Among the major achievements toward the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets is the increase of protected areas. At least 20% of the marine and coastal areas in Thai waters have been designated as protected areas and at least 5 sites of wetlands of international importance have been designated as Ramsar sites. Regarding threatened species, at least 10 endangered endemic species have been protected and restored in situ and increased in population. In addition, 98 areas were identified as important plant areas.
Awareness-raising campaigns through various activities and media have promoted knowledge on biodiversity issues. The Biodiversity Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) and the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) are fully operational and linked to one another.
The National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology has cooperated with the Ratchamangkala University of Technology to implement a project on rice seed production technology transfer, with the full participation of local farmers, using fragrant rice with high resistance to blast disease. The Center has also cooperated with several universities and research institutions to implement a project on the management and improvement of hot chili varieties, resulting in a collection of 752 species of hot chili from around the world. The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) has compiled, documented and published a series of 17 books (checklists) entitled “Biodiversity Series”, containing the names of and some information on important taxa in Thailand. The development of a national inventory on traditional knowledge and/or local wisdom related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is ongoing. The royalty-initiated projects with institutions of higher education have synthesized existing knowledge into practical models to be used as methodologies in plant conservation, using biotechnology for the reintroduction of endangered plants.
