Thung Kha
Location:	10°19'N, 99°10'E; on the east coast of the peninsula, extending up to 20 km north of the town of Sawi, Chumphon Province. The northern shore of the bay is about 15 km south of the town of Chumphon.
Area:	c.5,000 ha.
Altitude:	Sea level.
Biogeographical Province:	4.51.
Wetland type:	03, 04, 05, 06 & 07.
Description of site:	A large sea bay with approximately 22 km of shoreline, enclosing an extensive area of mudflats and fringed with mangroves. Klankamsorn et al. (1981) have estimated the area of mudflats in Sawa District as 1,728 ha and that of mangroves as 2,384 ha. The site is accreting gradually to the eastwards. Two major rivers, the Khlong Sawi and the Khlong Sawi Thao, enter the bay and provide a seasonally variable freshwater inflow. The bay is very shallow, with an extensive area offshore only 1-3m deep at mean low water. The tidal range at Ko Mattaphon varies from 0.7m at neap tides to 1.5m at spring tides.
Climatic conditions:	Tropical monsoonal climate with an average annual rainfall of 2,070 mm falling during both monsoons. The wettest month is November (average rainfall 360.6 mm) and the driest March (64.9 mm). The relative humidity varies from 78% in March and April to 86% in October. The average daily temperature varies from 25.1°C in December to 28.6°C in April.
Principal vegetation:	Mangroves, most of which have been logged at some time in the past. Rhizophora dominates along the seaward edge and along the main waterways. There is little or no Sonneratia; this species may have been lost due to logging. Avicennia occurs as a pioneer species where sediments are accreting along the seaward edge. Ceriops and (probably) Xylocarpus dominate on the higher ground, towards the landward edge. Adjacent areas inland are chiefly under cultivation.
Land tenure:	The wetland is state owned; surrounding areas are mainly privately owned or occupied.
Conservation measures taken:	The mangrove area is listed as National Reserve Forest. Some planting of Rhizophora mangroves has been undertaken by the Royal Forest Department.
Conservation measures proposed:	A management plan for the site is under preparation as part of a development project funded by the Asian Development Bank.
Land use:	Fishing and harvesting of crabs. The wetland also supports an important fishery for the mussel Perna viridis. Local people plant the mangrove Ceriops which is harvested on rotation for fuelwood and charcoal. Adjacent areas are used for the cultivation of rice and, to a lesser extent, coconuts.
Possible changes in land use:	There is the likelihood that a project to establish mangrove plantations will be developed with funding from the Asian Development Bank. Up to the present time, there has been very little clearance of mangroves for aquaculture.
Disturbances and threats:	The most potentially damaging threat would be the conversion of the mangrove areas to shrimp ponds. However, local people at the site have shown no inclination to clear the mangroves outright as they realize considerable income from mangrove timber. Further intensification of cutting for increased charcoal production could damage the integrity of the site. Similarly, the conversion of large areas to even-aged stands of intensively managed plantations (under the proposed Asian Development Bank project) would reduce the value of the site for wildlife.
Economic and social values:	Both the harvesting of mangrove and the mussel fishery are of great local economic importance.
Fauna:	The waterfowl have not been surveyed, but the area is likely to be of considerable importance for a variety of passage or wint us are said to occur.
Special floral values:	Possibly one of the least disturbed areas of mangrove on the gulf coast of Thailand.
Research and facilities:	P. Namlabudha of the Remote Sensing Subdivision of the Royal Forest Department is conducting detailed mapping of the mangrove resources, using a combination of aerial photographs and satellite imagery.
References:	Klankamsorn et al. (1981); Ngampongsai & Nabhitabhata (1987).
Criteria for inclusion:	1b.
Source:	Jim Jintanugooi and Philip D. Round.