Thursday, August 23, 2007

Had Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park

The Royal forest department had surveyed and established the 75 million-year shell cemetery (Susan Hoi), Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi and near-by islands in Nong Thale sub district, Ao Nang sub district, SaiThai sub district and Pak Nam sub district of Amphoe Muang Krabi, 243,725 rais, as the 47th National Park of Thailand so called "Had Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park". There after, it had been expanded to cover the shell cemetery and near-by islands, 12.68 Rais., to have totally area of 243,737 rais. After that the area of Nong Thale sub district, Amphoe Muang Krabi, Krabi province which is the area of the Royal Thai Navy and the Royal Palace area has been excluded from this national park and left only 242,437 rais.

Topography
Consists of the land area on the coast of the island such as Oaw Maow mountain area, Oaw Nang-Hang Nak forest and other islands. The geological form of this area is the high mountain laid along the northwest-southeast direction. Coast area is the high mountain while the western side has deeper slope than the eastern side. Geological form of sea coast area and islands in Andaman sea would be affected by the line of earth layer movement so called "Indosenia Teotonic Movement". At the area of mangrove forest of Hang Nang mountain you would find the Klom mountain canal on the coast rim which get the drained water from a big pond, so called "Nong Tale" (Sea Pond) and originates the mangrove forest and low plain area of the Samed forest in the area of national park office namely "Klong Hang" (Dry canal)(Nhoparatanatara Beach).

Climate
"Nopharatanatara - PhiPhi Beach National Park are influenced by tropical monsoon wind. During November-October would has the southeastern-monsoon wind drives through and induces to have two seasons of weather here; the first is raining season starts from May till December and the hot season starts from January till April. Average temperature here is about 17 - 37 degrees celsius. Average rainfall per year is about 2,231 milimeters which would be highest in July and lowest in February.

Flora and Fauna
Vegetations in the national park area could be classified into 3 groups as follows :

1. Primary rainforest could be found in the high steep mountain. According to these are the limestone mountains which have a thin layer of soil and are frequently impacted with strong wind, lets the rainforests in this area are not naturally fertile. Most of plants are iron wood, rubber and shorea, and the low level trees such as chanpha, rattans, banyans and many kinds of vines.
2. Mangrove forest could be found in dry canal and Yan Saba canal. Found plants are red mangroves, samae, peninsular, withe beans, black beans, etc.
3. Phru forest is the society of dominant plants which found the dense samet trees in the Nhoparatanatara beach. Other found plants are shorea, jambolan plum, cogon grass, etc.


Wildlife
Animals int the Nhoparatanataral-Phi Phi Islands National Park can be classified as follows : mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes and other aquatic animals which no spine, such as sea slug. The important one in this group is coral such as a thorn coral, cub surface coral, leaf coral, tree coral, ect.