Thailand's cabinet approved a ministerial regulation on 1 September to expand permitted activities in forest zones from six to more categories, affecting 300,000+ pending applications. The proposed changes would streamline approvals for renewable energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, waste management, and other development projects on degraded forest land. While designed to clear bureaucratic backlogs and respond to evolving development needs, forestry experts warn the broad "other purposes" category could undermine forest rehabilitation efforts and create loopholes for projects outside existing protections, particularly for large-scale renewable energy developments.