Pranburi-Sam Roi Yot Bird Watching and Nature Festival

The Pranburi-Sam Roi Yot Bird Watching and Nature Festival will be held from January 17-18, 2569 BE (2026 CE). The event will feature a variety of activities, including bird watching competitions, morning and evening bird surveys, nature kayaking and paddleboarding, stargazing, environmental seminars and educational sessions, and creative workshops such as natural color art and seed capsule making. Local community enterprises will also have stalls selling their products. The Sam Roi Yot Wetlands are not only a beautiful natural attraction but also a World Heritage Site, recognized as an internationally important wetland. Its ecosystem is interconnected, originating from the upper Pranburi River, flowing to nourish the Sam Roi Yot wetlands before reaching the sea at Khlong Khao Daeng, thus creating valuable biodiversity. The Sam Roi Yot Wetlands cover an area of over 70,000 rai, spanning both Pranburi and Sam Roi Yot districts. It is an area of high biodiversity and has been registered as a Wetland of International Importance. This festival is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under the Integrated Tourism Project on Biodiversity, in collaboration with the Thailand Bio-based Economic Development Agency (Public Organization) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The aim is to promote a new birdwatching destination, encourage community-based tourism, build a network for ecotourism, and instill conservation awareness in youth and tourists. The success of this event is a result of collaboration from many sectors, including the Sam Roi Yot Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Sirinart Rajini Mangrove Ecosystem Learning Center, the Children for Wetlands Group, the Sea Brave Group, the Seafood Processing Group, the Ban Na Thung Bamboo Rafting Group, and the support from the MBT project. This marks a significant step in promoting biodiversity-based tourism, generating income, and ensuring true sustainability for the community.