Thale Noi (15189)
Thailand, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Thale Noi
Central coordinates: Latitude: 7.8333, Longitude: 100.1333
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 142
Area of KBA (km2): 107.16335
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site comprises Thale Noi Non-hunting Area. The site is centred on a freshwater lagoon, 22 km inland from the east coast of peninsular Thailand and about 1 km north of the main body of Songkhla lake. Approximately 2,800 ha of the lagoon is open water, which is surrounded to the west, south and east by c.10,870 ha of swamps and sedge beds and c.6,640 ha of rice paddies, and to the north by c.4,220 ha of Melaleuca forest. The rest of the site comprises swampy grasslands and small areas of degraded evergreen forest on limestone. Kuan Ki Sian, a knoll within Thale Noi Non-hunting Area covering 495 ha, was designated as Thailand's first Ramsar Site in 1998.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard. 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 regularly supports greater than 20,000 congregatory waterbirds, including more than 1% of the Asian biogeographic populations of Purple Heron Ardea purpurea and Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger. In addition, four globally threatened species (Baer's Pochard Aythya baeri, Masked Finfoot Heliopais personata, Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis and Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus) and three globally near-threatened species (Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus and Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala) have been recorded at the site, although none have been confirmed to regularly occur in significant numbers. Non-bird biodiversity: Amphibians Supachai's Caecilian Ichthyophis supachaii (VU)
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The site comprises Thale Noi Non-hunting Area. The site is centred on a freshwater lagoon, 22 km inland from the east coast of peninsular Thailand and about 1 km north of the main body of Songkhla lake. Approximately 2,800 ha of the lagoon is open water, which is surrounded to the west, south and east by c.10,870 ha of swamps and sedge beds and c.6,640 ha of rice paddies, and to the north by c.4,220 ha of Melaleuca forest. The rest of the site comprises swampy grasslands and small areas of degraded evergreen forest on limestone. Kuan Ki Sian, a knoll within Thale Noi Non-hunting Area covering 495 ha, was designated as Thailand's first Ramsar Site in 1998.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats to biodiversity at the site are irrigation and development schemes, land speculation, pollution (from waste disposal and agrochemicals), uncontrolled livestock grazing, over-fishing, habitat encroachment and hunting (including egg collection).
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Agro-industry farming | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Nutrient loads | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Herbicides and pesticides | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: BirdLife International (1998) Proceedings of the Thailand IBA workshop, Bangkok, November 1998. Unpublished report. Muadmuan, U. (2000) Survey of wildlife in Thale Noi Non-hunting Area. Unpublished report to Patthaluang Office of Wildlife Conservation, Forestry Department. Office of Environmental Policy and Planning (1999) Directory of internationally important wetlands in Thailand. Bangkok: Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. (In Thai.) Office of Environmental Policy and Planning (2000) Biodiversity of Thale Noi wetland. Bangkok: Ministry of Science Technology and Environment. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands website: http//: www.ramsar.org Royal Irrigation Department (1980) Preliminary report on Phun Khu Kang development project. Bangkok: Ministry of Agriculture. UNEP/World Conservation Monitoring Centre website http//:www.wcmc.org.uk/protected_areas Unkaprechaseat, P. (1985) Changes in bird populations in Thale Noi Non-hunting Area. Masters thesis submitted to Kasetsart University.