Books
Wild Rivers
A photographic odyssey in Thailand
319 pages (HARDCOVER)
Publisher: WKT PUBLISHING © 2008
ISBN: 978-974-13-2314-2
Some of the most pristine rivers left in the world are visited to photograph Thailand's rare and wonderful wildlife.
Wild Rivers is a photographic odyssey along some of Thailand’s most important waterways: the Petchaburi, Huai Kha Khaeng, Mae Klong and Kwae Noi in the West, and the Mae Ping in the North. These rivers evolved millions of years ago, and still harbor many magnificent creatures including elephant, tiger, leopard, tapir, gaur, banteng, and wild water buffalo, plus a multitude of other mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, invertebrates and plant species. Tropical Habitats from mangrove swamps up to montane evergreen forests continue to thrive.
The Kingdom has over 200 areas gazette as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, non-hunting areas and marine parks. However, many are under serious threat as humans continue to encroach into the wilderness. Some protected areas have little or no wildlife, but a few important ecosystems shown here are a tribute to the nation’s flora and fauna.
These photographs reveal this beauty, but it is up to the current and future generations to take decisive action and look after these glorious animals and watersheds before it’s too late. This book is a wake-up call for more to be done to ensure they remain part of Thailand’s natural heritage.
Afterword
Unfortunately, our planet is in peril. We need to act fast in order to save the world from ourselves. When some people think, and believe, they are more important than the natural resources, the last pristine watersheds with exotic flora and fauna are in serious jeopardy. Many today still do not recognize the importance of protecting and saving what little is left for the benefit of the nation and the future. This generation should make concerted efforts to insure those responsible for taking care of the protected areas do just that. Without the forests and rivers, life would not be sustainable.
The Asian traditional medicine trade, which has been going on for centuries, is responsible for the decline and eventual extinction of many animals throughout the world. It is said over 500 species are affected by this huge business. Bear, civet, turtle, snake, pangolin, deer, rhino, serow, goral, langur, leopard and tiger, to name just a few, are being decimated. There are literally thousands of middlemen and medicine shops that eagerly buy any wildlife products they can get their hands on, plus millions of end-users who believe these remedies work. The culture thrives due to loopholes and outdated laws.
Of all the species on the planet, we are the only one with the ability to protect and save all the other species, including ourselves. Global warming is causing lakes and rivers to dry up, ice caps to melt, oceans to rise, and more powerful storms are increasing in number, with scientific data to back up all the climate change theories. Projections of 9.9 billion people living on the planet, with not enough natural resources to go around by the year 2050, sounds like the road to extinction. Dinosaurs survived for about 170-180 million years. At the rate we are going, it is very doubtful humans will last as long.
On the other hand, Thailand’s remaining wild flora and fauna is something we must fight for. Many organizations are gathering momentum in the field of wildlife conservation and programs to educate all levels of society about the Kingdom’s magnificent natural resources are a top priority. Protection of the watersheds and ecosystems is the key for the future and their continual survival. Finally, we must all learn to love, respect and live in harmonious coexistence with the wonderful world of nature.
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Thailand’s Natural Heritage
A look at some of the rarest animals in the Kingdom
223 pages (HARDCOVER)
Publisher: WKT PUBLISHING © 2004
ISBN: 974-92327-7-1
Some of the best UNESCO listed natural wonders are photographed from all corners of the Kingdom.
Thailand still harbors some of the world’s most beautiful wildlife and habitats.
Elephants, gaur, tiger, leopard, tapir, and many other animals are intricately adapted to a wide range of ecosystems.
Many of these creatures are rare, and some are critically endangered, such as goral, Siamese crocodile and the Gurney’s pitta.
Wildlife conservation is extremely important in the 21st century. This book aims to help protect and save nature for generations to come.
A word from the author
Climate change from global warming is in motion with natural disasters increasing in potency and in number. The recent hurricanes in North America – the most powerful in the history of the world – are an indication that the global environment is in jeopardy. Humans are to blame as excessive fossil fuels are burnt and emissions pollute the productive atmosphere around Earth. This situation is unacceptable and urgently needs to be addressed.
Thousands of plants and animals will become extinct in the21st Century. It is said the world loses some 60,000 species every year. Persistent human encroachment into the wilderness is a prime reason for this tragedy. As the human population explodes, expansion into protected reserves is nearly unstoppable. Interlopers take over land where wild animals live. Forests are transformed into touristy attractions, resorts and agricultural land. Wildlife disappears forever.
The importance of protecting and saving the Kingdom’s remaining forests and wildlife is critical. The key to success in preserving nature is to educate and create awareness in all levels of society. We have the ability to change the destiny of our natural environment. Do your part to help Mother Nature and she will reward you.
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Wildlife in the Kingdom of Thailand
179 pages (HARDCOVER)
Publisher: WKT PUBLISHING © 1999
ISBN: 974-87099-8-1
Join Bruce as he travels from the spectacular mountains of the north to the beautiful beaches and jungles of the south.
Wildlife in the Kingdom of Thailand offers a photographic portfolio of the wildlife in this country, a journey into the realm of the natural world with camera and film to record a small part of what was once a great wilderness.
In order to collect as many images as possible in the four-year period this book allowed, some of the best national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and non-hunting areas were chosen as photographic sites. By learning about each area from continued visits, a considerable knowledge was gained of wildlife habits and habitats. This determined the best times and places for 100 percent photographic success. Wildlife is so wary of humans that it is extremely difficult to see or photograph them in their natural habitat.
Thailand’s flora and fauna are some of the world’s most beautiful. We all need to join together to save what little is left, not only for ourselves but for our children.
About This Book
As one millennium passes and another begins, the world has lost much of it’s rainforests and inhabitants in the destructive movement of progress. Human population growth, industrialization and man’s quest for money and power are the main culprits.
Recent surveys tell us that an area of tropical rainforest the size of New York’s Central Park is being destroyed every ten minutes, the size of New Orleans every Month and that of the British Isles every year. Forests are being cut down for timber, livestock ranches, farms, food and housing. Wherever the devastation takes place, it contributes to climatic changes through greater greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. In recent times, severe world weather conditions caused by the el Niño and la Niña phenomena, destructive typhoons and hurricanes, and their disastrous effects of drought and floods, have wreaked havoc globally.
It is common knowledge that the human being, the ultimate predator, bears the prime responsibility for this depletion. Unhappily, Thailand is no exception. These “Terminators” are destroying the fringes and interiors of our forests and, sadly, our national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and non-hunting areas. Resorts and golf courses, reforestation scandals, illegal hunting, encroachment, logging and mining are all taking their bitter toll. The future looks more bleak by the day and the trend is accelerating towards the point of no return!
We are thus faced with an intractable dilemma. The destruction of our flora and fauna by this and previous generations will have severe consequences in the new millennium, affecting the weather, land and lives of people all over the country.
At the end of the Second World War, Thailand’s forests covered an estimated 75 percent of the country. Now, perhaps only 20 percent of the forest cover remains, of which half to three-quarters is in protected areas. Many species of plant and animal life have already become extinct to be seen now only in text books, drawings and old photographs.
We are at a crossroads where education and a sense of awareness for all natural living things are the most important tools to save what is left of our forests and wildlife. We also need to communicate through photographic books like this one, and the news media, to those who are uneducated about wildlife so they may understand and see the beauty of the natural world.
Enjoy this photographic trip into the world of Thailand. Put yourself into each photo as if you were actually there and see the magnificent wildlife that still survives in the kingdom. This book makes a powerful statement: the photographs speak for themselves.
