Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand has proposed the establishment of peatland areas in the ASEAN region as haze-free zones by 2030.
The proposal was made by Director-General of the country’s Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) Athapol Charoenshunsa at the ninth meeting of the ASEAN Task Force on Peatlands under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP).
The event, held in Bangkok on August 15, was attended by officials from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste, as well as representatives from various agencies.
Athapol said Thailand is committed to working with member states on peatland areas through the exchange of information in addressing transboundary haze pollution and reviewing progress reports to establish ASEAN as a haze-free region.
He also expressed appreciation for the joint efforts under the second ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy, which includes the development of various tools and mechanisms, such as a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework, the second ASEAN Cooperation Plan on Transboundary Haze Pollution Control, and the ASEAN Investment Framework for Sustainable Haze-Free Management.
These initiatives will strengthen peatland management and help fix transboundary haze issues, thus reducing haze during the dry season, as evidenced by the rapid decline in hotspots in the southern ASEAN region, he added./.
