Representatives of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are due to be in Thailand in November, to offer advice to and to consult with Thai officials on the management of the Kaeng Krachan forest, after it was designated a world natural heritage site by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee during its 44th session in China’s Fuzhou City in July last year.

Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Traisoranakul said today (Thursday) that the IUCN experts’ visit is at the invitation of the Thai Government, to help in the management of the forest in line with world natural heritage site guidelines.

The team will spend eight days in the forest with officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, she said, adding that, after the inspection trip, they will prepare a report within six weeks, containing recommendations for the Thai government.

Traisuree said that the report will cover the sustainable management of ethnic minority groups living in the forest, plants and wildlife species and assess the impacts of basic infrastructure projects.

Kaeng Krachan forest is Thailand’s largest national park, covering 464,000 hectares spanning Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Ratchaburi provinces. It is home to over 490 species of wildlife, several of which rare, such as tigers, tapirs and freshwater crocodiles.