Community Participation in a Newly Established Protected Area amid Human–Wildlife Coexistence Challenges: The Case of Kaeng Krung National Park, Thailand

A growing challenge for protected-area governance is the sustainable coexistence of local communities and wildlife, especially in the rapidly changing socio-ecological landscapes of the Global South. Community participation in long-established protected areas has been widely studied. However, dynamics of participation in newly declared parks, where in-migration, insecure tenure, livelihood dependence, and increasing human–elephant conflict since the COVID-19 pandemic continue post-designation, are poorly studied. Using a mixed-methods approach consisting of a household survey (n = 345) and in-depth interviews (n = 20), this research examines the key factors that influence community participation and coexistence in Kaeng Krung National Park, Thailand. Participation is assessed in four dimensions: decision-making, operations, benefit-receiving, and evaluation. Results showed a high general willingness to participate (mean = 3.50), especially in decision-making and operational activities, while evaluative roles were only moderately engaged. Qualitative findings showed that length of residence, land tenure security, perceived benefits and disadvantages including loss of livelihoods from recurrent wild elephant encounters, and access to communication and training were strong influences on participation patterns. The combined analysis of both datasets provides an empirically based framework to comprehend the importance of livelihood motivations, trust, human–wildlife conflict mitigation and skill-related barriers as key factors in engagement. This has policy-relevant implications for the promotion of sustainable coexistence in protected-area governance in Thailand and other similar settings.