The country's first environmental court will have to calculate the financial losses for crimes that are committed against nature when it opens in 2022, according to Buntoon Srethasirote, a spokesman for the National Reform Committee for Natural Resources and the Environment.
"When it becomes operational, there must be a way to calculate in monetary terms losses such as the death of a black leopard in Premchai Karnasutra's recent poaching case," Mr Bantoon said on Sunday.
Establishing an environmental court was one of the proposals listed in the national master plan on natural resources.
The plan, drafted by the reform committee, was adopted by the government last week.
Mr Bantoon said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will amend several environmental laws, including the 1992 Environment Quality Promotion Act and the 1961 National Act.
The Office of Coordinated National Reform, chaired by the environmental ministry's permanent secretary, will open later this year to monitor progress and any problems that arise from implementing the plan, he said.
The ministry and committee have also picked pilot sites for its pollution management scheme, Mr Bantoon said.
The committee has picked forested slopes in Nan, Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai as model areas in the North for dealing with forest encroachment in high-mountainous zones.
Under the plan, several agencies will work with local communities to tackle reforestation and help improve soil quality.
The committee has selected some limestone mines in Na Phra Lan district of Saraburi to monitor and reduce dust particles generated from rock quarrying and rock blasting, based on coordination of the private and public sector.
Na Phra Lan district, site of the country's first limestone rock mining project, has been known for its severe air pollution for decades. Recently, PM10 levels there hit 500 microgrammes per cubic metre.
The authority's acceptable standard is a quarter of this, or 120 m/u³.
The committee chose Map Ta Phut in Rayong as a pilot site for its city-planning efforts and land use to enhance green belts and farming areas, as well as to measure the use of innovative "clean" technology, among other records, to reduce the harmful impact of industrial activity.
Another highlight of the master plan is the use of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs).
These aim to ensure that environmental and other issues related to sustainability are considered effectively in policy.
Mr Bantoon said the committee will conduct SEAs for two controversial coal-fired power plants in the provinces of Krabi and Songkhla.
Mr Bantoon said the country's national master plan aims for long-term sustainability.
"Everything we are going to do is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the government made a commitment to the world community to respect," he said.
"We will continue to develop but without any negative impact on the environment and people's health or quality of life," he added.