Partnership Strengthens Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development Based on case study entitled : “Environmental Education for Sustainable Development and Biodiversity Conservation- Case Study : Bangpu Nature Education Center” Authored by : John W.K. Parr, from Fauna & Flora International, Trirach Pukotchasarnseen and Teerayuth La-orphanphol, both from Foundation for Environmental Education for Sustainable Development (Thailand) Presented by : Teerayuth La-orphanphol, at Asia Regional Forum on Biodiversity, Cha-am, Thailand, November 2011 The Bang Pu Nature Reserve covers 102 hectares of mangroves and mudflat habitats and is located in Samut Prakan Province, 12 kilometers east of the provincial capital, and 37 kilometers from Bangkok. Managed by the Royal Thai Army (RTA) since 1947, the reserve was mainly used by the RTA as a rehabilitation facility for soldiers. The coastal area of Samut Prakan Province has largely been cleared of mangroves to make way for aquaculture, urbanization and industrial developments. Less than 1,600 hectares of secondary mangroves still remain and are usually found as a narrow fringe along the seaward margins. One hundred two hectares of mangroves are protected within the nature reserve at Bang Pu, constituting a notable remnant and is a very important site for resident and migratory birds, as well as other coastal and marine species. Bang Pu is a well-known destination because it supports the largest and most noticeable concentration of wintering gulls in the country, and attracts visitors particularly during the cool season. Bang Pu is recognized as an Important Bird Area because it serves as a staging post and wintering area for some 150-300,000 migratory waterbirds that visit the site annually. Of these, Bang Pu regularly supports concentrations of 10,000 to 20,000 shorebirds, terns and gulls. The relative intactness of the representative habitats and the rich avian biodiversity, combined with the area’s accessibility and proximity to Bangkok, suggest that the site has high potential to be developed as a nature education centre. This created the partnership between World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Thailand, the Royal 84 THE ASIA REGIONAL FORUM ON BIODIVERSITY Thai Army and Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd., leading to the establishment of the Bang Pu Nature Education Centre (BNEC). Habitats and Species Diversity in Bang Pu Nature Reserve The Bang Pu Nature Reserve is dominated by mangrove and mudflat habitats. Only 53 plant species have been recorded within the site, indicating the highly disturbed nature of the reserve. The mangrove forest is predominantly Avicennia marina and A. alba. Enrichment planting has been promoted in recent years, with stands of Rhizophora apiculata and R. mucronata, as well as Sonneratia caseolaris, Xylocarpus sp. Ceriops sp. and Nypa fruticans. Back mangrove species include Thespesia populneoides, and Lumnitzera racemosa, while Sueda maritima is found in open areas. The mangroves are used for breeding and roosting by large waterbirds. Some 200 bird species have been recorded in the reserve. These include a loose breeding colony of little cormorants (Phalacrocorax niger), cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) and black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), which are at the reserve from January to June each year. Asian openbills (Anastomus oscitans) have colonized the mangrove, with several hundred pairs breeding each year. Other regular visitors include up to 30 painted storks (Mycteria leucocephala), a small number of grey herons (Ardea cinerea), purple herons (A. purpurea) and spot-billed pelicans (Pelecanus philippensis). Among smaller waterbirds, little heron (Butorides striatus) and black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) also breed in small numbers.
In Celebration of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 84th Birthday Anniversary
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