Not long ago, an American congressman visiting Bangkok scanned the city’s skyline and quipped that Thailand’s national bird must be “the building crane.” Known for dazzling temples and sizzling nightlife, the Thai capital has evolved dramatically in recent years. Skyscrapers tower over roads congested with notorious traffic jams as Skytrains snake through concrete canyons. But a corner of the metropolis has remained nearly as green and serene as when the city was christened Bangkok (“The Village of Plum Trees”) centuries ago. That corner, nestled in a nook in the Chao Phraya River, is an island named Bang Kachao. 

Dubbed Best Urban Oasis in Asia in 2006 by Time, the 1,920-hectare island is still home to trees, farms and fruit orchards crisscrossed by walking and bicycle trails. Long before it became a destination for day-trippers, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej recognized the bursting with ecological importance of Bang Kachao, full of greens, producing clean air surround and urging governments to protect and preserve its environment.

Since 2008, PTT has been restoring green spaces, developing green areas, improving quality of life, building local enterprises and working with young people to promote community leadership. PTT’s partners in this endeavor are the Royal Forestry Department, the Faculty of Forestry of Kasetsart University and the Chaipattana Foundation. PTT has also taken part in renovating the Garden Commemorating His Majesty the King’s 80th birthday, by restoring the green area with local plants. 

“Most people want to keep Bang Kachao as the green space of the city, with no commercial businesses. However, the reality is that the locals still need to earn a living. We need to take this factor into consideration,” says Tevin Vongvanich, president and CEO of PTT.

The island is home to 40,000 people and essential to Bangkok in its battle against climate change. Bang Kachao traps more than 6,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, according to one study. The island is home to three ecosystems: mangrove forest, rainforest and freshwater swamp forest. 

The project also works with locals on livelihoods. Farmers and gardeners are learning about and adopting organic methods, and professors from Kasetsart University hope the island can serve as an urban food bank of healthy produce for the city. “If we don’t take action, the traditional way of life and the forests will disappear,’’ says Montathip Sommeechai, a lecturer at the university’s Faculty of Forestry. The project works with other locals so that they can develop small businesses that will serve ecotourism. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people visit Bang Kachao every month to hike or pedal through its nipa palms and banyan trees, or just to escape the noise and crowds of the city.

Across the river, not far from Suvarnabhumi Airport, PTT has created a second urban oasis, known as the Metro Forest. In 2012, the PTT Reforestation Institute launched an ecological regeneration project, planting more than 40,000 trees consisting of 279 different local species. 

Source: TIME

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