Leave Maya Bay alone: experts

[webfact]

Leave Maya Bay alone: experts

By The Nation

 

Various rehabilitation zones at Krabi's Maya Beach are shown. A new pier will be built behind the bay to facilitate rehabilitation of coral reefs damaged at the front due to tour boats mooring above them for decades. CR:FBThon Thamrongnawasawat

 

WARN OF ‘IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE’ AS TOUR OPERATORS LOBBY FOR ACCESS TO POPULAR BEACH DURING PEAK TOURIST SEASON
 

MARINE ECOLOGISTS have urged the tourism sector to desist from pressuring authorities for an early reopening of the world-renowned Maya Bay in the southern island province of Krabi so as to ensure a proper rehabilitation process.

 

Meanwhile, local tour operators affected by the closure will meet tomorrow to discuss their next move as the peak tourism season draws near.

 

On September 28, the National Parks Department issued an order for indefinite closure of Maya Bay in order to allow more time for damaged coral reefs to recover.

 

Experts said the four-month closure of Maya Bay was insufficient for rehabilitation due to the popular site’s fragile ecosystem.

 

Assistant Professor Datchanee Emphandhu of the Forestry Faculty of Kasetsart University, said Maya was like a seriously ill patient who needs more time to recover. Rushing to reopen the place would result in the likely collapse of its ecosystem, she warned, adding, “The damage could be irreversible.” 

 

She was speaking in response to a call by tour companies in the area to reopen the destination once the tourism industry enters the high season later this year.

 

On September 28, an official announcement was made in the Royal Gazette about the indefinite closure of Maya Bay from October 1, after the previous closure order was supposed to end on September 30.

 

One of the world’s most-visited tourist destinations, made popular by the Hollywood movie “The Beach”, Maya Bay’s limited 30-rai (4.8 hectares) area, attracts about 5,000 tourists per day on average, or about 1 million visitors per year. 

 

The National Parks Department, after holding consultations with its advisers and marine experts, said earlier that Maya Bay had been seriously environmentally degraded because of overcrowding.

 

The department has allowed boats to bring tourists to watch Maya only from a distance while officials work on rehabilitating the area and its fragile ecosystem, including the damaged coral reefs that need more time to regrow.

 

Marine ecologist, Sak-anan Plathong, from Prince of Songkla University, suggested that the department ensure protection of the fragile ecosystem at Maya Bay and prevent further disturbance to the fragile beach forests inside the nearby island.

 

An elevated boardwalk over the fragile sand and forests should be built to help reduce pressure on the ecosystem. If there is going to be a reopening of the beach, it should be delayed beyond the high tourist season, maybe a month or two after the season.

 

In addition, the beach should be given one or two days’ break per week to allow natural replenishment of sand on the beach. The number of visitors, he added, should also be restricted.

 

Assistant Professor Thon Thamrongnawasawat posted on Facebook that the front of the bay should be off limits forever to allow corals to rehabilitate and regrow otherwise all the efforts invested now would become useless.

 

National Parks Office chief Songtham Suksawang said the department wishes to see the bay’s ecosystem fully rehabilitated before it decides to reopen the bay to tourists again.

 

 

The department is in the process of procuring projects to build a boardwalk and a new floating pier at the back of the island so that coral reefs at the front of the beach will not be disturbed. The department has also commissioned four universities to conduct research on the appropriate number of tourists who should be allowed to visit six popular beach destinations in Thailand: Samet islands in Rayong province; Surin, Similan and Tapoo islands in Phang Nga province; Chang island in |Trat province; and Lanta island in Krabi.

 

Meanwhile, Krabi tourism stakeholders, affected by the closure of Maya Bay, will meet tomorrow to discuss the next move.

According to Rong Phukaoluan, president of the Krabi Hotel Association, the tourism operators are ready to meet the conservation authority halfway. 

 

“Instead of closing May Bay all year round, we want the authority to consider allowing tourists to the bay during the peak season and close it in April,” said Rong. 

 

The peak season lasts from November until February, he said. Usually during the high season, Rong added, 60,000 hotel rooms in Krabi receive visitors. Each year the province welcomes as many as 5 million visitors. 

 

Closing the bay would not only affect tour operators in Krabi but also in Phuket, said Rong. The bay, which is part of Had Nopparat Tara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park in Krabi, is halfway between the two provinces. 

 

And the bay receives as many as 600 speedboats from the two provinces combined daily, he said.

 

“In Krabi there are about 60,000 rooms, but in Phuket there are many hundreds of thousands,” he said. Rong said Chinese tour groups often book a night at Phuket before going to Maya Bay. However, Phuket’s tourism this year looks even grimmer than Krabi, considering the Maya Bay closure, the recent boat tragedy and an unsavoury incident at the airport, he said. 

 

The boat tragedy, which happened off Phuket Island, claimed dozens of lives, mainly Chinese, while the airport incident involved an airport guard, who slapped a Chinese tourist.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30355994

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-08

[a977]

To the Krabi tourism stakeholders, you contributed to the demise of the ecosystem now you only have yourselves to blame, if you hadn't been so greedy in the first place you probably could have had your 4 months open high season but no the almighty BAHT came into play

[mok199]

Thailand is a worn out ,pimped out old hoe,she was ridin hard and put away wet,but in true thainess I am sure they will find a way to squeeze her a bit more before she totally breaks...

[DoctorG]

One of the reasons we have governments is for them to occasionally step in to override vested interests and do the right thing. Doesn't happen too often but this sick ecology needs some rest and remedial attention.

[farang62]

leave it alone for a few years, like people it needs time off to rest and recover. It's not like Thailand doesn't have many other similar locations they can also screw up while this "patient" is recovering. An explanation may be in order explaining the reasoning behind the prolonged closure other than greed!

[RichardColeman]

Needs one of these

[pjuk]

"An elevated boardwalk over the fragile sand and forests should be built to help reduce pressure on the ecosystem."

 

What a ridiculous idea.

How much damage is the building and maintenance of the structure going to cause ?

Thousands of people every day throwing cigarette buts and litter on to the beach below.

STUPID IDEA.

A suggestion -

All boats anchor off shore and take tourists into the bay in glass bottomed boats with no landing on the beach.

[CharlieH]

A post in a foreign language has been removed.

 

This is an English language forum.

(Except for Thai language sub forum).

[Deli]

Keep it closed, it may keep some Chinese away and this will be a relieve for many, not only for the bay.

[ReMarKable]

Thai women are becoming fat and natural resources are being destroyed.  What is next?

[cardinalblue]

They should keep it close indefinitely but they won’t...so impose a significant tax per trip on every boat operator to the island...yes, they will pass it along but tourists will stop going due to high prices....must limit # of tourists but really how do they know how many is the correct # if any?

[Daveyh]

We definitely want to start saving the planet .......... beginning with Thailand. I've lived here for fifteen years & seen a lot of environmental damage during this time. It's as if no one cares ........ just get away from the super clean malls & hiso areas & take a good look at where the majority of Thai's live. The destruction is so visible to the naked eye, lack of planning of the layout of towns & cities is the main reason for this castastrophe  ........ no infrastructure whatsoever. To start with, I've not seen a sewage, drainage system or waste disposal system here coping with the demands placed upon it. Hence, our beaches are taking the brunt of this waste, which in turn is contaminating the rest of the countries adjacent to it. Even piles of rubbish are allowed to rot without anyone removing it ............ The rubbbish is piled up everywhere & it's a disgrace. I was only riding around yesterday looking for other venues to go fishing & found waste land being used as a dumping ground everywhere ......... they were definitely not organised "in fill" areas controlled by local authority. We need to start being more responsible with our disposal of waste & manage it better. Other countries, especially europe have been addressing this serious problem for years & Asia has the same responsibilities to save this planet. Too many areas here are being environmentally destroyed....... it is most certainly in my view the greatest threat to this beautiful land. We've all got to wake up before it's too late ........... not just the chosen few.

[MikeN]

How about having a pontoon anchored at the current barrier with an underwater viewing section so all those who cannot swim can see the fish (instead of thrashing around on the surface and scaring the fish away!) and a roped off snorkeling area for those that can swim. Restrict the snorkeling area to fairly deep water, perhaps 7 or 8 meters deep to avoid contact with the coral.

Charge the same 100 baht as they did before, maybe more if it gets too crowded. Or maybe a sliding scale depending on the time of day .....come at peak time you pay more.

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Biting the hand that feeds them, always...

[Jai Dee]

An argumentative troll post has been removed from this thread.

[0815]

15 minutes ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

And you are doing your part how?

Don't know if YOU is Daveyh only, or others who read it.
If I am a YOU, i avoid to produce waste, give bottels to a place where they (hopefully) recycle it and avoid to spend my free time at places which are crowded by tourists...

[Vacuum]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

And the bay receives as many as 600 speedboats from the two provinces combined daily, he said.

 Says it all. Close it for a year or two.

[falangjim]

Since when have any experts been listened to in Thailand?

[coppywriter]

Take note of the Philippines and Boracay Island, where they closed off the whole island for six months to allow the eco system time to repair and regenerate, then imposed strict rules and regulations on business's and tourists to keep it safe......

[Ossy]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

She was speaking in response to a call by tour companies in the area to reopen the destination once the tourism industry enters the high season later this year.

Yes, who's cracked up about the coral or gives a shit about the turd-strewn forest? All our high-paying customers want is a few hours on that famous BEACH . . . damn that bloody movie.

[Dibbler]

2 hours ago, ReMarKable said:

Thai women are becoming fat and natural resources are being destroyed.  What is next?

Has been the trend for at least three decades!!

[hotchilli]

Thailand and the "golden goose" syndrome... work the hell out of it until it's gone, then look around for something else to flog to death.

All they worry about is the hotels and guest houses in Phuket and surrounding areas suffering, they don't give a damn about the suffering and loss of a natural wonder !!!

[DUNROAMIN]

TIT. nothing changes. They'll trash the whole tourist industry until Thailand becomes a non tourist destination. Good for us Farangs as the Thai barht will plummet and we get more bucks for our $. Then maybe they will see the benifits having Farangs living here supporting their economy. Take a good look around Thailand , everywhere you go is the same, polluted beaches, rivers, Soi's and even the country side in some cases.

[Derek B]

People also have a negative effect on the coral so there needs to be a total ban on tourist visitors entering the water - not just the boats mooring in a different location.

[off road pat]

On 10/8/2018 at 4:16 AM, cardinalblue said:

They should keep it close indefinitely but they won’t...so impose a significant tax per trip on every boat operator to the island...yes, they will pass it along but tourists will stop going due to high prices....must limit # of tourists but really how do they know how many is the correct # if any?

You're solution is soo Thai like, having exceptions only for wealthy people who already think of themselves as superior to everybody !!!