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Thailand’s Anurak Lodge announces ‘Rainforest Rising Campaign’
Thailand’s Anurak Lodge announces ‘Rainforest Rising Campaign’
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
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Guests can now join the Anurak Community Lodge at Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand which recently launched ‘Rainforest Rising’ tree planting initiative.
Guests can now join the Anurak Community Lodge at Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand which recently launched ‘Rainforest Rising’ tree planting initiative.
Guests can plant sapling trees apart from the ecotourism activities at the lodge such as hiking, kayaking and jungle cooking.The main focus is to return two rai (3,226 sqm; 0.8 acres) of former palm oil plantation beside the lodge to indigenous lowland evergreen forest by 2023. The final goal is to regenerate a further 10 rai (four acres) to have the same biodiversity and be indistinguishable from the adjacent Khao Sok National Park.
More than 50 years ago the site was cleared and was converted first into a coconut plantation. In 2007 it was
cleared again and planted with palm oil around 2007.
Palm oil plantations are ecologically sterile monocultures are poor habitats for birdlife and animals such as deer, hog badger, civet, Javan mongoose, pangolin, tapir, wild boar and loris, all of which are indigenous in the area and prefer seed and fruit diversity.
The lodge has t partnered with the Forest Restoration and Research Unit (FORRU) of Chiang Mai University to make sure the replanting process is optimised for the location.
According to the plan created by FORRU, while the eventual outcome will be to return the plot to lowland evergreen forest and guests here pay 300 baht (US$10) to plant a particular species of sapling in a given location.
Guests also receive a Rainforest Rising t-shirt and can opt in to stay updated by email on the progress of “their” tree and the project overall.
There is also an information centre in the lodge that explains the importance of biodiversity and practical considerations when regenerating forest cover.
George Newling-Ward, manager of the lodge said that by planting trees, absorbing all the information, talking to their gardeners and joining ecotourism activities, guests get a very rewarding and insightful ‘back to nature’ experience.
They also contribute to the long-term ecological well being of the area.
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