Thailand is home to one of the largest forests in southeast Asia, but today, Thailand's forests are also home to some of the most threatened flora and fauna species. Deforestation has a serious impact on soil quality and quantity, and land degradation is also a major problem. More than 2.192 hectares of land have severe soil erosion.

To help stop the decline of Thailand's forests, the Alstom Foundation project will see the replanting of 100,000 trees in 10 provinces - in all major regions stretching from the mountains to the sea. Alstom employees will take part in the replanting. Sprout nurseries will also be created, as well as a curriculum developed to educate local populations on the environment.

At the end of August 2010, we had achieved the following:

• 30,000 trees were planted, which was the target for the first year, as per the initial programme. The seedlings were a mix of the 30 species indigenous to the area
• Four nurseries had been opened, each of them with two full-time workers
• The scope of the training has been widened, to include not only children as initially proposed, but also adults from the local villages
• Research work was postponed, as data collection could not be carried out due to heavy rains in August

Sponsor: Nazir Rizk