Doi Inthanon tourists reported over rare moss damage

Doi Inthanon National Park officials have filed a police complaint against a group of about 10 tourists accused of crossing barriers and trampling rare Khao Tok Ruesi moss at the Ang Ka nature trail in Chiang Mai.

A park representative reported the group to investigators at Chom Thong Police Station on 17 September, seeking action under Thailand's National Park Act 2019.

The damage is alleged to have occurred at about 1pm on 13 September, when the visitors left the designated Ang Ka nature-study route and entered a strictly protected conservation area to take photographs.

Rare high-altitude plants damaged

Park staff were alerted by other visitors who said they had seen the group ignoring warning signs and barriers around the Khao Tok Ruesi clearing. Officers who checked the site later found trampling marks in several places.

Khao Tok Ruesi is described by the park as a highly fragile, slow-growing moss found only at elevations above 2,000 metres. Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain, is one of the country's best-known highland destinations and attracts both Thai and overseas visitors.

Officials warned that plants damaged by people walking on them may take years to recover. In some cases, they may not recover at all.

Park hands evidence to police

Doi Inthanon National Park has gathered photographs supplied by the person who reported the incident, along with CCTV footage, and handed the material to police for use in identifying those involved.

The group is to face allegations of failing to comply with an order from a park official and carrying out recreational activity outside an area designated for it, under the National Park Act 2019.

The report does not identify the tourists or state their nationalities. Police will now investigate the evidence provided by the park and seek to trace the group.

Visitors to Doi Inthanon should remain on signed trails and avoid crossing ropes, fences or warning markers, even where a viewpoint or photo location appears close by. Entering restricted ground can harm protected plants as well as expose visitors to possible legal action.

Pictures courtesy of Daily News

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18 September 2026