In the lead up to World Environment Day (June 5), more than 100 students from five schools joined Khao Yai and PeunPa staff to get their hands dirty planting trees on a 20 acre deforested area near the park boundary, where human encroachment had damaged the forest.

Tree planting during the rainy season (May-June) gives saplings the best chance to survive, thanks to reliably high rainfalls. Local villagers grew saplings for the reforestation from seeds, nurturing them for many months - now those saplings can spread their roots.

Luckily, the rain held off on this fun day for all involved; full of music, smiling faces and hands-on conservation. The participation of schools aims to build awareness about the importance of forest preservation for future generations.

With generous support from The Foundation and many small helping hands, PeunPa’s Khao Yai reforestation work is direct action to combat global warming and reclaim lost habitat for wildlife.

Earlier this month, 300 students attending the Sai Jai Thai Youth Camp spent three days in Khao Yai to learn about the forest, its wildlife, and the importance of nature conservation.

The Sai Jai Thai Youth Camp allows students from the South of Thailand, many from families affected by the 2004 tsunami, to experience a new environment and learn about other parts of the country, including the World Heritage Listed Khao Yai National Park.

Khao Yai and PeunPa staff assisted with fun educational activities, including hiking in the forest; bird watching and wildlife spot lighting; singing folk songs; and hands-on learning with animal bones and paw print casts.

Every year, park rangers make a pledge to the spirits of Khao Yai at a sacred ceremony in the forest. They promise not to hunt, kill or consume wild animals, and to protect the park from those that would.

Rangers also ask the spirits of Khao Yai to protect them from danger while on patrol. If any ranger was to break their promise to the spirits, it is said they will be cursed with a tragedy within 5-10 days that could also hurt others on the same patrol.

The spirits of Khao Yai are believed to have a connection with a community that settled in Dong Phayayen - Khao Yai and lived in harmony with the forest a long time ago.

The PeunPa Foundation, which also trains Khao Yai’s rangers, is working with the village communities that live around the park today to help them develop a more sustainable relationship with the forest and provide real alternatives to poaching from the park.

PeunPa recently donated 21 new GPS units to Khao Yai National Park and trained rangers in GPS navigation techniques. Using the upgraded technology, rangers will be able to patrol the park more effectively and better protect Khao Yai’s natural ecosystems and diverse wildlife.

PeunPa’s full-day training course equipped 39 Khao Yai rangers with the knowledge they’ll need to use the new GPS units, as well as basic patrol planning techniques.

While many rangers have local knowledge of forest routes and can patrol without navigation aids, the new GPS units will allow them to vary patrol routes more, making it harder for poachers to avoid detection – good news for Khao Yai’s protected plant and animal species.

The new equipment and training will also allow rangers to accurately record their patrol routes, data that will inform future patrol planning and strategies for better park protection.

Interested young concert goers got their hands on some paw prints cast in Khao Yai at PeunPa’s forest education booth for the Retree Music Festival (September 13-14) . PeunPa’s Carnivore Project Field Coordinator, Kanda, is pictured explaining which animals made each track.

PeunPa’s booth presented the results of carnivore conservation research conducted in Khao Yai. Thousands of concert goers had the opportunity to learn more about Khao Yai’s wildlife, the work of PeunPa and other conservation groups, as well as experience some great music and support Thailand’s forests.