Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary (Pru To Daeng Wildlife Sanctuary). 05/07/01; Narathiwas Province; 20,100 ha; 06°12'N 101°57'E. Wildlife Sanctuary. The largest remaining peat swamp forest in Thailand, situated in the extreme south, the site supports a high diversity of flora and fauna, including 217 bird, 52 reptile, and 62 fish species, some of which are nationally vulnerable or endangered; 106 species of butterfly are supported, as well as 60 mammal species, including 13 species of bats. The site is a popular tourist destination, and surrounding communities depend upon direct and indirect use of the forest's resources for low-intensity exploitation, such as fisheries and melaleuca harvesting for charcoal. Development in the 1980s, principally clearing for brief rice cultivation (followed in each case within two years by soil acidification) to the loss of two-thirds of the forest area, was curtailed by Sanctuary status in 1991. A management plan has been approved by the Royal Forest Department, and research and visitors' facilities are in place. Ramsar site no. 1102. Most recent RIS information: 2001.