| Kaeng Krachan National Park อุทยานแห่งชาติแก่งกระจาน | |
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  Map ofThailand | |
| Location | Phetchaburi andPrachuap Khiri Khan Provinces,Thailand |
| Nearest city | Phetchaburi |
| Coordinates | 12°47′56″N99°27′12″E / 12.79889°N 99.45333°E /12.79889; 99.45333 |
| Area | 2,915 km2 (1,125 sq mi) |
| Established | 12 June 1981 |
| Visitors | 103,510 (in 2019) |
| Governing body | Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | X |
| Designated | 2021 |
| Part of | Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex |
| Reference no. | 1461 |
| Region | Asia-Pacific |
Kaeng Krachan National Park (Thai:อุทยานแห่งชาติแก่งกระจาน,RTGS: Utthayan Haeng Chat Kaeng Krachan,pronounced[ʔùt.tʰā.jāːnhɛ̀ŋt͡ɕʰâːtkɛ̀ŋkrā.t͡ɕāːn]) is the largestnational park ofThailand.[1][2] It is on the border withBurma, contiguous with theTanintharyi Nature Reserve. It is a popular park owing to its proximity to the tourist town ofHua Hin. It was named aUNESCO World Heritage Site on 26 July 2021,[3][4] despite concerns from theOHCHR around the human rights violations of the indigenous people that live in the park.[5]
The park covers parts of the districtsNong Ya Plong,Kaeng Krachan, andTha Yang ofPhetchaburi Province, and ofHua Hin ofPrachuap Khiri Khan Province. It consists mainly of rain forest on the eastern slope of theTenasserim 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.[2] Two main rivers originate within the park area, thePranburi River and thePhetchaburi River. The Phetchaburi is impounded by theKaeng Krachan Dam 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.
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 ~ 2,478 square kilometres (957 sq mi), it was enlarged in December 1984 to include the boundary area between Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan Provinces, an additional 273,125 rai ~ 437 square kilometres (169 sq mi).[6] The park has been included on the list ofASEAN Heritage Parks. It is part of theKaeng Krachan Forest Complex, which the Thai government had repeatedly nominated for designation as aWorld Heritage Site 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.[7] In July 2021 Thailand made its fourth application for World Heritage Site recognition.[8] 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.[3]
The killing of wildelephants is an ongoing problem at the park,[9] with authorities unable to control poachers.[10] Some park officials are allegedly involved in the trade of elephant parts.[11]
Despite national park status, there are private plantations within the confines of Kaeng Krachan National Park. Some of these are surrounded byelectric fences which, in June 2013, fatally electrocuted an elephant calf.[12]
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 millionbaht. 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.[13] The park chief says, "...the project does not violate regulations...and [we have] a duty...to proceed with the project."[14] 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.[15][16]
The forests contain a greatbiodiversity oftropical vegetation, 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.[1][17]
The following wild fruits are found in Kaeng Krachan National Park.[18]
| Kaeng Krachan National Park in overview PARO 3 (Phetchaburi branch) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), PARO 1 to PARO 3
