. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Asia and the Pacific. Thailand. The Klong-f-lmv m Khao-Yai National Park park, esiahhshed in 1962. ]. R. Paine Thailand's first national 31,505 sq. km or approximately 6 per cent of the country. Gazette- ment procedures are in hand for a further 21 areas covering an additional 11,121 sq. km or per cent of the country. Of this, about 2000 sq. km comprise coastal sea areas. The National Park Act states that the objectives of these areas are educational and recrea- tional, and the parks now receive over 4 million visitors a year - Erawan Park in
. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Asia and the Pacific. Thailand. The Klong-f-lmv m Khao-Yai National Park park, esiahhshed in 1962. ]. R. Paine Thailand's first national 31,505 sq. km or approximately 6 per cent of the country. Gazette- ment procedures are in hand for a further 21 areas covering an additional 11,121 sq. km or per cent of the country. Of this, about 2000 sq. km comprise coastal sea areas. The National Park Act states that the objectives of these areas are educational and recrea- tional, and the parks now receive over 4 million visitors a year - Erawan Park in Kanchanaburi Province alone receives over half a million visitors annually. However, it is widely recognised that the primary function of the national parks is the conservation of the natural environment. Some 28 wildlife sanctuaries cover a further 21,594 sq. km or per cent of the national territory. Seven further areas covering 2845 sq. km ( percent of national territory) are being gazetted. There is a good deal of overlap in the functions of the two categories of protected areas. Although wildlife sanctuaries have a more strictly 'conservation' function, many of them are in reality subject to considerable recreational use. Theoretically, this use is confined to 'Nature Education Centres' within the sanctuaries, and the bulk of the area within wildlife sanctuaries is supposedly protected from any human interference. Forty-eight non-hunting areas covering sq. km ( per cent of the country) have been gazetted. These are partial reserves, mostly in wetland areas. Totally protected areas therefore cover approximately 11 per cent of the land area. (A further per cent is coastal/marine.) Additional areas, now being gazetted, will bring this total to approximately 13 per cent, which is well on the way to the ultimate goal of 15 per cent. 230 The protected area system is far from perfect. While a dispropor- tionately large area of upland forest is protected, low
Size: 1324px × 1887px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bhlconsortium, bookc, bookcentury1900, bookcollectionbiodiversity
