Kaeng Krachan (15108)
Thailand, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Kaeng Krachan
Central coordinates: Latitude: 12.8667, Longitude: 99.3667
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 100 to 1513
Area of KBA (km2): 2581.64953
Protected area coverage (%): 98.20
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA comprises Kaeng Krachan National Park, the largest national park in Thailand. The site is located in the Tenasserim range, which forms the international border between Thailand and Myanmar. The topography of much of the site is hilly or mountainous. The vegetation at the site is dominated by semi-evergreen forest, with wetter lowland evergreen forest occurring in the interior of the park, and hill evergreen forest being found above 1,000 m asl. Several plant species with more southerly distributions occur at the site, for example Orania sylvicola, Diptercarpus dyeri and Archidendron jaringa. The lower reaches of two major streams have been dammed to form Kaeng Krachan reservoir, which covers c.4,500 ha. Parts of the site have been logged.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) The site has been reviewed and re-confirmed as a KBA in the process of compiling the revised 2011 CEPF Ecosystem Profile for the Indo-Burma Hotspot.
Additional biodiversity: The site is situated in a transition zone between the Sundaic, Indochinese and Sino-Himalayan avifaunas, and, consequently, supports a rich and diverse avifauna. By 2000, 413 bird species had been recorded at the site, more than at any other single site in Thailand. Most notably, the site supports significant populations of five globally threatened species: Plain-pouched Hornbill Aceros subruficollis, Blue-banded Kingfisher Alcedo euryzona, White-fronted Scops Owl Otus sagittatus, Silver Oriole Oriolus mellianus and Grey-sided Thrush Turdus feae. A sixth globally threatened species, Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher Rhinomyias brunneata, has been recorded at the site but is thought to be a rare winter visitor that does not regularly occur in significant numbers. A large number of globally near-threatened species have been recorded at the site, at least 25 of which are thought to regularly occur in significant numbers. Many of these species are characteristic of the Sundaic Lowland Forests (Biome 14), and reach the northern limit of their ranges at the site. Another notable feature of the avifauna of Kaeng Krachan National Park is the occurrence of an isolated population of Ratchet-tailed Treepie Temnurus temnurus, the only known population of the species in Thailand, which is almost 2,000 km from the rest of its known range in Lao P.D.R., Vietnam and southern China. The site qualifies under criterion A3 because it supports 26 species restricted to the Sino-Himalayan Subtropical Forests (Biome 08), 18 species restricted to the Indochinese Tropical Moist Forests (Biome 09) and 40 species restricted to the Sundaic Lowland Forests (Biome 14). Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals Asian Elephant Elephas maximus (EN) Tiger Panthera tigris (EN) Asian Tapir Tapirus indicus (EN) Southern Serow Capricornis sumatraensis (VU) Dhole Cuon alpinus (VU) East Asian Porcupine Hystrix brachyura (VU) Bear Macaque Macaca arctoides (VU) Northern Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca leonina (VU) Asian Black Bear Ursus thibetanus (VU) Gaur Bos frontalis (VU) Reptiles Siamese Crocodile Crocodylus siamensis (CR) Plants Aquilaria crassna (CR) Hopea helferi (CR) Parashorea stellata (CR) Hopea odorata (VU) Pterocarpus indicus (VU)
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The IBA comprises Kaeng Krachan National Park, the largest national park in Thailand. The site is located in the Tenasserim range, which forms the international border between Thailand and Myanmar. The topography of much of the site is hilly or mountainous. The vegetation at the site is dominated by semi-evergreen forest, with wetter lowland evergreen forest occurring in the interior of the park, and hill evergreen forest being found above 1,000 m asl. Several plant species with more southerly distributions occur at the site, for example Orania sylvicola, Diptercarpus dyeri and Archidendron jaringa. The lower reaches of two major streams have been dammed to form Kaeng Krachan reservoir, which covers c.4,500 ha. Parts of the site have been logged.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 4 | |
| Forest | 96 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Hunting, forest fire during the dry season, illegal logging, agricultural encroachment and unsustainable tourism development are the main threats to biodiversity at the site.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Dams (size unknown) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Bird Conservation Society of Thailand Bulletin 20(4) (April 2003). Bird Conservation Society of Thailand Bulletin 20(5): 18-19 (May 2003). Bird Conservation Society of Thailand Bulletin 20(9): 17-18 (September 2003). Bird Conservation Society of Thailand Bulletin 11(11):13-14 (November 1994). BirdLife International (1998) Proceedings of the Thailand IBA workshop, Bangkok, November 1998. Unpublished report. BirdLife International (2001) Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. Conservation Data Center, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok. National Park Division (2001) National parks in Thailand. Bangkok: Office of Natural Resource Conservation, Royal Forestry Department. Round, P. D. (1988) Resident forest birds in Thailand: their status and conservation. Cambridge, UK: International Council for Bird Preservation. Treesucon. U. (2000) Birds of Kaeng Krachan: check-list and guide to bird finding. Bangkok: Bird Conservation Society of Thailand. UNEP/World Conservation Monitoring Center website http//:www.wcmc.org.uk/protected_areas