Sangkhla Buri road
The Sangkhla Buri road is being carved through Thung Yai Naresuan in Kanchanaburi province, with completion set for 2027. Officials proudly call it progress.
For tigers, it is another wound cut into one of Southeast Asia’s most important forest ecosystems. The Department of Rural Roads claims the project will benefit four villages, three schools, and ease travel for agriculture. They highlight improved access to hospitals and markets. Behind the language of “development” lies a familiar truth: more roads in protected areas mean easier entry for loggers, poachers, and traffickers. This pattern has long undermined tiger corridors.
The budget is 64.97 million baht (about 1.76 million US dollars). A small price on paper, but the real cost will be measured in fragmented habitats, disrupted corridors, and dead wildlife. Once the Sangkhla Buri road is complete, it will permanently scar the sanctuary. Tigers cannot reclaim it once the asphalt hardens. Kanchanaburi already struggles with human–elephant conflict, yet authorities push more construction deeper into the sanctuary. No turning back.
The Sangkhla Buri Road article:
Based on Bangkok Post, Thailand.
Photo via Bangkok Post.
