*THAI TALE* - (non-moto story) - Northern Territory Haze. "Burning Season". SLASH & BURN farming.

It is our responsibility as humans to care for nature and the countryside. DO NOT write slash and burn farming off as not your business even if Thailand is not your birth country. Whether a Thai national or not, this horrific technique should not be taken lightly or written off as tradition. Do not underestimate or take lightly the damage this technique causes. It not only destroys nature, it creates toxic fumes. Plastic and rubbish also gets burned at this time.
Make no excuses, this practice MUST end!

When hot season kicks in, residents in the north of Thailand prepare for the dreaded "slash and burn";a farming technique which is carried out throughout northern regions, including Burma/Myanmar and Laos. The season can begin as early as November and end as late as May, with the worst periods usually being late February and March.

The farming technique involves huge sections of forestry being set on fire, and is mainly about harvesting some particularly prized (and costly) mushrooms. These mushrooms, called hed thob, grow only during this season, and are sought after for their earthy flavour. The mushrooms are harvested and sold at extremely high prices, making them a lucrative crop for farmers. ..and thus, for this reason it is very hard to change a practice which brings in so much cash. Ultimately money is king. Plus, burning also makes it easier to hunt wildlife for food, when their natural habitat is destroyed.

It's hard to believe given that every year the same thing happens, that there are laws in place which make the practice of burning illegal. However, it is either non enforceable or no one wishes to enforce. The rural farmers that carry out the practice stand to make most of their annual living from this crop, so it is far too important a technique for them to give up readily. What is the solution? I have no idea sadly, but given that the northern regions all suffer from terrible clawing smog and dangerous PM and AQI levels, something needs to change. (You can view levels via this official site:http://aqicn.org/city/chiang-mai/).

Thankfully there has has been rising recognition about the damage the burning is doing, not only to the flora and fauna, but to people's health. Campaign's have been taking place to promote awareness and show upset over the lack of enforcement, such as the "Bye Bye Smog" rally. Hopefully there is a sea of change taking place over this, even if the tide is still far out..

For ten years now I have been witnessing the devastation that burning season causes.  Each year I tell myself that the next year I will not remain in Chiang Mai or the north, but for some reason I end up staying and waiting it out. Many residents who can escape the region at this time, do. The weather at this time is often around 40c / 104f region, so teamed with the poor AQI the quality of life in the northern regions become poor.

 This year (2016) has been a particularly lengthy burning season. 

It is already May and yet a devastating vision met us all in Chiang Mai when we saw our beautiful mountain ablaze. 

This short video was from today and this evening:

It is truly frightening and depressing to see.

*UPDATE* See end of post for an update on the devastation this fire caused..

Over the years I have seen a lot of burning. Here are some images I have captured from previous years:

Another burning video I recorded in 2013, shot in Pai, Thailand.

 

 

 

 

*UPDATE*

These are some of the images we are faced with in the aftermath of the fire last night...

Take a moment to look at the images and really digest what these poor creatures, and many more like them, suffered last night. This is the same suffering that animals all over the northern region endure each year from these fires. Frightened out of their minds and burnt alive. Their charred remains a sad image of the damage these selfish practices cause.

 I confess I had to reign in some deep feelings of anger and upset upon seeing these images. Something about seeing the charred remains of innocent creatures brings home the horrific devastation these farming practices cause. On my personal Facebook account I expressed some strong words regarding the inhumane selfish individuals who carry out these fires, but for the sake of diplomacy i will refrain from repeating them on here. My only hope is that the death of these poor victims will cause enough outrage to finally make some difference in enforcing the laws regarding preventing the burning practices. In truth I do not hold my breath on anything changing though. This compounds the sorrow I have in my heart because not only do we have the death of nature on our hands, we have the knowledge that their death is likely all in vain, for the practice will continue.

..at this current time I am not aware of any groups aiming to combat the burning, except for the Bye Bye Smog group (click here for Facebook page for Bye Bye Smog group). If I hear of any campaigns or other groups involved I will post an update. For now, you can show your support by clicking LIKE on the Bye Bye Smog Facebook group.

(I have since found out the photos of the carcases are from a previous fire, however the impact will have been the same)