The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Thailand has appointed a prominent veterinarian from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), Pattarapol Maneeon, as an "SDG Star".
The appointment is part of the UNDP's programme to collaborate with prominent public figures or experts to champion the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and raise public awareness of them.
Mr Pattarapol, who is chief of the wildlife health management sub-division, has been working for the department for over 20 years. He has provided treatment for wildlife, especially wild elephants. He has also joined many wildlife protection campaigns to raise public awareness.
Mr Pattarapol said his role is tied to goal 15 of the SDG, or "Life on Land", focusing on protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, managing forests sustainably, combatting desertification, and halting biodiversity loss.
In his new role as an SDG Star, the vet intends to create a paradigm shift in wildlife conservation through what he called "human-centric biodiversity protection". An SDG Star appointment highlights the essential role of human beings to prevent the loss of wildlife and habitats, he said. It is necessary to emphasise the importance of man-made ecological systems to facilitate a living balance between people, community and wildlife, he noted.
He added he would apply the model called "Survival Together" for creating a multi-sectoral cooperation among state-owned agencies, the private sector, local communities, and both local and international civil society groups by relying on innovations for wildlife health. That includes a monitoring system to prevent zoonoses, or zoonotic diseases -- infectious diseases that naturally pass between vertebrate animals and humans.