A protected area in Thailand, touted as the world’s oldest tropical evergreen forest, Khao Sok National Park, was declared an Asean Heritage Park (AHP), the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) announced in a news release.
The environment ministers of the Asean approved the nomination of Khao Sok National Park as the 50th Asean Heritage Park as endorsed and recommended virtually by the 31st Meeting of the Asean Senior Officials on Environment (ASOEN) and the 22nd meeting of the governing board of the ACB, hosted by Vietnam on November 24 and 25, 2020.
“We are pleased to share the news that Khao Sok National Park has joined the list of designated Asean Heritage Parks. These remarkable parks are areas of high conservation value that best represent the region’s rich natural resources and cultural identity,” said ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim.
The ACB, as the secretariat of the Asean Heritage Parks (AHP) Programme, facilitates the rigorous evaluation process of the nominated protected areas to be declared as an AHP.
An evaluation team, led by Robert Mather, technical assistance team leader of the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in Asean (BCAMP) Project, together with two Thai evaluators, Dr. Dachanee Emphandhu and Dr. Petch Manopawitr, visited Khao Sok in October 2020. BCAMP is an ongoing project being implemented by the ACB with support from the European Union.
Khao Sok National Park is a 740-square kilometer terrestrial national park located in the Suratthani province of Thailand. It consists of diverse ecosystems, including evergreen forest, swamp forest and limestone forest.
Wildlife species thriving in the park, include the vulnerable species mainland serow and the endangered Malayan tapir, as well as the largest flower Rafflesia Kerrii Meijer and the endemic flowering plant species Khaosokia caricoides.
Khao Sok is adjacent to the Ratchaprapha Dam that generates power supply to its surrounding communities.
Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), the agency responsible for protected area conservation and management in the country, welcomed the announcement, saying it gives the department “a feeling of accomplishment.”
“On behalf of the Thai people, DNP is delighted and proud of Khao Sok National Park becoming the 50th Asean Heritage Park,” Thanya Netithammakun, director-general of DNP said.
Chonlathorn Chamnankid, Thailand’s AHP representative and director of National Park Research and Innovation Centre, National Parks Office of DNP, said Khao Sok National Park, situated in the middle of Klong Saeng Khao Sok Forest Complex, has been a tourism destination for its ancient rainforest, limestone landscapes, and wildlife, “[providing] income and enhancing quality of life for the locals.”
Khao Sok National Park is the seventh AHP in Thailand. Other AHPs are Khao Yai National Park, Tarutao National Park, Ao Phang-Nga-Mu Ko Surin-Mu Ko Similan National Park, Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex, Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park and Hat Chao Mai National Park-Mu Ko Libong Non hunting Area.
“The designation of Khao Sok comes at an opportune time as the Asean region gears toward the recovery of the tourism sector, which is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. The Asean Heritage Parks, apart from showcasing the rich biodiversity in the region, can also be prime nature tourism destinations,” Lim said.
On February 4, following the 24th Meeting of Asean Tourism Ministers through a video conference hosted by the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Asean ministers issued a joint statement expressing commitment to the recovery of the tourism sector, highlighting three priority areas—the “Road to Recovery”; “Towards Asean as a Single Tourism Destination”; and “Realising Sustainable, Inclusive, and Resilient Tourism Development.”
1 comment
so – what does this mean in concrete terms? Will there be more money, or staff to mange the region. The problem with ALL national parks in ASEAN is that those in charge either don’t understand wildlife conservation and ecology or simply don’t care…..corruption, encroachment and poaching still continue.
they need to be stamped out before we lose the whole system