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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume IV - 2012 62  million rai or 15.2 million ha of the total global mangrove area (spading et al., 2011). Mangrove forests are distributed throughout the Thai coastal line in the southern and south- eastern parts of the country and in the upper regions of the Gulf of Thailand (Figure 1). The best developed mangrove forests are found on the west coast of the peninsula and the areas on the Andaman coastline in the provinces of Phang-nga, Ranong, Trang, Krabi and Stun (Figure 2). Mangroves in the western part of the Gulf of Thailand, especially in Rayong, Chantaburi, Cholburi are mainly composed of small-sized trees. The tree size is small in this area due to the heavy selective and subsidized cutting activities done over many years by local communities. Large areas Figure 1: Distribution of mangroves along the coastline of Thailand of degraded mangroves consisting of various small non-commercial tree species can be found in the inner part of the Gulf of Thailand, particularly in Samut Sakorn, Samut Songkram and Samut Prakarn provinces. These provinces were once long occupied by fish and shrimp ponds. After these ponds were abandoned, the areas were again recolonized by new mangrove species, particularly the Avicennia and Rhizophora species (Figure 3). Figure 2: The best developed mangrove forests along the Andaman coastline. Figure 3: Young mangroves forest with a narrow strip along the coastline of the Gulf of Thailand. Mangroves … Coastal Treasure of Thailand