Walailak Botanic Park: The Natural Heritage for Public

03Nov 2023 by Krittayot Ritthijak

Sustainability and Stewardship

Walailak University offers free access to its 2,160,000 square meter natural heritage botanic park within the university’s premises. This park supports academic services and informal education opportunities for students, scholars, and the public. This service is free of charge to all areas and is available on weekdays from Monday to Friday between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM. Advance notice can be given to the botanic park for those interested in visiting on holiday.

In 2022, the botanic park introduced diverse activities for visitors, including guided tours, tent camping, Bota Home & Camp accommodation services compliant with SHA standards, academic workshops, and drought-resistant plant greenhouses. The science and wisdom learning centers provided the electric bus service for exploring various educational areas such as Nepenthes greenhouse, herb garden, BOTA Banana Garden, and natural study paths within the botanic park. Several outdoor activities are also offered, such as kayaking, tree climbing with ropes, stargazing, and fundamental survival skills. Knowledgeable botanic park staff are available to guide participants during these activities.

The botanic park also hosts various events, including welcoming the Provincial Governor and Chief of Nakhon Si Thammarat Governor’s Office to visit the Plant Genetic Conservation Project Under the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (RSPG) welcomed by Associate Professor Doctor Rungrawee Jitpakdee, the director of the Botanic Park, and the staff. The botanic park showcased the new global plant species in Nepenthes greenhouse, BOTA Cactus Dome, and maintains over 100 rare banana species. On December 13, 2022, the botanic park warmly welcomed Miss Grand Nakhon Sri Thammarat and her team to promote tourism at the Bota Cactus Dome and filmed video clips to encourage the public to visit Walailak University’s botanic park, located in Tha Sala District, Nakhon Sri Thammarat Province.

Furthermore, the “Bota Market Chic & Chill” event is organized to stimulate local economic activities, promote community participation, and engage students, staff, and residents around the university. This event takes place every Thursday.

Walailak Botanic Park comprises the following main areas:

Original Forest Area: This section offers a glimpse of native trees like Gnetum, Gardenia, Xantho phyllum lan ceatum (MIQ), and various types of local plants. Visitors can explore this area for free on regular working days.

2. Herb Garden: Developed for the basic principles of public health and educational purposes for the Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, and Thai Traditional Medicine, this garden currently houses over 200 herbal species. Information signs help visitors understand the benefits of each herb.

The university has undertaken the construction of a museum and the surrounding learning areas, which include a museum housing knowledge gathered from “From the Peaks of Doi Luang to the Southern Seashores.” The exhibition is divided into different sections, interconnected through the central exhibition hall to honor Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, covering an area of 17,000 square meters. The exhibition aims to commemorate the wisdom and heritage of conserving natural resources. The open area showcases drought-resistant plant species in a 20-meter-high dome-shaped structure. Moreover, the museum includes the Maniq Ethnographic Museum, a replica of traditional ways of life that serve as a living repository of ethnicity, indigenous knowledge, and culture for sustainable living in harmony with forest resources, emphasizing self-sufficiency and sustainability.