Maya Bay to stay closed for another 6 months

[webfact]

Maya Bay to stay closed for another 6 months

 

 

The Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has agreed to extend the closure of Ao Maya, or Maya Bay, a popular tourist attraction in Thailand’s southern province of Krabi, for another six months after a 10-month initial closure to allow nature to regenerate the ecosystem.

 

Worapot Lomlim, chief of the Hat Nopparatthara-Phi-Phi Islands national park, said yesterday that the marine and land based ecological systems of Maya Bay, which was damaged by human activity, has steadily improved during the current closure.

 

He cited the frequent sightings of blacktip coral sharks near the beach and the gradual growth of some 23,000 corals farmed at a coral centre in Trang province, which were reintroduced to the sea with the help of volunteer divers.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/maya-bay-to-stay-closed-for-another-6-months/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-04-18

[webfact]

Maya Bay to remain closed for 4-5 years

By The Nation

 

File photo : Maya Beach

 

The Maya Bay beach, which has been closed to the public since last year to allow coral restoration and beach recovery, would remain closed to visitors for another 4-5 years until its ecology had fully recovered, the head of Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, Woraphot Lomlim, said.

 

After 10 months of being closed, nature is slowly rehabilitating itself, Woraphot said, citing the return of reef sharks and ghost crabs to the area while the 23,000 pieces of coral that were planted were growing. 

 

The bay with sugary-white beach and beautiful coral reef -- located in the Phi Phi islands between Krabi and Phuket -- was made famous by the 2000 Hollywood film “The Beach” starring Leonardo Di Caprio, but was battered by the year-round tourist traffic. 

 

During peak times, Maya Bay reportedly received as many as 5,000 visitors a day. As the nature and ecology there were in a critical condition, the authority announced the closure of Maya Bay to tourists in last June, initially for six months but that was extended indefinitely.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30367887

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-18

[mdmayes]

Good, let nature recover.

[tlandtday]

then it will likely be rinse and repeat all over again lol

[hotchilli]

Best news ever... if it re-opens maybe they should knock a nought off the daily visitor numbers

not 5,000 but 500 or less, and they should be strictly monitored.

[emptypockets]

59 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Best news ever... if it re-opens maybe they should knock a nought off the daily visitor numbers

not 5,000 but 500 or less, and they should be strictly monitored.

And include purpose built mooring for boats so that the coral is not smashed by boat anchors. It's done elsewhere and works.

[Elkski]

There must be another reason.   I can't believe they do this for preservation.   

[connda]

Good news.  There is hope for Thailand after-all - maybe.  

[pacovl46]

22 hours ago, Elkski said:

There must be another reason.   I can't believe they do this for preservation.   

I heard they’ll convert it to a save haven for flattards. ????

[SpaceKadet]

Great news! Keep it closed for another 10 year as far as I'm concerned. The return of the Blacktip sharks to the bay really signals that the right thing is being done and ecosystem is having a well deserved break. Maya Bay is really a beautiful place.

 

I was there only one time, well before the movie, while sailing in the PangNga bay. There was mooring provided by the entrance to Maya Bay, and we moored our boat at around 17h. The last tourist long tails were just leaving and we were all alone. A quick trip to the beach in the dinghy, snap some pics before it got dark, back to the boat for crackers, tuna and beer. A quick night swim among amazing bio luminescence from a tiny wiggly worms, some more beer, and by 7 morning we were raising sails.... Winds were good, and we almost lost our spinnaker with our skipper!!! Unforgettable experience!

[Nyezhov]

Good Job to the Government Parks and Nature Boss Dudes!

[Guest]

Maybe this country can be saved afterall.