Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex

• Illegal activities (Poaching and illegal logging)
• Ground transport infrastructure (Road expansion, in particular regarding Highway 304)
• Land conversion (Encroachment)
• Management systems/management plan
• Impacts of tourism/visitor/recreation
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure
• Water infrastructure (Dams)
• Livestock farming/grazing of domesticated animals (Cattle grazing) (issue resolved)
• Other threats: Forest fragmentation (connectivity and the need for ecological corridors)

On 1 February 2018 and 29 November 2019, the State Party submitted updated reports on the state of conservation of the property. The summaries of both reports are available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/590/documents/. The State Party reports as follows:

• Efforts to further enhance international cooperation on addressing illegal logging and trade of Siamese Rosewood and other endangered wildlife species have continued amongst the ASEAN countries and through CITES. Cooperation with Cambodia has also continued to strengthen the management of the transboundary landscape, and a joint Action Plan on Protected Areas and Transboundary Biodiversity Conservation Landscape Management (2019-2022) was approved in April 2019. A Joint Ranger Training Course on Transboundary Enforcement took place in August 2019;
• The implementation of the Action Plan to Prevent and Suppress Illegal Logging and Trade of Siamese Rosewood in Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex 2014-2019 has resulted in a significant decline in reported criminal cases, from 642 in 2014 to 29 in 2019 (up to September). There has been no report of illegal logging of other species to substitute for Siamese Rosewood. SMART patrols have been intensified, resulting in 90% coverage of the property in 2019 and the installation of 126 camera traps to date. The use of GPS trackers on Siamese Rosewood timbers has assisted in some of the criminal cases. The State Party has committed to host and fund a workshop to draft the next Action Plan;
• No new case of resort development has been recorded inside the property. For better protection of natural resources within the property and other protected areas, amendments to the National Park Act and the Wildlife Protection and Reservation Act are being made, which would encourage greater community participation in protected area management;
• The expansion of Highway 304 and its associated forest corridors for wildlife between Khao Yai and Thap Lan National Parks was completed in March 2019, with the exception of a section where a vehicle bridge and wildlife underpass are still under construction;
• Mitigation measures for the Huay Samong Dam are continuing to be implemented, including enhanced water patrols and the creation of a new ranger station, forest rehabilitation around the reservoir, and the establishment of a Network Centric Anti-Poaching System (NCAPS);
• On 19 September 2017, the Thai Cabinet passed a resolution to halt the expansion of Highway 348 and seek alternative options, and gave instructions to its Government Ministries to review the necessity and suitability of constructing dams and reservoirs inside the property. The Lam Prayathan dam project inside the property was cancelled as a result of a feasibility study and the results of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
• On 26 June 2020, the World Heritage Centre requested clarification from the State Party on renewed plans for the development of several dams within and near the property. In a letter submitted on 11 January 2021, the State Party replied that none of the seven indicated dams had yet been approved, and that EIAs, which would include assessments of alternative options, were still ongoing.

The State Party’s continued active leadership in enhancing international cooperation to address the illegal logging and trade of Siamese Rosewood is commendable. The transboundary landscape initiative with Cambodia that extends beyond the boundaries of the property is also a vital effort to tackle illegal traffickers that operate transnationally.

The report on the implementation of the 2014-2019 Action Plan indicates that the use of varying technologies and strengthened patrol efforts has successfully resulted in a considerable reduction in the number of reported cases of illegal Siamese Rosewood logging. These efforts are welcomed and point to an improved situation regarding Siamese Rosewood and other valuable timber species. However, it is important to reiterate that this indicator is not necessarily reflecting a true reduction in illegal logging, as other factors need to be considered, such as the detection rate of illegal logging incidents. Therefore, the 2016 mission recommendation to redefine the indicators of the Action Plan, ensuring adequate means of verification to accurately and fully measure the plan’s effectiveness, should be reiterated.

Taking into consideration the significant efforts to curb the illegal trade since 2017, and based on available data, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN consider that the inclusion of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger is not warranted at present. This will require reassessment if there is evidence that the situation regarding illegal logging deteriorates further or that other valuable species start to be targeted by logging or poaching. The State Party’s commitment to develop a new joint Action Plan on Protected Areas and Transboundary Biodiversity Conservation Landscape Management (2019-2022) in cooperation with Cambodia and other international partners is appreciated, and it is important to ensure that the current cooperative efforts are sustained.

The assurance that no new resort development has taken place in the property is welcomed. The ongoing process to amend legislation to acknowledge and accommodate community involvement has the potential to raise awareness and empower communities for site management. However, it will be important to ensure that this will not lead to new encroachments, and therefore a close monitoring of how this new legislation may affect the integrity of the property will be required.

The continued efforts to mitigate the impacts of the expansion of Highway 304, its associated forest corridors and Huay Samong Dam are appreciated. The State Party should ensure that mitigation measures and monitoring continue beyond the construction phase, to be sure that the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) is not negatively impacted.

The suspension of further expansion of Highway 348 and the commitment to seeking alternative options are welcomed. The additional Cabinet instructions pertaining to new dams and the State Party’s decision not to continue the Lam Prayathan dam project in view of its potential negative impacts on the OUV of the property are appreciated. However, third-party information verified by the State Party indicates that this dam is still being considered among six other dams that are currently undergoing EIAs. Noting that all seven dams would be positioned within the property, and recalling that the Committee, in its Decision 41 COM 7B.32, had requested the State Party to permanently cancel plans for any construction of dams with reservoirs inside the property boundaries, it is of significant concern that the active plans are being considered via EIA processes. With increasing pressure for development, combined with climate change impacts and the cumulative impacts from the currently operating dams within and in the vicinity of the property, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the river basin including the property, in accordance with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, to inform management and future development proposals at the basin level. It is further recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to cancel any consideration for the construction of new dams within the property, in line with previous decisions, and to suspend the specific assessment of projects in the wider basin that could impact the property’s OUV until the SEA has been completed and reviewed by the World Heritage Centre and IUCN.