Bang Kachao: Bangkok’s Green Lung to Become Sustainable Tourism Area

One of Bangkok’s ecological gems, Khung Bang Kachao, is critical to the city’s existence. Its dense population of trees and mangroves helps deal with the worsening levels of pollution in the Thai capital. Now, it is poised to become a designated area for sustainable tourism.

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the national tourism policy committee approved the proposal for the new classification from the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), according to a report by the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT).

The protected area covers the six tambon (local government units) within Khung Bang Kachao, namely: Bang Kachao, Bang Yo, Bang Ko Bua, Bang, Namphueng, and Songkanong. Part of the mission is to integrate the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model for this jungle within the city. As per the NNT article, DASTA Director Athikun Kongmee said the agency will work with local communities in determining the best way to utilise Bang Kachao’s green features and instructing them on sustainable tourism.

APEC defines the BCG economy as a framework that “integrates three different policy response models: the Bio-Economy model, the Circular Economy model and the Green Economy model. While each of these models has a common purpose in terms of achieving sustainable economic growth that minimizes the impact on the environment, they each consider different parts of the environment-society-economy system.”

Should the program prove successful, it should benefit Thailand’s mission of attracting 30 million tourists back to country this 2023.