Kaeng Krachan National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติแก่งกระจาน, , ) is the largest national park of
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. It is on the border with
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, contiguous with the Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. It is a popular park owing to its proximity to the tourist town of
Hua Hin
Hua Hin ( th, หัวหิน, ) is one of eight districts (''amphoe'') of Prachuap Khiri Khan province in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand. Its seat of government, also named Hua Hin, is a beach resort town. The district ...
. It was named a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
on 26 July 2021, despite concerns from the
OHCHR
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...
around the human rights violations of the indigenous people that live in the park.
Phetchaburi Province
Phetchaburi ( th, เพชรบุรี, ) or Phet Buri () is one of the western or central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Ratchaburi, Samut Songkhram, and Prachuap Khiri Khan. In the w ...
, and of
Hua Hin
Hua Hin ( th, หัวหิน, ) is one of eight districts (''amphoe'') of Prachuap Khiri Khan province in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand. Its seat of government, also named Hua Hin, is a beach resort town. The district ...
of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. It consists mainly of rain forest on the eastern slope of the Tenasserim Mountain Range. The highest elevation in the park is 1,513 meters, in a "joint area of Thailand and Myanmar". The second highest mountain peak is Kao Panern Toong with an elevation of 1,207 m. Two main rivers originate within the park area, the Pranburi River and the
Phetchaburi River
250px, Sign of the river.
The Phetchaburi River ( th, แม่น้ำเพชรบุรี, , ) is a river in western Thailand. It has its source in the Tenasserim Hills, in the Kaeng Krachan National Park, Kaeng Krachan district and flows ...
. The Phetchaburi is impounded by the
Kaeng Krachan Dam
The Kaeng Krachan Dam ( th, เขื่อนแก่งกระจาน, , ) is a multi-purpose hydroelectric dam in the Kaeng Krachan District of Phetchaburi Province, Thailand. The dam impounds the Phetchaburi River. It was officially open ...
at the eastern border of the park. The dam creates a lake covering an area of 46.5 km2. The dam was built in 1966.
History
The park was declared a reserve in 1964 and on 12 June 1981 it became the 28th national park of Thailand. Originally covering an area of 1,548,750 rai ~ , it was enlarged in December 1984 to include the boundary area between Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan Provinces, an additional 273,125 rai ~ . The park has been included on the list of
ASEAN Heritage Parks
ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) are selected protected areas in the ASEAN region that are known for their unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness and outstanding values in scenic, cultural, educational, research, recreational and tourism. Its vi ...
. It is part of the
Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex
Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex ( th, กลุ่มป่าแก่งกระจาน) is the inscribed name of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Thailand. It covers the areas of Kaeng Krachan, Kui Buri and Chaloem Phrakiat Thai Prachan nation ...
, which the Thai government had repeatedly nominated for designation as a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
since 2011. At its 2019 meeting, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee (WHC) rejected Thailand's third bid, citing outdated information regarding boundaries and a lack of local community participation. In July 2021 Thailand made its fourth application for World Heritage Site recognition. On 26 July 2021, the 21 nations of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted 12–9 to approve Kaeng Krachan's listing as a World Heritage Site.
The killing of wild
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
s is an ongoing problem at the park, with authorities unable to control poachers. Some park officials are allegedly involved in the trade of
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
parts.
Despite national park status, there are private plantations within the confines of Kaeng Krachan National Park. Some of these are surrounded by
electric fence
An electric fence is a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter people or animals from crossing a boundary. The voltage of the shock may have effects ranging from discomfort to death. Most electric fences are used for agricultural fencing an ...
s which, in June 2013, fatally electrocuted an
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
calf.
In 2018, the park started taking bids on a project to pave 18.5 kilometres of the Bang Krang to Phanoen Thung Road. It is budgeted at 87.62 million
baht
The baht (; th, บาท, ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. Society for Worldw ...
. The existing one-lane dirt road is "broken beyond repair" according to the park's chief. Environmentalists oppose the project on the grounds that easier accessibility will mean more tourists in the fragile ecosystem. The park chief says, "...the project does not violate regulations...and
e have
E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plura ...
a duty...to proceed with the project." The project was halted, at least temporarily, in early-November 2018 by the National Parks Department to allow opponents to be heard on the issue.
Flora and fauna
The forests contain a great
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
of
tropical vegetation
Tropical vegetation is any vegetation in tropical latitudes. Plant life that occurs in climates that are warm year-round is in general more biologically diverse that in other latitudes. Some tropical areas may receive abundant rain the whole ye ...
, including tropical and subtropical broad leaf tree species and palms. Ninety-one species of mammals and 461 bird species have been counted in the park.
Image:Martes flavigula, yellow-throated marten.jpg, ''Martes flavigula'',
yellow-throated marten
The yellow-throated marten (''Martes flavigula'') is a marten species native to Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide distribution, evidently relatively stable population, occurrence in a number of protected are ...
dusky leaf monkey
The dusky leaf monkey (''Trachypithecus obscurus''), also known as the spectacled langur, or the spectacled leaf monkey is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is found in Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, and can occas ...
streaked spiderhunter
The streaked spiderhunter (''Arachnothera magna'') is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae.
Description
It is similar in size to a sparrow. It is olive yellow in color, with multiple darker streaks. It has a long, curved black beak and ...
flavescent bulbul
The flavescent bulbul (''Pycnonotus flavescens'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family of passerine birds. Its name comes from flavescent, a yellowish colour. It is found in south-eastern Asia.
Taxonomy and systematics
Alternate names ...
Adenanthera pavonina
''Adenanthera pavonina'' is a perennial and non-climbing species of leguminous tree. Its uses include food and drink, traditional medicine, and timber.
Common names and synonyms
''Adenanthera pavonina'' is commonly called Red Lucky Seed. Ot ...
Aglaia lawii
''Aglaia lawii'' is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae. As well as the Subspecies#Nominotypical subspecies and subspecies autonyms, autonym species, there are two subspecies accepted.
Taxonomy
There are 2 subspecies accepted as well as ...
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Aglaia odoratissima
''Aglaia odoratissima'' is a species of plant in the family Meliaceae. It is found in Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially th ...
Alangium kurzii
''Alangium kurzii'' is a tree in the family Cornaceae. It is named for the German naturalist Wilhelm Sulpiz Kurz.
Description
''Alangium kurzii'' grows up to tall with a trunk diameter of up to . The smooth bark is dark grey. The flowers are pa ...
Artabotrys burmanicus
''Artabotrys'' is a genus of plants in the Annonaceae family. There are over 100 species in the Old World tropics, with 31 species in Africa. It is part of the custard apple family (Annonaceae). All species are small trees or shrubs with a tenden ...
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Artocarpus lacucha
''Artocarpus lacucha'', also known as monkey jack or monkey fruit, is a tropical evergreen tree species of the family Moraceae. It is distributed throughout the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The tree is valued for its wood; its fruit ...
Buxus cochinchinensis
''Buxus'' is a genus of about seventy species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood.
The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South ...
Capparis zeylanica
''Capparis zeylanica'' is a climbing shrub common in the forests of the Indian subcontinent, Indo-China, China and Malesia; no subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life. Several species of Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of ins ...
Clerodendrum infortunatum
''Clerodendrum infortunatum'', known as bhat or hill glory bower, is a perennial shrub belonging to the family (biology), family Lamiaceae, also sometimes classified under Verbenaceae. It is the type species among ~150 species of ''Clerodendrum'' ...
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Cnestis palala
''Cnestis'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Connaraceae.
Its native range is Tropical and Southern Africa to Malesia
Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan a ...
Dillenia indica
''Dillenia indica'', commonly known as elephant apple or Ou Tenga, is a species of ''Dillenia'' native to China and tropical Asia.
Description
It is an evergreen large shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing to 15 m tall. The leaves are 15 ...
Dipterocarpus turbinatus
''Dipterocarpus turbinatus'' ( Khmer ;DY PHON Pauline, 2000, Plants Used In Cambodia, self-published, printed by Imprimerie Olympic, Phnom Penh India ''gurjan'', ''gurjun'', ''gurgina''; Tagalog ; Chinese ; available at Efloras.org Malay lan ...
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Dissochaeta divaricata
''Dissochaeta''Blume (1831) ''Flora'' 14: 493. is a genus of plants in the family Melastomataceae. Species can be found in: Hainan and Indo-China through to Malesia.
Species
''Plants of the World Online'' lists:
* ''Dissochaeta acmura'' Sta ...
Elaeagnus latifolia
''Elaeagnus latifolia'', known as the bastard oleaster, or soh-sang, is a species of ''Elaeagnus'' native to India and Southeast Asia.
Description
''Elaeagnus latifolia'' is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to ten feet tall. It has alternate ...
Ficus annulata
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...
Ficus hirta
''Ficus simplicissima'' is an Asian species of fig tree in the family Moraceae.
This species is similar to ''Ficus triloba'' and synonyms include ''Ficus hirta''; its native range is Nepal to southern China and Indo-China, Sumatra and Java.
R ...
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Ficus subpisocarpa
''Ficus subpisocarpa'' (called 笔管榕 in China and 雀榕 in Taiwan) is a species of small deciduous tree native to Japan, China, Taiwan and southeast Asia to the Moluccas (Ceram). Two subspecies are recognised. Terrestrial or hemiepiphytic, i ...
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Ficus triloba
''Ficus triloba''Voigt JO (1845) In: ''Hort. Suburb. Calcutt.'': 284. is an Asian species of fig tree in the family Moraceae. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on separate individuals.
Nomenclature
This species is similar t ...
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Flacourtia indica
''Flacourtia indica'' ( syn. ''Flacourtia ramontchi''), known commonly as ramontchi, governor's plum, Madagascar plum and Indian plum, is a species of flowering plant native to much of Africa and tropical and temperate parts of Asia. ''F. indica' ...
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Flacourtia rukam
''Flacourtia rukam'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae. It is native to Island Southeast Asia and Melanesia, but has spread into Mainland Southeast Asia, India, and Polynesia
Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () " ...
Garuga pinnata
''Garuga pinnata'' is a deciduous tree species from the family Burseraceae.
It occurs in Asia: from the Indian sub-continent, southern China and Indo-China; in Vietnam it may be called ''dầu heo''. No subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of ...
Gymnema griffithii
''Gymnema'' (Neo-Latin, from Greek γυμνὀς ''gymnos'', "naked" and νῆμα, ''nēma'', "thread") is a genus in the family Apocynaceae first described as a genus in 1810.
One species, ''Gymnema sylvestre
''Gymnema sylvestre'' is a pere ...
Hunteria zeylanica
''Hunteria zeylanica'' grows as either an evergreen shrub or as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . Its flowers feature a white corolla. The berries are yellow. Its habitat is forests from sea level to altitude. The trees can w ...
Hymenopyramis brachiata
''Hymenopyramis'' is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae, first described in 1843. It is native to Indochina and to the Hainan Province of southern China.
;Species
#''Hymenopyramis acuminata
''Hymenopyramis'' is a genus of plants in t ...
Litchi chinensis
Lychee (US: ; UK: ; ''Litchi chinensis''; ) is a Monotypic taxon, monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus ''Litchi'' in the Sapindus, soapberry family, ''Sapindaceae''.
It is a tropical tree native to Southeast and Southwest China (t ...
Mallotus barbatus
''Mallotus'' may refer to:
* ''Mallotus'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Osmeridae
* ''Mallotus'' (plant), a plant genus in the family Euphorbiaceae
{{genus disambiguation ...
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Mallotus philippensis
''Mallotus philippensis'' is a plant in the spurge family. It is known as the kamala tree or red kamala or kumkum tree, due to the fruit covering, which produces a red dye. However, it must be distinguished from kamala meaning "lotus" in many In ...
Melastoma malabathricum
''Melastoma malabathricum'', known also as Malabar melastome, Indian rhododendron, Singapore rhododendron, planter's rhododendron and senduduk, is a flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae. This plant is native to Indomalaya, Japan and Aust ...
Momordica charantia
''Momordica charantia'' (commonly called bitter melon; Goya; bitter apple; bitter gourd; bitter squash; balsam-pear; with many more names listed below) is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Afr ...
Murraya
''Murraya'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. It is distributed in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Neuropeitis racemosa''
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Passiflora foetida
''Passiflora foetida'' (common names: stinking passionflower, wild maracuja, bush passion fruit, wild water lemon, stoneflower, love-in-a-mist, or running pop) is a species of passion flower that is native to the southwestern United States (south ...
Phrynium pubinerve
''Phrynium pubinerve'' is the type species of the plant genus ''Phrynium'', in the family Marantaceae. It is widespread throughout Asia, with records from India, China, and Indo-China through to New Guinea; no subspecies are listed in the Catalo ...
Picrasma javanica
''Picrasma javanica'' is a tree in the family Simaroubaceae. The specific name (botany), specific epithet ' is from the Latin meaning "of Java".
Description
''Picrasma javanica'' grows up to tall with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark is dar ...
Plectocomiopsis geminiflora
''Plectocomiopsis'' is a dioecious genus of flowering plant in the arecaceae, palm family found in Indochina, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. Hapaxanthic and armed with spines, they are a climbing rattan, closely related to the ''Myrialepis'' palm ...
Premna serratifolia
''Premna serratifolia'' is a small tree/shrub in the family Lamiaceae. It flowers and fruits between May and November.Described by Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi in India biodiversity portal http:/ ...
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Pseuduvaria rugosa
''Pseuduvaria rugosa'' is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Java, Laos, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, the Nicobar Islands, Sumatra and Thailand. Carl Ludwig Blume, the botanist who first f ...
Rhodoleia championii
''Rhodoleia championii'', the Hong Kong rose, is a species of plant in the family Hamamelidaceae. It is a small evergreen tree with dangling scarlet flowers that are pollinated primarily by birds, and is found in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanm ...
Rothmannia
''Rothmannia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It was described in 1776 and is named for Göran Rothman (1739–1778) by Thunberg – both were pupils of Linnaeus.
Description
Although Rubiaceae flowers are generally org ...
Sauropus androgynus
''Sauropus androgynus'', also known as katuk, star gooseberry, or sweet leaf, is a shrub grown in some tropical regions as a leaf vegetable.
Its multiple upright stems can reach 2.5 meters high and bear dark green oval leaves 5–6 cm lon ...
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Schleichera oleosa
''Schleichera'' is a monotypic genus of plants in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. There is only one species, ''Schleichera oleosa'', a tree that occurs in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
Species
''Schleichera oleosa'', kusum tre ...
Siphonodon celastrineus
''Siphonodon celastrineus'' is a species of plant in the family Celastraceae. It is found in Cambodia, India, Myanmar, and Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a co ...
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Solanum erianthum
''Solanum erianthum'' is a species of nightshade that is native to southern North America and northern South America. It has been introduced to other parts of the world and has a nearly pantropical distribution. Common names include mullein nigh ...
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Spondias pinnata
''Spondias pinnata'', sometimes also known as hog plum, is a species of tree with edible sour fruits. It is native to the Philippines and Indonesia, but has been widely naturalized in South Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, Southern China, and the ...
Stereospermum colais
''Stereospermum tetragonum'', the yellow snake tree, is 15–20 m tall, trunk 15–25 cm in diam, large leaves 25–50 cm; leaflets 3–6 on each side of midrib, long elliptic, 8-14 X 2.5–6 cm. Large, pale yellow, trumpet shape ...
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Sumbaviopsis albicans
''Sumbaviopsis'' is a genus of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1910. It contains only one known species, ''Sumbaviopsis albicans'', native to Yunnan, the eastern Himalayas, and Southeast Asia (Indochina, Malaysia ...
Syzygium polyanthum
''Syzygium polyanthum'', with common names Indonesian bay leaf or daun salam, is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to Indonesia, Indochina and Malaysia. The leaves of the plant are traditionally used as a food flavouring, and ...
Tinospora sinensis
''Tinospora'' is a genus of succulent woody climbing shrubs. Thirty-four species are currently recognized. Species generally send down long aerial roots from host trees. They have corky or papery bark. They are found in tropical and sub-tropical ...
Uncaria cordata
''Uncaria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It has about 40 species.''Uncaria'' At: World Checklist of Rubiaceae At: Kew Gardens Website. (see ''External links'' below). Their distribution is pantropical, with most speci ...
Wrightia arborea
''Wrightia arborea'', the woolly dyeing rosebay, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and southern China. A tree reaching , local peoples use it for timber and as the ...
Indochina
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
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List of national parks of Thailand
National parks in Thailand ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติ) are defined as ''an area that contains natural resources of ecological importance or unique beauty, or flora and fauna of special importance''. Thailand's protected ar ...
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List of Protected Areas Regional Offices of Thailand Since the beginning one hundred years ago, forest management in Thailand has undergone many changes, in form of reclassifications, name changes and management changes. All this has resulted in a division of 16 regions with 5 branches in 2002. Five r ...