Bangkok (Thailand) – August 12, 2019 (travelindex.com) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pleased to announce that Thailand has opened five new national parks across the country between 2016 and 2019 since the beginning of the reign of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun (King Rama X).

This is also in line with Thailand's 20-year national strategic plan, which aims to increase the forest area to 55% of the country by 2037.

“Part of the work to increase forest area and to conserve forests is carried out by the National Park System under three main mandates: environmental protection, research and recreational development,” said TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn.

There are currently 133 national parks in Thailand. Khao Yai National Park was the country's first (established in 1962), while Tham Sa Koen National Park in Nan was the last, designated during the reign of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Between 2016 and 2019, Thailand expanded its national park system by a total of 331,952 rai (53,120 hectares) of forest area. This brings Thailand's total forest area to over 102,488 rai, representing 31.68% of the country's land area. This underscores the progress made in expanding forest conservation areas within Thailand's rapidly growing national park system.

Another 22 national parks are under development. These include eleven land national parks and eleven marine national parks, covering a total area of ​​44 million rai, or 13% of the country's total land area.