Umphang & Thung Yai, Thailand 2019-2020 Progress Report

Introduction and History

One of Global Conservation’s newest projects is a multi-year Global Park Defense deployment in the Umphang and Thung Yai East Wildlife Sanctuaries (UP-TYE) in the Thung Yai-Huai Kha Khaeng UNESCO World Heritage Site (HKK-TY), Thailand. GC is partnering with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Thailand to protect a critical wildlife habitat area of over 120,000 ha for recovery of endangered tigers and large mammals.

HKK-TY as a whole encompasses an area of 640,000 hectares and is the core area of Thailand’s Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM), one of the largest forest landscapes in Southeast Asia. Notably, WEFCOM is one of only two places in Thailand where tigers persist. The other is Thap Lan, where GC and WCS Thailand also collaborate to preserve wildlife. 

UP-TYE is now protected by 10 ranger stations and about 60 park rangers, who defend endangered large mammals like tigers, leopards, and Asian elephants from threats like development, illegal logging, and poaching.

Camera trap image of a tiger in UP-TYE.

In their work in Thailand, WCS has conducted intelligence gathering with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and other stakeholders by focusing on:

• Improving the intelligence system by working closely with local sectors which are supported by WCS.
• Achieving the mission efficiently and successfully by coordinating among local sectors.
• Systematically generating an intelligence database that will lead to the successful arrest of offenders.
• Supporting people who cooperate with our team to help monitor the offenders.

A police trainer coaches UP-TYE rangers on the use of firearms.

One notable victory for WCS and UP-TYE authorities was the conviction of construction tycoon and CEO of Italian-Thai Development Company Ltd. Premchai Karnasuta. In February 2018, the Thung Yai head forest ranger led a raid to arrest Premchai for camping in a forested area. The authorities found Premchai and his aides in a camp among firearms and animal carcasses, including a protected black panther. Premchai then attempted to bribe the authorities into releasing him. Premchai was sentenced to 16 months in prison without parole for weapons-related charges and conspiring to poach wildlife, and an additional year in prison for bribery. Premchai’s driver, Thanee Thummat, pled guilty to shooting the panther and was also sentenced.

Another major milestone was detecting 17 individual adult tigers and four cubs during a camera trap survey this year, which is the largest number of tigers ever recorded in this area.

GC and WCS’s ongoing goal is to work closely with the Government of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to save tigers and endangered wildlife species and habitat through capacity building and law enforcement.

The hog badger is native to central and southeast Asia, and is classed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Key Objectives for 2019 and 2020:

1. To strengthen the SMART patrol system in zones critically important for tiger and large mammal recovery.
2. To strengthen and install cellular camera traps in areas at high risk of poaching.
3. To implement a tiger population monitoring system using camera trapping.

Progress on Key Objectives:

Objective 1: To strengthen the SMART patrol system in zones critically important for tiger and large mammal recovery.

Activity 1.1: Training of 35 rangers from UP-TYE on the SMART patrol system.

WCS conducted the training during Feb 26 – Mar 3, 2020 in TYE Headquarters.  The participants included 20 park rangers from UP and 15 rangers from TYE.

UP-TYE rangers.

Patrol monitoring modules conducted by WCS trainers included:

• Use of GPS units
• Use of a topographic map and compass
• Use of SMART data forms

Physical patrol modules conducted by border patrol police trainers and DNP SMART trainers included:

• Patrol techniques
• Arrest methods
• Teamwork
• Classifying types of gunshot
• Use and maintenance of firearms

UP-TYE rangers in training.

Activity 1.2: Providing provisions, GPSs, Digital cameras, high quality uniforms, field gear, and other necessary supplies to improve the morale of park rangers and patrol effectiveness.

WCS provided equipment like hammocks, flysheets, shoes, and uniforms to each individual ranger during the training, and provided digital cameras, radio communication sets, and water filters to patrol teams.

Activity 1.3: Improve patrol performance.

Patrol effort: From January to March 2020 in the target area, nine patrol teams each covered an average of 780km/month on patrol by foot, vehicle, and boat.

UP-TYE patrol rangers learned to tackle and charge suspects.

Patrol coverage: During the period of January to March 2020, patrols covered about 43.77% of the target area. From April to June 2020, they covered 54.84% of the target area. In total, 66.26% of the target area was covered. They primarily used foot patrols throughout the target area, and some vehicle patrols north of target area to detect any fresh signs of poaching, logging, and land encroachment.

Threat detections: Most threats are found along the boundaries between TYE and UMP because there are villages there. Rangers found eight poached animals in this area between January and March 2020, including one gaur, three sambars, one muntjac, and one langur. Between November 2019 and October 2020, rangers arrested 9 poachers, confiscated 6 guns, destroyed 30 poacher camps, and drove 20 poachers from the parks.

A sambar, a type of small antelope, that had been killed by poachers.

Furthermore, on March 25, 2020, UP-TYE’s Patrol teams conducted a special operation, searching huts located in and near the project target area. They confiscated 28 home-made guns.

Between April and June 2020, UP-TYE rangers intercepted and destroyed four poacher's camps, confiscating one wild boar and one langur carcass. During a house-to-house search, they confiscated four chainsaws and 20 home-made guns, and destroyed 20 snares. No illegal logging was found during this period.

UP-TYE rangers with the illegal chainsaws, guns, and other contraband confiscated during a house-to-house search.

Objective 2: To strengthen and install cellular camera traps in areas at high risk of poaching.

Activity 2.1: Install the cellular phone boosters and antennas to expand the cellular phone signal to cover areas at high risk of poaching between UP and TYE.

On November 11, 2019, WCS and DNP personnel tried to test the portable cellular phone signal transceivers in the two strategic locations in Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary not too far from the main relay antenna of a AIS Cellular Phone System. Unfortunately, they found that the portable transceivers did not transmit signal stable enough to support anti-poaching cellular camera traps. They used the remaining budget for this project to purchase 10 digital cameras, 10 GoPro cameras, and 2 radios for patrol teams. They also installed two CCTV cameras at a strategic checkpoint to record all vehicles entering and leaving UP.

After receiving photos from a cellular camera trap, rangers deployed to this location and confiscated wood planks and illegal logging equipment. The perpetrators fled the scene.

Activity 2.2: Install five anti-poaching cellular camera traps in high-risk of poaching area and rotate them regularly

WCS installed anti-poaching cellular camera traps in five locations in Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, hidden on the trails leading from two villages. They set the anti-poaching cameras (SPARTAN) in the areas that were identified as high risk based on data from SMART patrols. The cellular camera traps detected movements of poachers and sent out photos and clips of illegal activities. The rangers confiscated wood planks and illegal logging equipment, but the poachers fled the scene.

Between April and June 2020, the cellular camera traps detected 11 poachers and 13 loggers.

Objective 3: To implement a tiger population monitoring system using camera trapping.

Thailand is now the only place in the world with a long-term annual tiger population monitoring program, which allows for the trial of new monitoring techniques.  In order to maintain this activity, we need to raise funds annually for the population monitoring of tigers in WEFCOM.  It serves both as an indicator of the success of tiger conservation efforts and as a motivational tool for continued effort. 

HKK-TY is one of only two places in Thailand with a viable tiger population.

Eighty-nine camera traps were set, covering an area of about 700 square kilometers. Between March and May 2020, 17 adult tigers were photographed (2 males, 8 females, 7 unidentified). This is the largest number of tigers ever recorded in this area.

Despite COVID-19...

In the first half of 2020, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Umphang-Thung Yai team is continuing their courageous work. Rangers continue to work each day to protect UP-TYE and its endangered wildlife.

Rangers with confiscated poaching paraphernalia. 

A poacher was arrested with an endangered loris.

Recently, they have established CCTV and a cellular trail cam network to monitor illegal activity. Shortly after installing this system, they were able to detect and apprehend illegal loggers in the area.

The UP-TYE team installs CCTV.

Raising the CCTV post.

CCTV will better help rangers monitor movements into and out of the wildlife sanctuaries.

They also confiscated 28 illegal guns and several illegal chainsaws in villagers' huts, and are developing a program to change poachers into conservationists. 

UP-TYE rangers with guns, chainsaws, animal parts, and other confiscated paraphernalia.

Currently, they are conducting a land use survey to better understand the threats to UP-TYE.

Next Steps

1. Installing a CCTV camera at Laya Noi Ranger Station to record all vehicles passing in and out of Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary.
2. Rotating anti-poaching camera traps in the area with available cellular phone signal and high risk poaching areas.
3. Installing normal anti-poaching camera traps in the areas without cellular phone signal for recording movement of poachers in high-risk areas.
4. Continuing support of patrol teams in UP-TYE.
5. Completing the camera trapping for tiger populations in TYE.

Global Conservation is impressed by WCS Thailand's incredible progress in UP-TYE this year, and we look forward to our continued collaboration in the years to come.