Posted on August, 12 2004

Bangkok, Thailand – On the occasion of the 72th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand, the Royal Thai Government has formally approved the Bang Pu Urban Nature Education Centre, a joint initiative of the Royal Thai Army and WWF-Thailand. 
 
The coastal site of Bang Pu is situated in Samut Prakarn, and only 37 km from Bangkok. Owned by the Royal Thai Army, the 100-hectare area includes mangrove and mudflat habitats, and supports a large population of wintering gulls as well as other endangered migratory shorebirds.

To date, 162 bird species have been observed at Bang Pu. These include the little cormorant, little and great egret, little green heron, black-crowned night heron, greater and lesser sand plover, and sandpipers. 

“Coastal areas of the Gulf of Thailand have been destroyed by growing industrial development and over population," says WWF-Thailand Country Representative Dr Robert Mather. "However, being under the protection of the Royal Thai Army for a half century, the Rehabilitation and Recreation Area of Bang Pu still has a fertile and relatively intact natural wetland ecosystem. Every year almost 40 species of migrating birds stop at Bang Pu to rest before heading northward to Siberia or southward to Indonesia and Australia.”

The new center will provide a network of nature trails and wildlife observation hides, with education material specifically designed for the 20,000 schoolchildren and teachers who will participate in the centre’s programmes each year. The Thai Life Insurance Company is the major sponsor of the project’s activities for the first three years. 
 
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit has a long history of working to improve the quality of life of the Thai people, as well as working for the environment. Support through numerous royal projects has been provided throughout the kingdom for many decades, based upon Her Majesty’s vision that: “to upgrade the people's quality of life, we must seriously attempt to protect the remaining forests and allow the natural balance of nature to recover. This way, we will be able to help ourselves as we have done for centuries.” 
 
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit also has a long history with WWF-Thailand. WWF recognized Her Majesty’s efforts with a prestigious conservation award on 19 November 1979. Since then, Her Majesty has given Her Royal Patronage to a number of WWF-supported events and initiatives, including a Gala Dinner Reception in Bangkok to raise funds for wildlife conservation and an international conference on forest protected areas held in Bangkok in 2000. 
 
WWF has also supported two conservation initiatives initiated by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit: an elephant reintroduction project, which offers an alternative future for domestic elephants where they will live out their remaining life in the forest, and a Marine Turtle Conservation project on Man Nai Island in the Gulf of Thailand. 
 
WWF-Thailand today wishes Her Majesty a very special “Happy Birthday”, and a heart-felt “thank-you” from the global conservation community, for Her Majesty’s continuing vision, tireless leadership, and unceasing efforts to make the world a better place for both people and nature.

For further information:
Dararat Weerapong
Media and Publications Manager, WWF-Thailand
E-mail: dararat@wwfthai.org
Tel: +66 2 524 61 68