Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary

Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary
Name	Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary
Location	Chachoengsao Province, Thailand
Nearest city	Bangkok, Pattaya
Area	1,019 km2 (approx.)
Established	1977
Governing body	Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation

Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary is a large protected area in eastern Thailand designated to conserve tropical deciduous forest and dry evergreen forest ecosystems. The sanctuary lies within Chachoengsao Province near the border with Rayong Province and Chanthaburi Province, and is part of a network of conservation areas that include Khao Yai National Park, Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, and adjacent wildlife sanctuaries. It is notable for populations of Indochinese tiger, Asian elephant, gaur, sambar deer, and diverse birdlife, attracting interest from institutions such as the Wildlife Conservation Society, IUCN, and WWF.

History

The area was traditionally used by Thai and local ethnic communities including Mon people and Thai Chinese for shifting cultivation and non-timber forest products until pressures from commercial logging and agricultural expansion in the mid-20th century. Following conservation trends influenced by international agreements such as the Ramsar Convention and the rise of protected-area policy through the Thai National Park Act, the sanctuary was formally declared in 1977 under initiatives by the Royal Forest Department and later managed by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Historical land-use conflicts involved companies from the rubber industry, palm oil industry, and timber concessions tied to economic centers like Bangkok and Laem Chabang Port. Conservation efforts accelerated after high-profile campaigns by NGOs including Greenpeace and Fauna & Flora International, and after regional biodiversity assessments by the IUCN SSC and academic teams from Chulalongkorn University and Kasetsart University.

Geography and Climate

Situated in the Cardamom Mountains-adjacent hills of eastern Thailand, the sanctuary encompasses rolling ridges, watersheds feeding the Bang Pakong River and numerous streams that flow toward the Gulf of Thailand. Elevation ranges from lowland plains near Chachoengsao town to higher slopes approaching the Khao Chamao region. The climate is tropical monsoon with influences from the Southwest Monsoon and Northeast Monsoon, producing a wet season associated with the Indian Ocean Dipole and a pronounced dry season influenced by regional rainfall variability documented by the Thai Meteorological Department. Soils derive from sandstones and shales common to the Khorat Plateau fringe, affecting drainage and plant communities similar to those in Khao Yai National Park and Kaeng Krachan National Park.

Flora and Fauna

Vegetation includes mixed deciduous forests, dry evergreen forests, patches of dipterocarp-dominated woodland, and riparian gallery forest. Dominant tree genera observed by botanists from Mahidol University and Prince of Songkla University include Dipterocarpus, Shorea, Hopea, Tectona (teak), and Ficus. Understorey species include members of Zingiberaceae and Orchidaceae, with notable orchids recorded in surveys collaborating with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew partnership projects. Faunal assemblages support large mammals such as Panthera tigris corbetti (Indochinese tiger), Elephas maximus indicus (Asian elephant), Bos gaurus (gaur), Sus scrofa (wild boar), Rusa unicolor (sambar deer), and small carnivores like Prionailurus bengalensis (leopard cat) and Viverra zibetha (large Indian civet). Avifauna includes species documented by ornithologists from BirdLife International and Hancock Birding such as Swinhoe's pheasant-allies, various hornbill species, and migratory waterbirds using wetlands linked to the Gulf of Thailand. Herpetofauna records involve species described by researchers at Kasetsart University and international collaborators including diverse snakes, frogs, and agamid lizards.

Conservation and Management

Management falls under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation following policies influenced by international frameworks like the Convention on Biological Diversity. Protected-area zoning balances strict protection, sustainable use buffers, and community-managed areas modeled on approaches promoted by IUCN Protected Area Management Categories and conservation NGOs including WWF-Thailand. Threats include habitat fragmentation from expansion of rubber and oil palm plantations owned by agribusiness firms and held by investors in Chonburi and Rayong, illegal logging linked to regional timber networks, human-elephant conflict recorded in reports by the International Union for Conservation of Nature specialists, and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade monitored by TRAFFIC. Law enforcement partnerships involve the Royal Thai Police, Royal Thai Army patrols, and transboundary cooperation with provincial authorities in Chanthaburi and national agencies coordinating with INTERPOL wildlife crime units in high-profile cases.

Human Interaction and Ecotourism

Local communities around the sanctuary include farmers, ethnic groups, and villages integrated into livelihood programs promoted by agencies such as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and NGOs like CARE International and Asian Development Bank-funded projects. Ecotourism initiatives link the sanctuary to regional attractions including Khao Yai, Pattaya, and coastal resorts, with guided wildlife tours developed by local operators, conservation groups, and academic field courses from Mahidol University International College. Visitor management draws on best practices from UNESCO biosphere reserve concepts and regional tourism strategies coordinated with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to reduce impacts such as trail erosion, littering, and disturbance to elephants and predators. Community-based enterprises offer homestays and handicrafts marketed through networks involving ASEAN cultural tourism routes and partnerships with social enterprises supported by UNDP programs.

Research and Monitoring

Scientific monitoring has been conducted by teams from Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University, Kasetsart University, and international collaborators including the Wildlife Conservation Society, Fauna & Flora International, and researchers funded by the National Research Council of Thailand. Studies employ camera trapping, satellite telemetry, vegetation plots, and acoustic monitoring following protocols endorsed by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the eBird citizen-science platform. Ongoing research topics include tiger population dynamics, elephant movement ecology, habitat connectivity linking to the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, effects of land-use change analyzed with data from NASA remote sensing satellites, and socioecological studies on human-wildlife conflict carried out with support from the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund and regional conservation science networks.

Category:Protected areas of Thailand Category:Wildlife sanctuaries of Thailand Category:Chachoengsao Province