Public participation is as key element in the new national reform law, which stipulates that reform committees must hold public hearings on their plans.

The natural resources and environment reform committee has opened a Line account, titled “Joining reform on environment”, to encourage members of the public to participate.

Comments and other feedback are invited and shared in the new Line group.

The committee, in its sixth meeting on Tuesday, also resolved to identify successes stories in natural resources and environment management as part of its reform pushes.

The vice chair, Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, said the reform committee had also fine-tuned its set of primary goals for the next five years to be in line with the 20-year national strategy.

The refined goals include: maintaining natural resources and their health so they can provide a foundation for the country’s social and economic development; balancing conservation and uses of natural resources to mitigate development impacts on natural resources; protecting the environment to minimise pollution and other public health and environmental impacts; and boosting effectiveness in managing natural resources and the environment to minimise conflicts and inequity, based on public participation.

The committee is one of 13 reform bodies appointed under the new charter and the National Reform Law.

Its work has been divided up among six sub-panels, covering land resources (land, mining, forests and wildlife), marine and coastal resources, water resources, biodiversity, environmental quality, and environmental management.

The reform committees have 90 days to finish their plans before submitting them to concerned parties, including the National Strategy Committee, for endorsement and implementation. The reform plans must be in line with the new long-term national strategies as required by law