Mr Sihasak said several countries supported Thailand at the meeting, so the committee decided not to put the Thai forest on the endangered heritage site list. Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai forest spreads over a distance of 230 kilometres, from Khao Yai National Park to Ta Phraya National Park on the border with Cambodia, and was listed as a world heritage site in 2005. Forest visitors enjoy the butterfies at Pang Sida National Park, which is connected to Dong Phayayen in June, 2016. (Bangkok Post file photo by Sawat Ketngam)The flora and fauna rich Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest has avoided a downgrading to the list of endangered world heritage sites after Thai representatives updated the Unesco committee on the country's latest moves to protect the site. However, he warned that Thailand could not afford to be careless in caring for the forest, and still needed to prepare a report about the conservation of this world heritage site for presentation at the meeting next year.

Source: Bangkok Post July 15, 2016 08:48 UTC