Mr Varawut made the announcement yesterday (Oct 10) after leading a Thai delegation which included Thanya Netithammakul, Director-General of the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), at the meeting held from Monday to Wednesday.
The minister said Hat Chao Mai National Park and Mu Ko Libong Reserve in Trang and Ang Thong Marine National Park in Surat Thani, both under the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, have been approved as the 45th and the 46th Asean Heritage Parks.
The three other new Asean Heritage Parks named were Lo Go-Xa Mat National Park and Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, both in Vietnam, and the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar, he said.
Heritage park approval is based on criteria including uniqueness, diversity and outstanding values, and management plans.
Hat Chao Mai National Park and the Mu Ko Libong non-hunting reserve in the Andaman are well known for their biodiversity and as habitats for endangered dugongs.
Ang Thong Marine National Park in the Gulf of Thailand is formed by 42 small islands and is known for its beaches, caves and coral formations.
They are Thailand’s fifth and sixth heritage parks after the Khao Yai National Park, Tarutao Marine Park, Ao Phangnga-Mu Koh Surin-Mu Koh Similan Marine National Park, and the Kaeang Krachan forest complex.
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