Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri stated that Prime Minister and Defense Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha was pleased with the decision made by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to add Thailand’s Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex in the World Heritage List.

The decision was made at the 44th session of the committee, held via a teleconference in China, with the participation of representatives from 21 countries.

The Government Spokesperson said that the Prime Minister had instructed relevant agencies to continue to promote biodiversity conservation and keep biodiversity in balance. The Government is ready to give support for management in accordance with international standards, in order to carry on the legacy of the World Heritage site to future generations, as well as promoting income generation from conservation tourism, which will contribute to the local economy in the future.

He said that the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex is recognized for its outstanding universal value, in line with the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

Located in an area of 464,000 hectares spanning across the three provinces of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, and Ratchaburi, the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex is rich in biodiversity, with semi-evergreen/dry evergreen, moist evergreen and some mixed deciduous forest, montane forest, and deciduous dipterocarp forest.

The area has abundant birdlife, including several globally threatened species, and is home to the critically endangered Siamese Crocodile, the endangered Asiatic Wild Dog, and several other vulnerable wildlife species.

It is Thailand’s sixth site inscribed on the World Heritage List and the country’s third natural world heritage site after Thung Yai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries was listed in 1991 and Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex in 2005.

Source: The Government Public Relations Department