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Published on October 10, 2007

 With a pair of scissors in his hand and mini-zoom lens hanging around his neck, Piyakaset "Ake" Suksatan is ready to explore the part of the world he loves the most - the forest.

He fell in love with nature as a little boy. While his parents - both teachers in the Faculty of Agriculture of Kasetsart University - were off instructing villagers on farming methods, he stayed behind in the village, absorbing Mother Nature in her various guises.

While most kids had their eyes glued to soap operas or cartoons, for example, Piyakaset grew up watching documentaries on nature.

"They left me playing around. I kind of merged with nature and forests quickly - I was excited and curious. The more I explored, the more discoveries I made. That sent me to the books, and my knowledge and enjoyment grew and grew through study."

The passion for nature Piyakaset has had since childhood tumbles out as he talks. It's led him to that most prized of all possessions: a job he loves. He's now a botanist at the Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens, Mae Rim, Chiang Mai.

Maybe it was his destiny. After all, he was born a child of Kaset-sart lecturers who gave him the name "piyakaset" (piya means dear, kaset means agriculture).

However, it wasn't until he himself became a student at Kasetsart that he began taking the exploration of forests seriously.

"I love trekking and roaming around the woods with friends. It's great to share the experience with fellow nature lovers," he says.

His deepest trip into a forest lasted 10 days. He'd have loved to have extended his stay, but supplies ran out.

"Sometimes we meet a dangerous animal; somehow I'm always the lucky one who sees it first. Poisonous snakes, for example, occasionally cross our path. But it's no problem - we just creep around them, giving them a wide berth. Tigers have walked past our tents in the night, too. There's no way of dealing with them, you just pray and hope that it's not your time to die."

But Piyakaset's real interest is with flora rather than fauna. There are hundreds of thousands of plant species, he says, and he pours hours of fascinated observation into each specimen that attracts his attention.

After finishing his masters degree at Kasetsart University, Piyakaset earned his PhD at Aarhuss University in Denmark, with research on systematic botany.

He developed a special interest in ferns at Kasetsart, where his adviser ML Charuphant Thongtham was an expert on the plants.

"I think ferns are very strange plants. With such a variety of appearances - from exquisite, tiny specimens to strong, towering ones - they serve every mood."

As part of his study towards his masters the young botanist surveyed almost every major park and forest in Thailand. That led to woodland studies in neighbouring countries, then in Europe, particularly Denmark.

Each forest he's been to has impressed him with its different character and diversity. However, he was really blown away by a visit to the Canary Islands.                   He calls the archipelago, 100 kilometres west of the coast of Morocco, "the Galapagos of plants".

"It's totally different from anything else I've seen," he says.

After 15 years working with ferns and thousands of other kinds of plants, Piyakaset has become an expert in his field, but awed by the diversity of Mother Nature, he still calls himself a "baby botanist".

For his job at the Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens, he does a monthly survey of the              forest to update information on plant species and their changes. He also helps run the botanical library, an important resource for those studying in different fields.

"When I go on a survey, especially in places that are tourist attractions, I see a lot of changes. Some of the changes are good, some not. It's quite sad when I see nature encroached upon by human development, and natural areas disappearing. Conservation for me is about finding effective ways to live sustainable lives in harmony with nature."

"Although as individuals we can't change the whole world, we can lend a hand - little by little things can get better. Don't neglect nature, don't let it go."

Getting back to nature at home by growing a forest-like garden is an idea that Piyakaset likes, but it's no substitute for the great outdoors.

"I prefer wandering into a real forest. That's the world I like the most: My own private space, where I can sit all day just observing, listening to the birds and basking in the jungle atmosphere."

Nattaporn Luangpipat

The Nation