Recent events in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary have opened a wellspring of outrage and concern among the public about the fate of Thailand's wilderness heritage. The rare black Indochinese leopard (aka black panther) that was hunted has become emblematic of injustice and a call to action, especially among the younger generation. It has led to a fierce repudiation of some elites who see Thailand's remaining wilderness as a personal playground to exploit without regard for the law.
The story has dominated the media for the past several weeks. And yet, a significant part of the story is missing. Yes, due to the personal courage and conviction of park rangers, damning evidence was collected, arrests were made and weapons confiscated. But these arrests are only the tip of the iceberg. The value of these forests is greater than many people realise, and so are the threats to it.
Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary is a part of what is known as the Western Forest Complex, a series of protected areas and sanctuaries in the far west of Thailand. Further south is another complex of protected areas known as the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex. Together this network of protected areas makes up one of the largest swaths of protected forest within Southeast Asia. When combined with an equally impressive area of biologically rich forests, hills and rivers across the border in Myanmar, this area is collectively referred to as the Dawna Tenasserim Landscape.
This largely intact, pristine network of misty, rolling hills is one of the most spectacular -- and threatened -- landscapes in the world. In addition to hosting leopards such as the one poached recently, it is also home to one of Asia's largest populations of elephants and Thailand alone hosts the fifth-largest tiger population in the world.
Sadly though, there are many people in Thailand who unaware tigers still live in the wild in this country. It is a sad commentary that tigers in Thailand are more typically associated with tiger "parks" (establishments that have been implicated in the illegal trafficking of endangered animals and their parts) rather than in the wild. Even more disturbing is the silence with which animals such as tigers have been extinguished from the forests. This phenomenon has not evoked a fraction of the social media enthusiasm associated with the single poached black leopard.
Wildlife poaching is a devastating threat to rare species, but it is eclipsed by the slow and seemingly inevitable creep of felling the trees and crisscrossing the remaining forest into small parcels by big, badly placed roads. And here is where the story of the Thungyai poaching intersects with the interests of the construction company -- the Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD).
The Dawei Road, intended to link Kanchanaburi with a planned Special Economic Zone near Dawei, Myanmar, could meet strategic national interests of acquiring port access in the Andaman Sea. However, the resulting cost to nature is steep. The road would irreparably impact the Dawna Tenasserim Landscape. Cutting through the intact forests with what could ultimately be an eight-lane highway, it would be the death knell for wondrous species such as elephants and tigers. Roads open up previously impenetrable forests, literally putting an "Open for Business" sign for poachers. They disrupt movement for species such as elephants and tigers, pollute watersheds and disrupt communities and livelihoods.
If it is in fact inevitable that the Dawei Road proceeds, there exist a wealth of sustainable design solutions that would minimise negative impacts, just as Thailand has retroactively done with Highway 304 stretching between Khao Yai and Thap Lan national parks in the so-called Eastern Forest Complex. The fact that the CEO of the same construction company, ITD, is involved in both the leopard poaching incident and the construction of the Dawei Road should be reason for pause and consideration.
The poaching case is symptomatic of a broader and unsustainable trend of covert but relentless devouring of the global wilds. The failure to raise a decisive response to threats to embattled wild places in Thailand and beyond is at the expense of future generations. There is an invaluable opportunity here. Public funds are being earmarked to the road project that will cut through these forests with long-reaching implications. While jobs and corporate expansion can lead to great things for countries and communities, there are some things and some places that need to be protected. Outrage and activism over the illegal killing of a black panther should now be directed at the fate of the wildlife that remains in this extraordinary place.
Regan Suzuki Pairojmahakij is Dawna Tenasserim Landscape Manager, WWF Greater Mekong.