Conservation activists urge post-pandemic tourism reset in Thailand

They warn economic reboot could exacerbate environmental problems

TOM VATER and LAURE SIEGEL, Contributing writers

 

Divers clean reefs off the coast of the Thai island of Koh Phangan. (Photo courtesy of Stefan Follows)

 

KOH PHANGAN, Thailand -- It is 9 a.m. on a sultry Sunday morning off the coast of Koh Phangan, a popular tourist island in the Gulf of Thailand. More than 30 divers are getting ready to plunge into the tropical waters -- not to marvel at the underwater world but to spend the day removing kilometers of abandoned fishing nets that lie on the ocean floor, snagged on rocks and coral and suffocating marine life.

 

These weekly diving trips are organized by Sitthiroj Kaenongsamed, a local diver and environmental activist. "The first time just three of us retrieved 700 kg of nets," says Sitthiroj. "We realized that there are a lot of nets down there and we keep finding new ones."

 

The activists now work with volunteer dive professionals and the Center for Oceanic Research and Education, a local nongovernmental organization known as COREsea. Local businesses donate food and water, and Thailand's Department of Marine Coastal Research provides gasoline for the boats and air refills for the divers' tanks.

 

Full story: https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Life/Conservation-activists-urge-post-pandemic-tourism-reset-in-Thailand

 

 

-- © Copyright Nikkei Asian Review 2020-08-07

 

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Thailand should have made some of these reef areas sanctuaries decades ago where no fishing is allowed.

 I saw a remnants of nets and I could see the drag lines in the sand at  the dive sites near Koh Phi Phi just a few years ago I believe the fishing trawlers go up to the reefs every night and drag for fish and sometimes break off hunks of coral and you could see the drag marks and  the snagged coral chunks  drug  out into the sand.   I have since told anyone that dive sites in Thailand suck.  From what I understand and the presentations I've seen Thailand had very nice dive sites 20 and 30 years ago.  Then you can't have 10 cattle boats with 50 Chinese and tourists mostly  unskilled at  swimming and snorkeling many standing on the corral for pictures.  Sad to see.  

 

Since when did tourists bring kilometres of fishing nets to the islands and snag them on the reefs? I suggest the conservationists look a little closer to home for the cause of the problem, rather than indulging the Thai xenophobia. 

10 minutes ago, Guderian said:

Since when did tourists bring kilometres of fishing nets to the islands and snag them on the reefs? I suggest the conservationists look a little closer to home for the cause of the problem, rather than indulging the Thai xenophobia. 

You are half right. 

 

But, I think the tourists will be eating that seafood caught in the nets as well as Thai people.

 

Also, the speed boats, engine oil and fuel spills, plastic rubbish, sewerage, grey water from hotels, sunscreen slicks and people treading on coral, disturbing wildlife etc is a genuine problem. 

 

 

57 minutes ago, Guderian said:

Since when did tourists bring kilometres of fishing nets to the islands and snag them on the reefs? I suggest the conservationists look a little closer to home for the cause of the problem, rather than indulging the Thai xenophobia. 

 

47 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

You are half right. 

But, I think the tourists will be eating that seafood caught in the nets as well as Thai people.

Also, the speed boats, engine oil and fuel spills, plastic rubbish, sewerage, grey water from hotels, sunscreen slicks and people treading on coral, disturbing wildlife etc is a genuine problem.

Tourists eat a minor quantity of seafood compared to the Thais.

Samui is a tourist destination. It lives off foreign tourists. Currently there are none.

Last month was the long weekend and only domestic tourists came to the island. For the first time in the 20 years that I have lived here, the local market ran out of seafood. Even Macro (used by restaurants and hotels) only had whole fish left.

1,000's of Thais had descended on Samui because of the low prices. They stayed in private villas and had seafood BBQ's for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Compared to Bangkok, the seafood here is cheap at the moment.

Fisherman in Thailand fish for the domestic market.

 

"the speed boats, engine oil and fuel spills, plastic rubbish, sewerage, grey water from hotels, sunscreen slicks and people treading on coral, disturbing wildlife etc is a genuine problem."

Yes, on this one you are 100% spot on. Domestic tourists bring similar problems but on a much smaller scale.

During the lock down, food delivery services have meant much larger volumes of styrafoam and plastic. Just when we were improving.

Also, discarded or dropped masks are the new platic. I see them on my walks every day.

10 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

Tourists eat a minor quantity of seafood compared to the Thais.

 

That might been true years ago when tourists equaled Europeans.

Have you never seen what the Chinese hordes eat? Almost always seafood!

On 8/8/2020 at 2:55 AM, Guderian said:

Since when did tourists bring kilometres of fishing nets to the islands and snag them on the reefs? I suggest the conservationists look a little closer to home for the cause of the problem, rather than indulging the Thai xenophobia. 

Exactly. ALL the "conservation" problems are the fault of Thais. Even if they are not personally doing it, as in the case of Maya Bay they enable the destruction. None of the tourists went on their own boat.

 

Not just the sea- many beauty spots on land are blighted by garbage left by THAIS and drinking shacks built by THAIS.

 

Blaming tourists lets Thais off without having to change their ways.