Thailand in the Canopy Global 1000

Ranked of 1,000 by conservation value. Both rankings are shown: plant data is being added, and neither is the final word. Lower is higher priority.

Who manages protected areas

From Canopy’s country evidence record for Thailand, compiled 2026-10-05 from the sources named under each item. A field marked not reported was not verified in those sources, which is not evidence that it does not exist.

Managing agency: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) (กรมอุทยานแห่งชาติ สัตว์ป่า และพันธุ์พืช). Both 2019 Acts give DNP the lead role (proposing designations, charging fees, running the sanctuary and park systems), with a Minister-chaired National Parks Commission and a wildlife commission; the Acts cite the 2004 Ministerial Regulation reorganising DNP under MNRE.

System: Thailand national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and related conservation areas managed by DNP.

Sources: Office of the Council of State of Thailand (translation hosted by Open Development Mekong): National Parks Act, B.E. 2562 (2019), unofficial translation, 2019; National Statistical Office of Thailand (data from DNP): Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2022, Table 21.6 Protected area by type of area 2018 to 2020, 2022; Office of the Council of State of Thailand (translation hosted by Open Development Mekong): Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act, B.E. 2562 (2019), unofficial translation, 2019.

Legal framework

National Parks Act, B.E. 2562 (2019), 2019-05-29.

Administration: DNP proposes new national parks to the Council of Ministers and each is created by Royal Decree with a GIS map (section 6); a Minister-chaired National Parks Commission sets policy (sections 10 and 16); the park chief follows a Director-General-approved area management plan with public hearing (section 18). Forest parks, botanic gardens and arboreta are designated by the Commission and DNP. Finance: DNP may charge service fees (section 29); up to 10 percent of fee proceeds goes to the local municipality or Tambon administrative organisation (section 30); fees, donations and settlement fines stay with DNP rather than going to the Treasury (section 31) and fund protection, rehabilitation, staff welfare and tourism facilities (section 32), with an annual public financial report (section 33). Limits on application: Section 19 bans holding land, construction, large-scale clearing or burning, taking timber, soil, minerals or wildlife, hunting tools, firearms and entry to seek profit; permits are possible under section 22. Private titled land cannot be included (section 8).

Sources: Office of the Council of State of Thailand (translation hosted by Open Development Mekong): National Parks Act, B.E. 2562 (2019), unofficial translation, 2019; Tilleke & Gibbins: Updates to Thailand's environmental laws, 2019.

Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act, B.E. 2562 (2019), 2019-05-29.

Administration: DNP, with a commission, proposes wildlife sanctuaries (wild animal varieties preservation zones) by Royal Decree with a map (section 47) and non-hunting areas (wild animal hunting prohibited zones) under section 62; the same DNP management structure applies. Finance: DNP may collect service fees in sanctuaries (section 58); fees and donations are retained by DNP for conservation and for helping people affected by wildlife (section 59), with an annual public report. Limits on application: Entry to a sanctuary needs permission from the competent official (section 53) and further acts are restricted by sections 54 and 55; non-hunting areas restrict hunting and allow occasional permitted use under the rules in section 64 and nearby sections.

Sources: Tilleke & Gibbins: Updates to Thailand's environmental laws, 2019; Office of the Council of State of Thailand (translation hosted by Open Development Mekong): Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act, B.E. 2562 (2019), unofficial translation, 2019.

Community Forest Act, B.E. 2562 (2019), 2019-05-29.

Administration: Allows groups of at least 50 people to apply for community forest status outside national park boundaries, overseen by a committee within MNRE. Finance: not reported. Limits on application: Applies to areas outside national parks according to the Tilleke summary; the text of the Act was not opened.

Statute summary paraphrased from the cited text; a missing finance entry means no finance provision was verified, not that none exists. Source: Tilleke & Gibbins: Updates to Thailand's environmental laws, 2019.

Protected-area coverage

Terrestrial: 18.4% of national land area, its area not stated by the source; as of 2025.

World Bank WDI indicator ER.LND.PTLD.ZS for 2025, a published statistic the World Bank compiles from UNEP-WCMC data; transcribed as published, no WDPA records or polygons used. The NSO/DNP 2020 inventory (10,855,890 ha across all DNP units, marine parts of national parks included) is a different basis and is not divided into a percentage here. Source: World Bank (indicator compiled from UNEP-WCMC protected-area statistics): World Development Indicators: Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area), THA, 2026-07-13.

Marine: 5% of territorial waters, its area not stated by the source; as of 2025.

World Bank WDI indicator ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS for 2025, a published statistic the World Bank compiles from UNEP-WCMC data; transcribed as published, no WDPA records or polygons used. A PEMSEA 2017 table states 34.18 percent of territorial waters but its printed denominator does not fit, so it is not used. Source: World Bank (indicator compiled from UNEP-WCMC protected-area statistics): World Development Indicators: Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters), THA, 2026-07-13.

National inventory, as of 2020: 440 protected areas, 10,855,890 ha.

DNP-managed units in NSO Table 21.6 for 2020: 133 national parks (6,353,250 ha), 91 forest parks, 60 wildlife sanctuaries (3,737,710 ha), 88 non-hunting areas, 16 botanical gardens, 52 arboreta; total 108,558.9 sq km converted to ha by multiplying by 100; the table does not split land from sea, and national parks include marine parks. Marine parks run by DMCR are not shown.

Source: National Statistical Office of Thailand (data from DNP): Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2022, Table 21.6 Protected area by type of area 2018 to 2020, 2022.

Funding mechanisms

Selected programmes, each with the basis its source states. Amounts are programme or fund totals, not annual protected-area receipts, and are not added together or converted between currencies.

DNP national park fee and service revenue, 2024.

Amount: THB 2,200,000,000 (DNP income in fiscal year 2024 (up from THB 1.4 billion in FY2023), as reported by Bangkok Post; a later report of FY2025 above THB 2.2 billion was seen only as a search snippet and is not used). Administrator: DNP. Scope: National parks; retained by DNP under National Parks Act section 31.

Sources: Bangkok Post: Thailand's forest dept doubles its take from visits (DNP revenue FY2024: THB 2.2 billion, up from THB 1.4 billion; 18.6 million visitors); Office of the Council of State of Thailand (translation hosted by Open Development Mekong): National Parks Act, B.E. 2562 (2019), unofficial translation, 2019.

GEF project Catalyzing the sustainability of Thailand's protected area system, 2010.

Amount: USD 3,364,545 (GEF grant, with co-financing of USD 14.2 million, project period 2010 to 2016). Administrator: UNDP (implementing agency). Scope: Doi Inthanon, Tarutao and the Western Forest Complex; first conservation trust funds.

Source: Global Environment Facility: To overcome barriers to effective management and sustained financing of Thailand's protected area system (GEF project 3517).

BIOFIN conservation vehicle licence plate finance solution, 2014.

Amount: USD 11,000,000 (estimated finance potential, not a disbursement). Administrator: not reported. Scope: Wildlife conservation in Thailand.

Source: UNDP: BIOFIN: The Biodiversity Finance Plan for Thailand.

What this record does not establish

Comparable C-RISK/readiness and delivery scores. No country calibration or model assessment authorized for Southeast Asia.

Current annual national PA financing need, agency budget and gap. No validated cost rate, executed agency budget or complete current funding inventory was verified; programme totals cannot fill these fields.

Complete park, carbon and legal-event inventories. Selected national documents do not establish complete inventories, status-change (PADDD) histories or park observations.

Research limit. Fiscal balance and public debt rows were not reached (IMF table blocked); the Royal Gazette page itself was not opened (gazette date from a law-firm summary).

Research limit. DNP park revenue figure rests on a paywalled news snippet and is not recorded as a number; DMCR marine park areas and the Community Forest Act text were not read.

Not here yet

Canopy’s country readiness score (C-RISK) and its PACE management scores cover Africa today. They have not been published for Thailand.

Corrections

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