Thailand prepares to defend two World Heritage Sites in danger

Thailand is preparing to defend the World Heritage status of two sites, the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex and Ayutthaya Historical Park. Concerns over the management of these two sites have been raised in previous Unesco meetings and they are expected to be discussed in the Unesco meeting in Paris next week.

Thailand continues fight to keep two sites’ status
The Nation, 23 June 2015

Thailand is preparing hard to defend the status of two World Heritage sites in the face of ongoing concerns about conservation and management efforts.

These two sites are the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex and the Ayutthaya Historical Park.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has threatened to downgrade the first site’s status as a World Heritage site.

At the last session of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee in Doha, Qatar in 2014, the forest complex was identified as facing threats, which could be a reason to downgrade its World Heritage status.

Unesco also has concerns about the repairing of historic sites in Ayutthaya Historical Park after the big flood.

Even though the upcoming World Heritage Committee meeting will not have the forest complex’ status review on the agenda, the Thai delegation believes it needs to show that it will be able to maintain the complex as a World Heritage site.

Full story here.