Phuket officials scramble to save Coral Island after tourism kills 75% of reefs

[rooster59]

Phuket officials scramble to save Coral Island after tourism kills 75% of reefs

Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

Tourists pose during a dive tour, one of the many reasons for huge coral loss. Photos: maxmillionx
 

PHUKET: The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) will seek Cabinet approval to urgently implement coral-protection measures at Coral Island, off Phuket’s southeast coast, as early as next month.

 

If approved, the move will empower the DMCR to seal off reefs to prevent tourists and tour operators from causing further damage.
 

The news comes after researchers confirmed that over-tourism has reduced the number of corals to just 25% of what was at the busy day-trip destination 10 years ago.

 

DMCR Director-General Suthilak Rawiwan confirmed to The Phuket News last Friday (Mar 24) that she will appeal to Cabinet within weeks to invoke Section 22 of the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Promotion Act B.E. 2558.

 

A Section 22 appeal will empower the DMCR to take drastic measures to preserve what remains of the reefs at Coral Island, known in Thai as Koh Hae. Any persons found guilty of breach of Section 22 will face up to two years in jail, a fine of up to B200,000, or both.

 

“Koh Hae has already been badly affected by tourism and it is now getting worse. In fact, the problems at Koh Hae are now at a critical level,” Ms Suthilak said.

 

“The DMCR now has a plan to use the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Promotion Act to control tourism in the area and reduce any further risk of damage to the marine environment,” she added.

 

Watcharin Thintalang, Director of the DMCR Phuket office, said the move to protect the corals at Koh Hae has been a long time coming.

 

“I initially wanted to use Section 17 to protect the reefs around Koh Hae, and held a public meeting in December to explain this to local residents as well as tour companies, tour guides, local vendors and longtail boatmen,” he said.

 

Mr Watcharin compared the move to protect reefs at Koh Hae with the measures taken at Koh Maithon, just a handful of kilometres away.

 

“I don’t want Coral Island to be like Koh Maithon, which was very popular for the tourism industry – until the corals there suffered damage. Those reefs are now closed to visitors to allow the marine life in the area to regenerate,” he explained.

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-officials-scramble-to-save-coral-island-after-tourism-kills-75-of-reefs-61635.php#h6bDBcBgTbwqYxsu.97

 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-04-01

 

 

 

[Soupdragon]

With the speed of a striking sloth they sprang into action.

 

Korean try dive where they pose for pictures standing on the coral has done huge damage in this area for many years.

 

Only now is it noticed ?

 

 

[Jimi007]

There was a coral bleaching event in the whole area several years ago when the ocean temperature reached almost 34ºC. Then in the past few years the insane amount of Chinese being bused into Rawai and out on big speed boats to the islands certainly isn't helping anything.

 

[cloudhopper]

Far too late. Assuming anything at all is done. 

[quadperfect]

Its a thai problem not a tourist problem. Too many thai speed boat operators and long tails taking tourists to the islands.

No concern for the enviornment i see every day not kidding thai speed boat operators changing there gear oil right into the water in chalong. Maybe 80 percent is contained but there are a hundred boats doing this .

It adds up so does the sewage so does the weather coral bleaching events, etc etc.

But bottom line too many speed boats here.

And thats the problem.

Get ferrys and no speed boats and there will be coral in a a few years again.

[dinsdale]

There you go. Lots and lots of 'quality' Chinese tourists. They don't give a sh*t about anything but themselves.

[Pinot]

Thais never do anything till they have to...or it's too late

[jak2002003]

Coral will die if humans touch it?  Why?

 

I see fish and animals eating it and crawling all over it all the time.

 

I think the problem is the boats smashing it up, oil and petrol being dumped over it, and sewerage and other pollution in the sea.

 

 

[wakeupplease]

6 hours ago, dinsdale said:

There you go. Lots and lots of 'quality' Chinese tourists. They don't give a sh*t about anything but themselves.

Could it be they are nicking the stuff because they think it has health giving benefits like rhino horns and elephant tusks which is a myth as we know but others believe in myths

[Thechook]

The horse has bolted.

[stevenl]

7 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Coral will die if humans touch it?  Why?

 

I see fish and animals eating it and crawling all over it all the time.

 

I think the problem is the boats smashing it up, oil and petrol being dumped over it, and sewerage and other pollution in the sea.

 

 

Yes, corals die when touched by humans.

[steven100]

I remember going snorkling there years ago and was completely astounded and disheartened by the acres and acres of smashed coral dead on the sea floor ....

Tourist just trample on the coral with their flippers on and it just smashes the coral piece by piece.

But this is not specific to thailand, unfortunately it is the same in Indonesia, Philippines and anywhere that tourists are allowed to snorkel ...  

 

It is apparent and obvious in any tourist area ....    dead smashed coral everywhere .

[jak2002003]

4 hours ago, stevenl said:

Yes, corals die when touched by humans.

I know that statement already.... I asked why it dies?  I think this is a myth!

 

As I said... fish and sea creatures are all over the coral... so why don't they kill it.

 

I think the actual cause of death is people standing on it and crushing it with their flippers, as well as the boats smashing it up... and pollution... NOT just touching it with a human hand!

 

 

[arithai12]

On 4/1/2017 at 0:47 PM, Soupdragon said:

With the speed of a striking sloth they sprang into action.

 

Korean try dive where they pose for pictures standing on the coral has done huge damage in this area for many years.

 

Only now is it noticed ?

 

 

Until now, too busy counting money.

[arithai12]

5 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

I know that statement already.... I asked why it dies?  I think this is a myth!

 

As I said... fish and sea creatures are all over the coral... so why don't they kill it.

 

I think the actual cause of death is people standing on it and crushing it with their flippers, as well as the boats smashing it up... and pollution... NOT just touching it with a human hand!

 

 

I am not a biologist and cannot say for sure, but I find it plausible that simpy touching a coral can harm it greatly. You know that their surface is covered in some kind of mucus, I suppose that when we touch we can strip that away and it probably removes important protection. Perhaps they don't die directly as a result, but they may find themselves more exposed to infections or sickness. Fish do not really have the same effect... well parrot fish like to munch away at the coral but that's another story.

 

I do agree with you that most of the damage is probably due to other actions, such as standing on the coral or carving "A was here" or snapping off that little branch as souvernir and no one will notice...

[Jai Dee]

Divers and snorklers that sit or stand on or handle corals can injure the delicate polyps.

 

See this website.

[Catoni]

On 4/1/2017 at 5:20 AM, Jimi007 said:

There was a coral bleaching event in the whole area several years ago when the ocean temperature reached almost 34ºC. Then in the past few years the insane amount of Chinese being bused into Rawai and out on big speed boats to the islands certainly isn't helping anything.

 

     Coral "bleaching" is a good thing.  It's a way in which coral adapts to changing conditions.  Releasing its endosymbiotic algae that is suitable for previous conditions.... (bleaching) and over time taking in endosymbiotic algae more suited for new conditions.   

 

   If it wasn't for the ability to bleach and take in other forms of algae, and perhaps other ways of adaptation we are still learning about, coral would have gone extinct a few hundred million years ago. 

 

   Coral been around for more than 500 million years.... and has survived "Greenhouse Earth" where our planet has been so warm as to have no ice at all.. and forests growing at the poles... it's survived Ice Ages.. like the Ice Age we are in right now..and survived Glacial Periods like the last one which lasted for 85,000 years and we just came out of abut 15,000 years ago.     It's survived the Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction.....  It's survived the Siberian Traps eruptions and the great Permian Mass Extinction event...     It's survived huge asteroid impact events like the Chicxulube Impact Event which drastically changed the climate virtually overnight... 

 

    Coral will still be around..... for a few hundred million more years at least...  

[jak2002003]

2 hours ago, Catoni said:

     Coral "bleaching" is a good thing.  It's a way in which coral adapts to changing conditions.  Releasing its endosymbiotic algae that is suitable for previous conditions.... (bleaching) and over time taking in endosymbiotic algae more suited for new conditions.   

 

   If it wasn't for the ability to bleach and take in other forms of algae, and perhaps other ways of adaptation we are still learning about, coral would have gone extinct a few hundred million years ago. 

 

   Coral been around for more than 500 million years.... and has survived "Greenhouse Earth" where our planet has been so warm as to have no ice at all.. and forests growing at the poles... it's survived Ice Ages.. like the Ice Age we are in right now..and survived Glacial Periods like the last one which lasted for 85,000 years and we just came out of abut 15,000 years ago.     It's survived the Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction.....  It's survived the Siberian Traps eruptions and the great Permian Mass Extinction event...     It's survived huge asteroid impact events like the Chicxulube Impact Event which drastically changed the climate virtually overnight... 

 

    Coral will still be around..... for a few hundred million more years at least...  

Think you are right... but I still want to be able to see it now.. and for my friends and family to be able to swim about and see the beautiful coral reefs and fish. 

 

If we keep ruining the stuff now it will be a mess and we will loose all that beauty.  Once we humans go extinct, reduce in number, or get super clever and stop wrecking and exploiting everything I am sure it would come back too.