Thale Noi (7°43'-8°00'N, 100°05'-l00°15'E), located in Pattalung Province, Southern Thailand, covers approximately 457 km² and includes Thailand’s first RAMSAR site, Kuan Khi Sian, chartered August 26, 1997. As a non-hunting area, Thale Noi is state-owned and open to public use. Surrounding areas are mainly small, private holdings. All remaining forests are designated National Reserve Forest, so that cutting is officially prohibited.

Extensive Melaleuca freshwater swamp forests surround the area’s most recognizable feature, a large open-water lake. Roughly 5 km by 6 km in size, the lake is located at the northern end of a system of lakes in the SonglkhlaBasin which include Thale Luang, and Lake Songkhla. Thale Noi lake is surrounded on three sides by areas of open swamp vegetation, sedge beds, and rice paddies. The principal inflow to the lake drains the forested slopes of the Banthad mountain range to the west. The Khlong Nang Riam and Khlong Yuan rivers flow out from Thale Noi into Thale Luang and Lake Songkhla. "Kuans", small islands that occur in the swamp forest, provide habitat to a wide range of wetland species. Thale Noi LakeProphagorus nieuhofi). also supports the endangered Nieuhof’s walking catfish (Clarias batrachus).

The lake and its marshes are the most important area in the entire Lake SongkhlaMycteria leucocephala) in Thailand and is one of very few breeding sites Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) (Anon, 1981). Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) have also been recorded. Up to one thousand egrets (Egretta spp.) occur in winter, but it is not known whether any breed. Both Lesser Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna javanica) and Cotton Pygmy-goose (Nettapus coromandelianus) breed in the area, and concentrations of up to 10,000 and 20,000, respectively, have been reported (Anon, 1981). Several species occur which are primarily associated with wooded habitats and which are of particular conservation significance, including Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus), Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeon (Treron fulvicollis), Wreathed Hornbill (Rhyticeros undulates) and Buffy Fish-Owl (Ketupa ketupu). basin for waterfowl. They support the only remaining breeding colony of Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala).

Larger lakes to the south, contiguous with Thale Noi, are also known for their biological significance. Songkhla Lake is the only site in Thailand where rare Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) (the status of which has recently been upgraded to CITES Appendix I) occur and is the only known breeding site for Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) in the Malay Peninsula.

The village of Ban Thale Noi is situated on the western shore. The Thale Noi area is home to more than 5,000 families, many of whom rely primarily on fishing as a livelihood. Fishing is undertaken with gill nets, traps and electro-shocking. Aquatic vegetation is harvested for cattle fodder, and in some areas, Bulrush sedge (Scirpus mucronatus) are planted and harvested for weaving. The principal activities in surrounding areas are the cultivation of rice and cattle grazing, especially around the Kuan Khi Sian area. The site hosts more than 200,000 foreign and local visitors annually, primarily birdwatchers.

Threats to this particular protected area are posed by current development and by continued clearance of Melaleuca for charcoal production and by the burning or removal of swamp vegetation. Bird, mammal, and reptile species are regularly hunted, and the eggs and young of storks (Mycteria spp.) and other larger waterbirds are frequently taken for food. Our observations have found evidence that fishing cats, otters (Lutra spp), leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), large Indian civets (Viverra zibetha), and common palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) are hunted for food and/or captured for the pet trade. River Terrapin (Batagur baska), the eggs and meat of which were formerly harvested for food, is considered close to extinction in Thailand but may also still occur at Thale Noi (Bain & Humphrey, 1982).

A large volume of untreated solid and liquid waste enters the lake from villages on the lake shore. Pesticide levels in the lake are reportedly high, although the reliability of the data is questionable (Sinclair et al., 1985). Massive amounts of nylon fishing net discarded in the lake pose an additional long-term threat to the area’s wildlife.