Search Results for: coral reefs
- News
Closing Maya Bay – Tough steps to save reeling paradise
By Piyaporn Wongruang The young American backpacker Richard found his way to Bangkok, arriving in Khao San Road bustling with backpackers, before venturing further to a so-called paradise, where he joined the neo-hippie lifestyle pursued by a number of adventurous tourists who arrived before him. It’s Maya Bay on Phi Phi Island, famously chosen as the so-called paradise setting for…
- News
Your Say – Closure of Maya Bay during the monsoon 2018
A decision to temporarily close Maya Bay to all tourists during the wet season from this June to September has been approved by the marine national parks chiefs. The move follows proposals from prominent academics and concerned locals to restore the coral reefs and ecosystem to allow nature to recover from the impacts of uncontrolled tourism during the rest of…
- News
Closed for maintenance – Maya Bay closes for wet season
Maya Bay,on Koh Phi Phi, will be closed to all visitors for four months during this monsoon season in an effort to restore its natural ecosystem that has been damaged by excessive tourism. The decision to temporarily close Maya Bay to all tourists during the wet season from this June to September was approved at a meeting of marine national…
- News
Krabi residents, “Close Maya Bay”
An initial survey by a leading marine scientist found that most residents supported the closure of the popular Maya Bay in Krabi after more than 80% of coral reefs in the area were damaged. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, deputy dean of the Fishery Faculty at Kasetsart University, said his team was compiling results from an opinion survey of more than 300 local…
- News
Thai tourist’s mermaid pose ends up with a 1,500 Baht fine
By Somchai Samart, Pratch Rujivanrom Three Thai tourists have been fined 1,500 Baht each for sitting on a mountain coral at Mu Koh Surin National Park in Phang Nga. After pictures of two women posing picturesquely while sitting on a large ‘mountain coral’ – apparently in Ao Mae Yai Bay in the Surin Islands – went viral on social media, Mu…
- News
Krabi power plant public hearing went smoothly. Protesters boycot event.
More than 2,500 people attended the public hearing about Krabi’s proposed new coal power plant yesterday (January 28) with 1,150 police and army officers guarding the meeting and watching out for any potential protest activity. The 1,150 officers were guarding the area of the public hearing stage at Klong Kanan Sub District Administration Organisation office (OrBorTor), both in uniforms and…
- Thai Life
“Limit visits to marine national parks to six million”
A leading marine biologist has proposed to the government to limit visitors to marine national parks to 6 million a year to lessen impact on its ecological environment. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, deputy dean at the Fisheries Faculty of Kasetsart University, made his proposal at the meeting of the Marine and Coastal Resources Policy Management Committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Gen…
- News
Thailand hosts ASEAN Environment Conference in Phuket
The Reducing Marine Debris in ASEAN Region 2017 hosted by Thailand is being held at JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa today (November 22). The meeting gathers the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), Kasetsart University and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with about 200 participants from many sectors in order to find solutions to reduce marine…
- Thai Life
Footloose: Exploring the wonders of Racha Noi
PHUKET: Racha Noi Island is located some 20 kilometers off the southern tip of Phuket. Unlike its big brother Racha Yai, Racha Noi is much smaller, more secluded and less frequented than Racha Yai. Construction is forbidden so it leaves Racha Noi with no hotels or accommodation. The island is covered in dense tropical jungle and is uninhabited by people.…
- Thai Life
Footloose: The hidden wonders of Koh Lipe
PHANG NGA: Koh Lipe is situated in the Andaman Sea, about 85 kilometers off the coast of Satun Province. The tiny island is part of the Adang-Rawi archipelago. In recent years Koh Lipe has grown to become a popular destination among backpackers and travellers looking for the raw and authentic island experience. Unlike some of the more familiar islands in…
- Thai Life
Keep It Green: Small initiatives to clean up the environment
PHUKET: In one of his last essays, “Civilization and Its Discontents”, Sigmund Freud, one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, argued that mankind had a ‘death wish’, a willed capacity for self-destruction. “Civilization’s aim was,” he said, “to combine single human individuals, families, then races, peoples and nations into one great unity, the unity of mankind”. But he…
- Phuket News
Marine experts: action needed to counter Phuket beach erosion
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) and experts from academia have suggested two ways to counter the issue of erosion on Phuket beaches. However, they have yet to state when will they take action, and say they are waiting for ‘help’ from local, provincial and national authorities. On Tuesday, a team from the…
- Thai Life
Keep it green: Implications of climate change
PHUKET: The world’s two most powerful countries, the United States and China, have just formally agreed to ratify the Paris climate change agreement. This landmark commitment, sealed last December after two weeks of intense negotiations, needs to be ratified by 55 countries, representing 55 per cent of global emissions, in order for it to come into effect. According to a…
- Thai Life
Keep it green: This sceptered isle – speedboats, sunloungers and jet-skis
PHUKET: I recently drove along Rawai Beach Road, and counted the number of speedboats hoovering up passengers for island day-trips to Ko Phi Phi and Racha. There were 27, mostly belonging to one company. Later that day, I took the ravishingly beautiful route round Prompthep Cape, down the twisting road to Nai Harn beach and on to secluded Ao Sane…
- Opinion
Opinion: ATUS protecting the dive industry
Ratanaporn Promchoo, 35, is the president secretary of the Association of Thailand for Underwater Sports (ATUS) and has been working with the ATUS for ten years. She graduated from Rajabhat Nakhon Sri Thammarat University with a bachelor’s degree in science. Here she talks about what the ATUS does to help promote and protect the dive industry. PHUKET: ATUS was founded…
- Phuket News
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Move to regulate diving industry [video]
PHUKET: Independent diving excursions have been banned in Phuket and Phang Nga following a government move to tighten regulations and increase accountability in the previously self-regulated industry. The move comes in the wake of a number of dive-related deaths and serious accidents in the region. “Though the diving industry does have its own regulations, we need to take greater responsibility…
- Phuket News
A Decade Ago: Water woes, camel toes
PHUKET: Water woes – how many times has the Gazette used that headline in the last ten years? Well, it soaked through page one again as Phuket’s sole public reservoir in 2005 was ‘down to [its] last few drops’. Not too long ago, when those of us currently on the island were knee deep in flood waters, we found out…
- Phuket News
Storm-sunk ship salvaged for dive site
PHUKET: A large section of the Cambodian-flagged cargo vessel that sank near Coral Island has been moved to Koh Racha Yai in the government’s effort to support the scuba diving industry in Phuket and Krabi. The piece of Sinaran Andaman was placed on sand at a depth of about 30 meters, far from where it could impact coral reefs in…
- Phuket News
Officials fear marine life hit by wrecked cargo ship
PHUKET: Local officers have filed a preemptive notice to Chalong Police over the recovery of a wrecked 67.6 meter-long mulch-purpose cargo vessel in fear that a significant amount of damage has been done to the coral reefs along Koh Hei, also known as Coral Island. Sinaran Andaman wrecked into Koh Hei on July 8 in rough seas that sank two…
- Thai Life
Environment: Piscine pollution – killing fields
PHUKET: Some time ago a friend rang to say that the beach at Kata was littered with dead fish – mostly of an emerald green color. My guess was that they were reef-dwelling parrot fish and out of curiosity, I decided to venture down to Nai Harn Beach. A scene of carnage awaited me; there were hundreds of very dead…
- Thai Life
Phi Phi: To party or not to party?
PHUKET: Koh Phi Phi Don – better known by the nickname Phi Phi – is loaded with surprises no matter why or how you end up there. Despite being less then an hour’s journey from Phuket by speedboat, or a two-and-a-half-hour ferry ride, Phi Phi is in Krabi province. It is composed of two main islands: Phi Phi Don and…
- Thai Life
Opinion: Set a baseline for Phuket’s reef research
PHUKET: Southeast Asia’s reefs are next on the list for “street view” mapping, Richard Vevers, executive director of the Catlin Seaview Survey and CEO of Underwater Earth, told Sci-Tech Today earlier this month. The Phuket dive community, and industry, must push for the Similans and our other reefs to be at the top of the list when the surveyors arrive.…
- Thai Life
Army stormed Phuket before coup, for diving
PHUKET: Months before General Prayuth Chan-ocha stepped in with the Army’s coup to wrestle some semblance of order back to Thailand, a group of military officers from throughout the nation stormed Phuket. But they didn’t come for the taxi mafia, tuk-tuk cartels, illegal workers or even the land encroachers – they came for the diving. Standing pool-side amid an air…
- Pattaya News
Making Phuket conservation profitable
PHUKET: Most boaters and divers are sensitive about coral reef areas and try to do the right thing. However, now, with many corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects recognizing the importance of our coral reefs worldwide, a possible alliance between conservationists and businesses in Phuket could be forming to find a profit-oriented solution to the problem of boaters anchoring in coral…
- Thai Life
Whale shark and manta ray sightings abound in waters north of Phuket
PHUKET: Whale sharks and manta rays are the climax for divers’ wet dreams – though admittedly most divers’ dreams are wet. Unfortunately, the probability of sharing ocean space with both of these majestic marine creatures on a single trip is absurdly low, yet just north of Phuket at the Similan Islands, that’s exactly what’s happening. While many of us are…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Krabi coal plant fight heats up; Senate election nears; Issara assures innocence
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fights at hearings over Krabi coal plant The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Villagers in the southern province of Krabi have come out in strong opposition to a coal-fired power plant and coal seaport, saying the planned project would cause pollution and damage eco-tourism industries which…
- Opinion
Phuket Opinion: The toll of tourism
PHUKET: As we embark on the year 2014, there seems to be no better time to reflect on the monumental changes that have transformed Phuket over the past few decades, all the result of “Bangkok style” urbanization that continues to degrade what is left of the island’s natural beauty and diminish its appeal to foreign tourists. In a recent Phuket…
- Phuket News
No limit on divers at Phi Phi Island ahead of high season
PHUKET: A call by experts to restrict the number of tourists diving at sites off Phi Phi Island to reduce the stress to coral reefs went unheeded, as marine national parks along the Andaman coast ready to open for high season on October 15. However, a top official at the Phi Phi national park has assured that efforts are ongoing…
- Thai Life
Thais’ time in the sun – Phuket Diving
PHUKET: The obsession with light colored skin in Phuket and Thailand among Thais has led to a boom in many industries, most notably cosmetics, where a variety of skin-whitening products, from deodorant to face cream, are readily available. In at least one industry, however, this aversion to the sun has created an incredible lack of local staff and entrepreneurs –…
- Business News
Raising bar past low-tide mark – Phuket Business
PHUKET: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a long-standing and ill-fated tradition of stopping at the low-tide mark. For mountain resorts in the French Alps, which do not rely on what is beneath the ocean surface to draw guests, such an oversight is understandable. However, the trend of CSR projects not safeguarding heavily threatened marine systems, such as the coral reefs…
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