Bueng Boraphet, located in Nakhon Sawan Province about 250 km north of Bangkok, is the largest freshwater wetland in central Thailand, covering more than 46,000 hectares. Originally a natural floodplain swamp at the confluence of the Nan and Ping rivers in the Chao Phraya Basin, the site was transformed between 1927 and 1930 through dam construction to enhance fisheries production. Today, it consists of a large shallow lake surrounded by rice paddies, sedge beds, lotus swamps, reedbeds, floating vegetation, and patches of grassland, supporting globally significant populations of migratory and resident waterbirds. At least six migratory species regularly exceed 1% of flyway population thresholds, making it one of Thailand’s most important inland wetlands.

The site supports around 30,000 people living around the lake, including approximately 5,100 fishermen, while up to one million people may depend directly on its freshwater and wetland resources. Bueng Boraphet provides essential ecosystem services including freshwater supply, fisheries production, flood hazard regulation, fire regulation, biodiversity habitat, and ecotourism. However, habitat degradation, invasive species such as water hyacinth, agricultural and industrial pollution, illegal shoreline settlements, and tourism expansion threaten its ecological integrity. Strengthening wetland management, biodiversity monitoring, invasive species control, biodiversity-friendly rice agriculture, ecotourism infrastructure, and improved agrochemical waste management present major opportunities to improve resilience while safeguarding the ecological and economic value of this globally significant wetland.

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