June was born in Lampang province in upper Northern Thailand and much as he loves the mountains of his childhood, June now treasures living in the Hua Hin area as he has ready access to both the mountains and the sea, almost a prerequisite for a man whose undergraduate degree was in marine science.  June’s appreciation of the local area doesn’t blind him to its shortcomings, however.  He would love to see improvements in city planning and design with a better balance of urban and green spaces reflecting a proper mix of civilisation and nature. June was the oldest child in his family, with both a younger sister and brother. He had positive role-models in both parents: his mother who working as a nurse and his father working in the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. June has great admiration for both his parents and credits his father for passing on an abiding love of conservation.

June was not an academic child, often bringing home test and report grades that were a disappointment to his parents. June was bored by textbooks, preferred a seat at the very back of the classroom, and frankly was disengaged. He was the sort of child who needed to be outdoors and doing rather than learning by rote. June loved nothing better than collecting and bringing home a bunch of creep-crawlies to nurture, even ones of the slithering variety, which must have pleased his parents no end! Locals will likely find it surprising though that June is still an amateur herpetologist and enjoys breeding and raising snakes. It wasn’t until he reached tertiary studies that June found his academic passion in studying marine science at Kasetsart University in Bangkok and then his grades sky-rocketed and June was lauded as an outstanding student. While continuing his studies, undertaking a Masters in Zoology, June worked as a teaching assistant and then as a curator in the university’s Museum of Fishery, working on species classification and taxonomy. So, June had a very solid scientific background on which to base both his future career and his personal hobby, which he has also been able to turn into a successful profit-making venture.

June believes his greatest professional achievement to date has been the restoration of water quality in the Pranburi River. Research he conducted convinced authorities that it was imperative that a percentage of the water flow from the dam be directed downstream to combat growing salinity in the mangrove forest.  Fresh water from Pranburi Dam that had only previously been earmarked for human supply and irrigating crops was needed to ensure that the mangrove ecosystem remained healthy, as the mangroves are the nursery for aquatic creatures that make up the vast bulk of the catch of the extensive fishing community based at the river mouth. June’s data and its analysis were used to change the pattern of water release from the dam, ensuring the ongoing prosperity of the local community.  June is a reserved and humble man, but for this, many would say he deserves a superhero cloak. What he has earned instead is the universal recognition that any project which has his involvement is likely to succeed, aided by June’s love of learning and his continued striving to absorb and then utilise new knowledge. Aspects June still hopes to develop are his time management and mastery of technology, particularly in graphic design and video production, so he can use social media more effectively to reach and influence an even greater audience.

It is unsurprising that June’s hobby, which he shares with his wife Da, is also in the scientific field of endeavour. The pair have a joint passion for cacti and succulents, not just growing them in their garden, but propagating them in their extensive nurseries and then selling them to both domestic and international plant enthusiasts. June brings his scientific knowledge to the task, the pair having now created over five hundred (yes, that’s 500!) new succulent varieties by creating cross-genera hybrids.  One of June’s particular joys is the first flowering of a newly created and named variety, as he usually has to wait about two years, and until it happens, he can never be totally certain of the details of the flower, there always being diversity even in plant genetics. Although it is like nominating a favourite child, when pressed June cited his development of two varieties, scientific names Stapelianthus insignis X Pseudolithss migiurtinus and Monolluma socotrana X Boucerosia frerei as a highlight. Much of the propagation of cacti and succulents is done from cuttings, and a finger-sized cutting of this plant can be shipped internationally to enthusiasts willing to pay 2000THB. Teenage June would never have imagined that working with prickly ornamental plants could be so profitable.

Since June typically works a six-day week at the Mangrove Ecosystem Learning Center, much of the day-to-day management of Pranburi Cacti & Succulents falls to Da, along with the co-parenting of their only daughter, Phat. June appreciates advancements in technology and communications across the last few generations, yet as a scientist and loving parent is disturbed by the impact humanity has had in that same period on the natural environment, citing the decrease in biodiversity, global warming and PM2.5 air pollution as some of the most pressing issues he believes need to be immediately addressed, for the sake of humanity’s future well-being. At the very top of June’s bucket list is the aim of getting people to truly appreciate the importance of the natural environment, thankful for his beautiful homeland and its past Kings who have guided the nation. On a personal level, June believes that nature, properly managed, has the capacity to alleviate human suffering.