Site Summary 1 Description of Physical Site

1. 
   Site Summary
   

The Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary (HKK) is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in Thailand. It is located at the southern end of the Dawna Range .The ecoregion name is the Kayah-Karen Montane Rain Forests [IM0119] , the Google coordinates are 15°36'-17°50'N, 99°19'-16°47'E.

The maps show location of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary , Uthaithanee Province , Thailand

Physical Region

The terrain is generally hilly with many permanent and seasonal streams. The highest peak (Khao Pai Huai Kha Khaeng) lies in the extreme north of the sanctuary. Valleys are interspersed with small lowland plains. The sanctuary comprises the catchment area of the Huai Kha Khaeng, which flows through the middle of the sanctuary into the Kwae Yai and the Sri Nakarin Dam in Kanchanaburi Province, and much of the uppercatchment area of the Huai Thap Salao, which flows into the Sakrae Krang in Uthai Thani Province.

Red-brown earths and red-yellow podzols are the predominant soils, the former derived from limestone and found in the level uplands and Mae Chan Valley, whilst the latter is found in the Huai Kha Khaeng Valley. A physical feature that is important for wildlife is the presence of mineral licks. These occur throughout the sanctuary as either wet or dry, and most appear to be located on, or around, granite intrusions in areas with red-yellow podzolic soil and may be associated with the massive faults or lineaments in the intensely folded geomorphology of this area. Small lakes, ponds and swampy areas occur, some being seasonal whilst others are perennial; these are important wildlife habitats.

Topographically, the forest of Huai Kha Khaeng covers a series of complex mountains with the north-south flowing 100-km-long Huai Kha Khaeng stream as its main water source. The combination of suitable climate, topography, humidity and general richness of the area, means the area is a centre of biodiversity in which almost all types of forests, including deciduous, dry dipterocarp, dry evergreen, hill evergreen, and moist evergreen, can be found. These forests support populations of rare animals.

HKK was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in September 4, 1972 and covers an area of 281,279 hectares (approximately 2,780 km2) in Amphoes Lan Sak, Huai Kot and Ban Rai in Uthai Thani and Amphoe Umphang in Tak. HKK was inscribed as a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO at a conference in Tunisia on December 9, 1991, the first such site in Thailand.

HKK was established 26 August 1972 under the 1960 Wild Animals Reservation and Protection Act, which was re-enacted in 1992. In 1991, inscribed with Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary on the World Heritage List. HKK is a protected area that does not have any villages inside. The land tenure is under management of the Government in Uthaithani provinces. It has a management under Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

(http://www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/pdf/Thungyai-HKK.pdf)
Main Livelihoods and Incomes

Almost all of people in the area basically live off the agriculture lands out side the protected area. Majority of people earn a living off the agriculture such as plant crops such as corn and cassava. Also, they farm domesticated animals such as cattle , buffalo, goat, chicken and duck. (Word Heritage Site Conservation Office 2008)

Along the eastern side of HKK are 29 villages located within three kilometers from the sanctuary boundary. All of the village areas cover 3 Amphoes (district) are Lansak , Huai-kot and Banrai, 7 Tambon (sub-district) are Rabam , Po-oa, Thaonlang, Kokkawa, Chaowat , Kanmakrut and Banrai. In the population of 29 villages, there are about 4,589 household, with about 17,500 people. (Word Heritage Site Conservation Office 2008)

Threats in HKK include hunting, habitat conversion, and non-timber forest product (NTFP) collection. Over two years of the new patrol system in HKK reveals that people living near the sanctuaries are the source of different threats to wildlife especially tigers and their prey. Among threats, poaching of tiger prey including the sambar, gaur, banteng has seriously depleted food supplies for tigers in many areas. The cause of hunting is mostly for selling wild meat to local wild meat restaurants located outside the protected areas with large ungulates and primates as the main targets. Although selling of wild meat is illegal in Thailand the underground business is still going on in many local restaurants. In 2007-09 the data from the survey of wild meat food shops and restaurants in 3 districts next to HKK reveals that there are 13 out of 67 food shops that are likely to sell wild meat. (WCS 2007)

HKK is one of the last areas for numerous wildlife species including threatened species and has been well recognized among tiger conservation scientists as a key site for tiger conservation and restoration of the Indochinese tiger in SE Asia. From the IUCN threats classification Indochinese tiger is listed in The Red List Category as Endangered C2a(i). (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/136853)

Fauna and Flora

(http://www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/pdf/Thungyai-HKK.pdf)

The vegetation is largely undisturbed, with little logging or shifting agriculture practiced in the past. Five types of forest can be distinguished. The highest slopes are covered with hill evergreen forest (covering 38,400 ha), while slopes above 600 m generally support dry semi-evergreen forest (46,300 ha). The rest of the sanctuary supports mixed deciduous (117,300 ha) and bamboo forest (18,300 ha), and dry dipterocarp forest (34,500 ha) in areas with poor or shallow soil. In unusually moist areas along some rivers and streams, evergreen gallery forest is present. The result is often a patchy mosaic of vegetation types, particularly in valley bottoms. In lowland areas, mainly near the larger rivers, there are some small patches of open grassland. Commercially important tree species include teak Tectona grandis, Terminatia nudiflora, Xylia kerii, L. calyculata, A. xylocarpa, D. alatus, H. odorata, Anisoptera cochinchinensis.

(http://www.eoearth.org/article/Huai_Kha_Khaeng_Wildlife_Sanctuary,_Thailand)

HKK is an important area for providing ecological services to people of Thailand, especially people in Uthaithanee Province. The people get direct consumption of ecological goods such as water, mineral and Non timber forest product (NTFPs). They also get direct consumption of ecological services such as camping, nature education, hiking, bird watching, and wildlife watching. This includes in-direct consumption of ecological services such as conservation of biodiversity, wildlife conservation, purification of air and water, and watershed protection.

HKK had been managed directly by the Government’s Department of National

(The Natural World Heritage Site Ecosystem management project 2007)

HKK is the best area for nature and environmental education. It is a Natural Library for students and general people in Thailand. HKK has been working on nature and wildlife conservation education with children, school, local people and general people (WEFCOM 2004). In 2004 , The Natural World Heritage Site Ecosystem Management Project (The Project under National Park ,Wildlife and Plant conservation) and HKK were established conservation education program for nature study and recreation based on an ecosystem approach in the recreation zone ,called Front Gate to World Heritage Site Program. In 2007 WCS Thailand and Thai Petroleum Company: Exploration and Production Public Company Limited were established the project called Conservation Education Program on Saving Thailand’s tiger project. The project has been very successful in getting local school children to be more aware of the important of the protected area for tigers and other wildlife conservation. (Saving Thailand’s tiger project 2007)

From the past century, Thailand has developed a number of important

policies and legal frameworks to support the conservation and management of

wildlife, forests, plant resources.

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and became the 80th member

of the Convention. CITES-Thailand has been effective in dealing with trade in plant

within the CITES System, especially wild orchids, cycads species and tree ferns.

Prior to Thailand’s ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2003, the country undertook a great deal of preparations for the Convention. In 1999, the Plant Variety Protection Act was enacted providing protection of novel varieties, and native plants - both landraces and wild species. The Act on Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicinal Intelligence was passed in the same year to protect and promote traditional Thai medicinal plants and practices. In 2001 alone, there were 14 Acts, two Cabinet Resolutions, five national plans and policies; and two departmental regulations related to the conservation of biodiversity (World Bank, 2004). Thailand ratified the CBD on 31st October 2003 and became the 188th member of the Convention on 29th January 2004. Thailand also has many international conventions for conservation and environment such as World Heritage Convention (1987), Agnda 21 (1992), Kyoto Protocol ( 1999). (Vessabutr S. 2005)
Special Designations that Apply to Site

HKK has inscribed with Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary on the World Heritage List under Natural Criteria vii, ix and x in 1991

HKK is a protected area. It has management under the Department of National Park , Wildlife and Plant Conservation. HKK has been under the 1960 Wild Animals Reservation and Protection Act, which was re-enacted in 1992.

HKK had been managed directly by the Government’s Department of National

HKK has stakeholders in both government and non-government organizations. WCS-Thailand Program is one stakeholder that is working closely with HKK regarding the patrol system and patrol database. In the part of management, HKK has a Protected Area Committee (PAC). The committee includes representatives from main stakeholder of HKK such as local government, local NGOs, lecturer from university and representatives from local people. This committee has been performed to give advice to HKK management.

In the project the lead agency is Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Thailand program. The history of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Thailand dates to the early 1970s. At the invitation of the government of Thailand, WCS opened a project office in 1997 to support a wildlife management training program, initiate an Indochina tiger conservation program, support conservation research of government staff, and help make wildlife conservation sustainable and more effective in Thailand. In 2002, WCS and the Thailand government agreed to a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding, to expand their working relationship and extend its term. (WCS 2004)

Angkana Makvilai has extensive experience of working within conservation education, be it leading outreach programs or working inside government and international projects. Prior to her current position, Angkana worked as a training and outreach assistant for the Western Forest Complex Ecosystem Management Project on 2000 – 2004 and technician coordinator for the Natural World Heritage Site Ecosystem Management Project in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary on 2005-2007 . Angkana’s responsibility was managing project activities and coordinating both stakeholders and community members. Angkana also designed a curriculum and conducted workshops for volunteers, community members, and government staff as part of her role.

The campaign stakeholders have a many types of stakeholder that they have a stake in the success of the campaign. The types of stakeholders include executive stakeholders, community and end – user stakeholders, expert stakeholders and media for example;

1. 
   Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary (HKK WS)
   
2. 
   Wildlife Conservation Division , Department of National Park ,Wildlife and Plant Conservation
   
3. 
   Natural Word Heritage Site Management Office
   
4. 
   HKK Wildlife development and extension station
   
5. 
   Thai Nature Game Group (Local NGO)
   
6. 
   Seub Nakasathein Foundation (NGO)
   
7. 
   Faculty of science and Technology, Nakornsawan University
   
8. 
   Umphur Lansak (Lansal Distric , Uthaithanee Province)
   
9. 
   Umphur Banrai (Banrai Distric , Uthaithanee Province)
   
10. 
    Umphur Huaikot (Huaikot Distric , Uthaithanee Province)
    
11. 
    Dek Rat Pa - Nature and art education center, Surin Province (NGO)
    
12. 
    Lansak Vittaya School
    
13. 
    Ruang Ta Tee Vittaya School
    
14. 
    Ban Rai Vittaya School
    
15. 
    Bung Ay Jaime School
    
16. 
    Huai Palo School
    
17. 
    Huai Kha Khaeng Vittaya School
    
18. 
    Thong Lang Vittaya School
    
19. 
    Rabam Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO)
    
20. 
    Paa-Or Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO)
    
21. 
    Thonglang Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO)
    
22. 
    KokKhay Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO)
    
23. 
    Chaowat Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO)
    
24. 
    Banrai Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO)
    
25. 
    Rabam Subdistrict
    
26. 
    Paa-Or Subdistrict
    
27. 
    Community forest committee , Ban Pong Sam Sib
    
28. 
    Community forest committee , Ban Phai Ngam
    
29. 
    Community forest committee , Ban Aung Haui Domg
    
30. 
    Community forest committee , Ban Bungcharone
    
31. 
    Community forest committee , Ban Ko Mo 53
    
32. 
    HKK Country Home Resort
    
33. 
    Uthaithanee Local Guide Club
    
34. 
    Local Newspaper in Uthaithanee Province
    
35. 
    Local Reporter in Uthaithanee Province
    
36. 
    Wat Tampratatmuangtep (Temple)
    

WEFCOM Project. 2004. GIS Database and its applications for ecosystem

management. National Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Department,
Bangkok.
Word Heritage Site Conservation Office . 2008. Basic Information of the village in
buffer zone in Huai kha khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. 2008
World Bank. 2004. Thailand Environment Monitor: Biodiversity. The World Bank,

Bangkok, Thailand. 54 pages.