Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
transition between land and sea and act as
the ocean's nursery, spawning and nurturing
fish, bird and amphibian species. Thailand is
home to nearly 75 species of these salt-toler-
ant trees that were once regarded as waste-
lands and vulnerable to coastal development.
The long slender 'trunk' of land that runs
between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andam-
an Sea is often referred to as the Malay pen-
insula. This region is Thailand's most tropical:
rainfall is plentiful, cultivating thick rainforests
that stay green year-round. Malayan flora
and fauna predominate and a scenic range of
limestone mountains meanders from land to
sea.
On the west coast, the Andaman Sea is an
outcropping of the larger Indian Ocean and
home to astonishing coral reefs that feed and
shelter thousands of varieties of fish and act
as breakwaters against tidal surges. Many of
the coral-fringed islands are designated as
marine national parks, limiting - to some de-
gree - coastal development and boat traffic.
The 2010 global coral bleaching phenomenon (in which El NiƱo weather conditions
contributed to warmer sea temperatures) killed or damaged significant portions of
Thailand's reefs.
National Parks
1 KHAO YAI NATIONAL PARK (
CLICK HERE )
2 KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK (
CLICK HERE )
3 DOI INTHANON NATIONAL
PARK ( CLICK HERE )
4 SIMILAN ISLANDS MARINE
NATIONAL PARK ( CLICK HERE )
5 AO PHANG-NGA MARINE
NATIONAL PARK ( CLICK HERE )
National Parks & Protected Areas
With 15% of the kingdom's land and sea designated as park or sanctuary, Thailand
has one of the highest percentages of protected areas of any Asian nation. There
are over 100 national parks, plus over 1000 'nonhunting areas', wildlife sanctuaries,
forest reserves, botanical gardens and arboretums.
Thailand began its conservation efforts in 1960 with the creation of a national
system of wildlife sanctuaries under the Wild Animals Reservation and Protection
Act, followed by the National Parks Act of 1961. Khao Yai National Park was the
first wild area to receive this new status.
 
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