overseeing community forest policies approved four additional bills aimed at enabling communities to generate income by selling carbon credits derived from community forests.
The meeting, also attended by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Warawut Silpa-archa, representatives from government agencies and civil society organizations, was held through a video conference system.
The four bills approved pertain to the exploitation of wood and community forest areas, research in community forests, assessment of results at community forests, and determination of stakeholders’ shares of carbon credits. These bills aim to incentivize the participation of local communities and support from the private sector to conserve community forests while acting as carbon retention areas.
Gen Prawit noted that once these bills come into force, communities will benefit from the forests by receiving a share of the carbon credits generated from their restoration and conservation. Income derived from the sale of carbon credits may also be reinvested in the maintenance of community forests. This model would incentivize communities to cooperate with the state in maintaining forest resources.
Additionally, the meeting acknowledged the enforcement of 19 previously issued bills concerning community forests. (NNT)
