'One map' to beat deforestation, encroachers
Play
THE government will enforce a "one-map" policy in the next 6-12 months so deforestation can be tackled more effectively, Justice Minister General Paiboon Koomchaya has said.
In his capacity as chairman of the national anti-graft centre, Paiboon said PM Prayut Chan-o-cha had agreed to adopt the one-map policy based on the 1:4,000 scale, so that state agencies would use the same map to solve deforestation problems.
Over the next 6-12 months, official maps other than the 1:4,000 scale would be nullified. Paiboon said the use of different size maps had led to widespread encroachment on forest areas and fraud in issuing ownership documents as areas often overlapped due to the varying scales.
Paiboon will chair a meeting with officials from the ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, Agriculture and Interior, plus other agencies to implement the one-map policy. When only the 1:4,000 scale map is officially used nationwide, it would not be possible to issue land ownership documents that are fraudulent and authorities would be able to take action against people who encroach on forestland more effectively.
