The World Heritage Committee (WHC) said on Friday it would consider listing the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex in Phetchaburi as a natural World Heritage site.
Whether it will go on the list will be decided during a meeting next year in Turkey.
The WHC praised Thailand for its efforts to make the complex the country’s newest World Heritage site, Kasemsun Chinnavaso, permanent secretary to the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, said.
Mr Kasemsun and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Dapong Ratanasuwan led about 20 Thai delegates to attend the 39th WHC session in Bonn, Germany, which ended on Wednesday. He said the country was confident the WHC's member parties will support the bid to list the complex with the WHC.
"We have worked hard to explain a concern raised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about the fate of the Karen community in the forest complex. We told the truth, that we have not violated their rights," Mr Kasemsun said.
"In fact, we have invited their representative as the member of the forest complex management board to work together with other stakeholders to help protect and preserve the site."
Meanwhile, Mr Kasemsun said the minister, in a speech to the WHC members, emphasised the country’s efforts to protect the rights of the Karen people, saying it had introduced many development projects to improve their quality of life.
Gen Dapong also stressed the complex is "a heritage feature of mankind". It does not belong to any particular group so a balanced approach is needed for its management. Improving livelihoods must be balanced against taking ownership and common responsibility to preserve the outstanding universal value of the complex, he said.
He said the WHC agreed not to put the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex on the endangered list as a result of the country’s efforts to deal with illegal payung logging, and the progress it had made on wildlife corridor construction on the 304 Highway road. The cabinet is expected to approve the budget for these efforts this year.