The Association for Protection of the Environment (APE) is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

working on issues regarding the

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...

, and restoration of the environment, education about

permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using Systems theory, whole-systems thinking. It applies t ...

and

agroforestry Agroforestry (also known as agro-sylviculture or forest farming) is a land use management system that integrates trees with crops or pasture. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies. As a polyculture system, an agroforestry system c ...

among other things. The group says its mission is "to protect the existing forest and wildlife, particularly in Khao Nor Chuchi Lowland Forest and to increase biodiversity in the area". Among other issues, it is also concerned with

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

and

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

History

APE was started in 2010 by a Thai and British group of

workers and volunteers who come from biology, forestry, design and teaching backgrounds. APE was born of their shared urge to prevent deforestation of the few remaining areas of

primary forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...

, restore land cleared areas and protect wildlife in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Project area

APE is working in Khao Nor Chu Chi tropical lowland forest situated in Khoa Pra-Bang Khram National Reserve Forest and Khao Pra-Brag Khram Wildlife Sanctuary. Krabi Province has the last remaining areas of topical lowland forest in

; these richly diverse areas are home to several endangered and threatened species such as bearcat, rufous-collared kingfisher and

Gurney's pitta Gurney's pitta (''Hydrornis gurneyi'') () is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds in the Malay Peninsula, with populations mainly in Myanmar. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British banker and amateur ornithologist John He ...

Volunteer projects

Participants projects including teaching in schools, basic construction, planting trees, seed collections and community work.

Current conservation approach

Goals

* Protect the existing forest and wildlife through education and research projects. * Encourage planting of native tree and plant species to increase

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

in the area. * Restore existing forest with help from groups like FORRU, OBC,

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

and BCST.BirdLife International - conserving the world's birds
*Support and co-ordinate existing local conservation efforts. These goals will be achieved through education with school-aged children and locals, providing information and bridging the gap between research and community on issues relating to forest & wildlife habitat restoration, native plant and animal species, environmental protection,

and low impact farming methods, setting up sustainable incomes for local conservation projects and, if required, bringing together various organizations, local and global. APE works with a large number of different groups to achieve its goals, including other

Non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, government agencies, business, farmers and local communities. It also seeks to educate people on how to live in a more environmentally friendly manner. APE runs workshops for locals by experts in

sustainable farming Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem se ...

methods such as

Work with governments

APE currently works with the government Forest Protection Unit in Krabi, FORRU Plant Station Krabi and FORRU's

forest restoration Forest restoration is defined as "actions to re-instate ecological processes, which accelerate recovery of forest structure, ecological functioning and biodiversity levels towards those typical of climax forest", i.e. the end-stage of natural ...

program in Chiang Mai.

References

External links

APE on Facebook

APE homepage

The RSPB Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
{{Conservation and environmental foundations Environmental organizations based in Thailand Foundations based in Thailand Conservation and environmental foundations