Water

Getting to Know the Mekong Wetlands
Sam Roi Yod National Park
Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand

Sam Roi Yod (literally, "mountain with 300 peaks") is a national park in the Pranburi and Kuiburi districts of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. Home to at least 116 species of birds (residents and winter migrants), 24 species of fish, and many species of reptiles and amphibians, as well as insects and plants, it is recognized as an important habitat that preserves a variety of intact ecological systems.

Although relatively small (98 km2), the park has a vast array of habitats-- from limestone mountains, rocky shores, and sandy beaches to mangrove forests, mudflats, and marshes, including five islands (Kho Ram, Noom Sao, Rawang, Rawing, and Sattakood). One particularly important and fertile habitat here is the near-shore marine ecosystem, a refuge for the endangered serow (Capricornis sumatraensis).

A freshwater wetland with an area of 30 km² just west of the national park also supports an abundant biodiversity. It is home to at least 50 plant species and 349 kinds of animals, of which at least 28 are found only in this marsh. There are 21 villages in the vicinity with more than 3,600 households, whose members depend on the marsh for their livelihood.

The park is threatened by disputes among local people over landownership and land claims within its boundary. In an attempt to solve the conflicts, the Government canceled all landownership documents within the boundary of the national park. But other problems - encroachment of land for agriculture and shellfish farms, wastewater release from communities and factories, and basin agriculture - have appeared. The Government has called for cooperation with the surrounding communities in joint activities that could make the park more valuable for all.

Satellite Photo