At its twenty-second extraordinary session, the Bureau was informed of fires that had affected Thailand and other countries in the region. The Bureau learned that the Chairperson had approved a sum of US$ 20,000 for a project on research, training and raising awareness of local people on forest fire prevention and control in and around this site. The project foresees the implementation of joint activities by site staff and representatives of local communities in forest fire prevention and control during the dry season that would begin after November 1998. The Bureau requested the Centre, IUCN and the State Party to co-operate to ensure the timely implementation of the project to review and revise the forest fire management policy of this site with a view to soliciting the co-operation of local people.
The Observer of Thailand pointed out an error in the working document, drawing attention to the fact that this site has never received emergency assistance from the Fund in the past and that the Thailand site that received such assistance was the cultural site of Ayutthaya. He continued by informing the Bureau that the beginning of the project to revise the fire management policy for the site was delayed due to late receipt of funds. Project implementation has been sub-contracted to Kaesetsart University of Thailand and a preliminary report describing the background and history of problems to be addressed by the project has been received by the National World Heritage Committee of Thailand. A second report on the progress in the implementation of the project is due in October 1999; the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year with the final report due by December 1999. A representative of IUCN informed the Bureau that IUCN’s Forestry Programme is launching a special initiative on forest fire management and that IUCN will explore opportunities to facilitate Thailand’s efforts to review fire management policy in this World Heritage site.
The Representative of Thailand informed the Bureau that he would report on the progress in project implementation at the twenty-third extraordinary session of the Bureau in November 1999.