News Published: 21 March 2025

On February 25, 2025, at 5:24pm, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen of the Kingdom of Thailand presided over the opening ceremony of H.M. Queen Sirikit Park, a botanical garden accredited by the BGCI organization, and the Pupha Mahanatee Garden. The event was attended by the Privy Council, Board Members of the H.M. Queen Sirikit Park Foundation, Senior Executives from related agencies, and the Botanical Garden Working Committee in relation to BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International), and the general public.

H.M. Queen Sirikit Park encompasses both forestry and floral plantations akin to a natural forest that provides the people of Bangkok with fresh air as well as knowledge about plants and flora. This creation of a “small forest in a big city” that is rich and complete in biodiversity is in accordance with the royal initiative as granted by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother.

In 2019, His Majesty the King established the H.M. Queen Sirikit Park Board of Committee to ensure the adherence and continuation of the royal policy to develop the park to be most beneficial and easily accessible to the people while serving as a conservation and research center for all plants whether endemic, native, or foreign to Thailand in accordance of the international standards indicated by the BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International). As a result, H.M. Queen Sirikit Park was officially recognized as an accredited BGCI Botanical Garden on September 16, 2024, in honor of the auspicious year of His Majesty the King’s 72nd birthday on July 28, 2024. H.M. Queen Sirikit Park is the first and only internationally accredited botanic garden in Bangkok, and the third in Thailand.

His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen, during the opening of this BGCI accredited Botanical Garden, each planted a honeycomb tree (Schoutenia glomerata King subsc. Peregrina (Craib) Roekm.) on a plot dedicated to the study of the honeycomb species (Schoutenia Korth). There are five types of these rare native plants in Thailand and all of these saplings have been planted at the H.M. Queen Sirikit Park allowing access to all interested parties for observation and research.

His Majesty also graciously bestowed 172 baby Koi in the H.M. Queen Sirikit Park ponds for the people’s relaxation and enjoyment of the carp’s beauty and benefits.