Suchat Chomklin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, signed to unlock the "helmeted sunbird," adjusting its legal status to support community economies and southern ways of life, while maintaining strict safeguards against wild bird hunting.
Suchat Chomklin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, revealed that he has signed a ministerial regulation to adjust the legal status of the “helmeted sunbird” also known as the helmeted bulbul, which has been a long-awaited issue among breeder and breeder networks, especially in southern regions. This legal status adjustment aims to align with the lifestyle, culture, and community economic systems closely linked to bird breeding, allowing activities to be conducted legally and further developed into income-generating professions for entrepreneurs and communities.
Suchat affirmed that the legal status adjustment does not open the door for free hunting of wild birds. The ministry continues to enforce strict measures to prevent and suppress wild bird hunting to maintain balanced natural bird populations. Going forward, the ministry will promote proper breeding systems, develop a database, and implement bird identification marks to efficiently verify origins, thereby reducing pressure on wild bird populations.
The minister added that if future reports show a significant decline in wild helmeted sunbird populations, relevant agencies are ready to review and strengthen protection measures immediately. This is to achieve balance between economic growth and natural resource conservation. Meanwhile, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation is preparing meetings to rehearse operational guidelines, breeding control, database management, and measures to prevent releasing bred birds back into the wild in ways that might affect native species.