Thap Lan National Park is confronting the most significant crisis in its 43 years of existence. If the ongoing #SaveThaplan campaign fails to make an impact, Thap Lan will lose a massive area representing nearly one-fifth of its land.
The government plans to cut the size of Thap Lan by 265,286 rai to resolve land disputes that have plagued the area for decades.
Local farmers who claim ownership of land on the park’s boundary argue they have lived there for generations – well before the national reserve was established on December 23, 1981.
Encompassing more than 1.3 million rai, or 2,236 square kilometres, the park straddles Wang Nam Kheow, Pak Thong Chai and Khon Buri districts in Nakhon Ratchasima as well as Prachin Buri’s Na Di district in the Northeast of Thailand.
While long-time residents may have sound claims on plots in the national park, the dispute has sparked a national debate about land rights and the balance between conservation and development.
Critics are concerned that tourism developers and corrupt politicians will exploit the dispute to grab protected forests.
Tapestry of natural wonders
Thap Lan became Thailand’s 39th national park in 1981 when it was upgraded from Thap Lan Forest Park, which was established in 1975. The area was designated as a forest reserve as far back as 1966, to preserve the indigenous tailpot palms, known as Lan in Thai.
Thailand’s second-largest national park after Khao Yai, Thap Lan boasts a breathtaking tapestry of towering cliffs, majestic waterfalls, hidden caves, deep caverns, waterfalls and verdant valleys.
The park’s highest peak, Khao Lamung, pierces the sky at 992 metres, while numerous streams feed the mighty Mun and Bang Pakong rivers.
Thap Lan also has a rich and diverse ecosystem, combining traits of forests in Thailand’s Central region and the Northeast.
The dazzling array of wildlife ranges from elusive tigers, serows and majestic Asian bears to playful squirrels and shy mongooses.
Its slopes also teem with wild rabbits, deer, toads, bullfrogs, Asiatic brush-tailed porcupines, bats and snakes, while its water courses are home to spiny eels, blackskin catfish and blotched snakeheads.
World heritage gem
In 2005, Thap Plan was incorporated into the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was certified as a “green national park” (Gold level) in 2020.
Today, it protects the only tailpot palm forests left in Thailand. The palm tracts carpet 200 rai of slopes in Na Di district.
Beyond breathtaking vistas
Thap Lan National Park offers more than just stunning scenery, however. Intrepid tourists can hike up Pha Kep Tawan to witness the mesmerising sea of clouds bathed in the golden light of sunrise or sunset. Or head to Haad Chom Tawan, 300 metres of sandy beach on the shores of Lam Plai Mat Dam Reservoir, to greet the rising sun.
Adventure-seekers, meanwhile, can leap into pools beneath cascading waterfalls that dot the park, or take in the beautiful scenery from a boat or raft trip.
Overnight accommodation ranges from tents – pitch your own for just 30 baht or rent one from the park for 250-500 baht per night – to bungalows at a daily rate of 1,500 baht.
The park sees over a thousand visitors per day during peak season, drawn by its pristine wilderness and endless prospects for adventure.
Now, though, its fate hangs in the balance. Will this natural wonderland owned by all Thais survive intact, or will it be dismembered and perhaps fall prey to commercial gain? Amid protests, public consultation, and an ongoing parliamentary probe, we should know the answer soon.
By Thai PBS World’s General Desk
