Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation

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The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) is a Thai government agency under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Its job is to manage Thailand’s national parks, wildlife, and plants. Thai name: กรมอุทยานแห่งชาติ สัตว์ป่า และพันธุ์พืช.

Formed on 3 October 2002, the DNP took over national park management from the Royal Forest Department. Its headquarters are in Chatuchak District, Bangkok. The agency’s budget for 2018 was 11,574 million baht.

Since January 2023, the Director-General has been Athapol Charoenshunsa.

How it gets money: The DNP is paid from the government budget and from entrance fees charged at parks. In 2016, admission was 60 baht for Thai visitors and 300 baht for foreigners. Revenue has varied over the years: about 496 million baht in 2011, 366 million in 2012 (a flood year), 622 million in 2013, 696 million in 2014, 896 million in 2015, and about 1.82 billion baht in the first 11 months of 2016, helped by more visitors and more fee collectors.

Plastic ban: In mid-2018, the DNP started banning single-use plastics in 154 national parks. Plastic bags, Styrofoam, plastic cutlery, and plastic straws were banned. The aim was to cut about 3 million plastic pieces. Park vendors cannot use plastics, and visitors are asked not to bring single-use plastics into the parks.