The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says it will meet soon with 14 organisations to discuss ways of resolving an impasse over a project to restore a road cutting through Thailand's largest national park.
The 14 wildlife protection and conservation organisations issued an open letter yesterday to Gen Surasak Kanjanarat, the minister of natural resources and environment, asking to suspend the plan to use the 4-metre-wide road again.
The road runs through an ecologically rich part of Kaeng Krachan National Park in Khao Panoen Thung of Phetchaburi province.
They said bringing it back into use would disturb and possibly endanger local wildlife due to traffic accidents, noise and pollution.
The original road was built in 1985. It has since fallen into disrepair and can only be used by off-road vehicles and pickup trucks.
Spokesman Sompoj Maneerat said the department "may have some different concerns".
"We care about the safety of tourists whereas [the group of 14] are probably more concerned about the wildlife. We've already put measures in place to help with this, including imposing a speed limit and controlling the number of tourists," he said.
Work has already started on the road and there is no plan to cancel it, he added.
Panudej Kerdmali, secretary-general of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, said the project organisers failed to listen to the opinions of different stakeholders before proceeding with it.
The road lies deep inside the forest where tigers, antelope-like serows and Fea's muntjac live, meaning the project should have been more carefully studied, he said.
"We're worried that allowing heavy machines deep into the forest will have a strong impact on the native wildlife. Some of the road needs repairing but only the worst parts," he said, describing the plan as a waste of the national budget.
He said the measures to control road accidents would be ineffective given their lack of success at other parks. Over 3,000 animals have died crossing a road in Khao Anglunai Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Thailand, he added.