n Thailand, national parks and
wildlife sanctuaries form the
backbone of the country's protected
area system. Legal distinction
between these two can be
made by the fact that each was
created by two different pieces of
legislation. The National Park Act
of 1961 gave raise to establishment
of national parks in Thailand,
while wildlife sanctuaries were
actually developed as a mechanism
for protection of wild animals
as envisaged by the 1992 Wild
Animals Reservation and Protection
Act. Management carried out
in these two types of protected
areas also reflects such distinction
with national parks being stringently
regulated while protection
in wildlife sanctuaries tends to be
more lenient, including allowing
limited used of natural resources
by locals in adjacent areas.