Showing posts with label Phi Phi Islands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phi Phi Islands. Show all posts

Sunday 26 April 2020

Thailand - Divers Recover Over a Ton of Ocean Waste at Phi Phi Island


The “Clean Me Phi Phi Today” project will continue until May 12 when the lockdown on Phi Phi Island is expected to be lifted.

Divers have recovered over a ton of ocean waste on Thailand’s famous Phi Phi Island in an environment conservation project. Environmental activists and diving instructors implemented the projects during the covid-19 lockdown.

The “Clean Me Phi Phi Today” project will continue until May 12 when the lockdown on Phi Phi Island is expected to be lifted.

Participating activists, divers and business operators collected the likes of auto tires; glass and plastic bottles; ans plastic waste at the main pier of the Island.

They said some of the waste was swept into the sea during the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004.

Prasert Wongna, head of tourism business operators’ club of Phi Phi, said with the travelling ban it was a great opportunity to revive the environment of the island.

The project also draws Phi Phi Island community to improve waste management and sewage system of the island.


Source - Chiang Rai Times

Thursday 18 April 2019

#Thailand - Maya Bay to be closed for up to five years


Maya Bay’s beach, closed last year to allow coral restoration and beach recovery, could remain closed to visitors for many years. Maya Bay is located in the Phi Phi islands between Krabi and Phuket.

The famous Koh Phi Phi Ley beach needs time for its ecology to fully recover years of tourist abuse, this according to the Phi Phi national park chief Vorapot Lomlim as reported in Khaosod English.

“Maya Bay must continue to be closed until nature has fully recovered. We expect it will take four to five years.”
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“Since Maya was closed off nearly a year ago, sea creatures like reef sharks and ghost crabs have returned to the island.”

He also reported that 23,000 corals have been planted by marine officials since the closure last year.

Maya Bay was closed to tourist on June 1 last year. The Bay first became famous as part of the setting for the 2000 film ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo Di Caprio. That fame would lead to a surge in tourists and a rapacious local tourist industry that ramped up the numbers of tours to cater for the international popularity.

At its peak Maya Bay, the south’s most popular attraction, was receiving up to 5-6,000 tourists a day. Unwittingly, the tourists were trampling the beach and surrounding areas whilst the boats delivering them to the famous beach were throwing anchors over the side, destroying the natural coral.

Initially the national park chiefs closed off Maya Bay access for a period of three months  but it soon became apparent that the fragile bay was going to need a lot longer to recover. Officials reported that up to 50 percent of the Bay’s coral was dead.

SOURCE: The Thaiger /  Khaosod English


Tuesday 28 November 2017

#Thailand - Ko Phi Phi’s Maya Bay ranked 11th best beach in the world.


Phi Phi’s Maya Bay still ranks high among the world’s most beautiful beaches

Although nowadays Maya Beach is hardly considered remote, far from it, it does still rank high among the world’s best beaches, according to a listing of the World’s 50 Best Beaches compiled by FlightNetwork.

The agency consulted more than 600 of the world’s top travel journalists, editors, bloggers and agencies — the people who do this for a living — to gain insight from their opinions and expertise. 

By asking the top travel professionals, FlightNetwork has created the most trustworthy and accurate list out there to inspire travelers and help choose their upcoming winter holiday destinations.

https://12go.asia/?z=581915

According to the report Maya Beach “will make visitors feel as though they are on the set of a film, sheltered on silky white sands and surrounded by unbelievably memorizing green cliffs and vividly colorful coral. No wonder this has been the setting for many films and attracts thousands of tourists every day. 

Travelers can experience these beautiful and exciting surroundings by taking a private boat trip, snorkeling in aquamarine waters, or stretching out on pillow-like sand while they work on their tan in the usual 10 hours of sunshine a day. 

With an average day at a warm 29°C and water that welcomes you at 27°C, Maya Beach in Koh Phi Phi Le in Thailand is said to be one of the most stunning and accessible islands in the world.”

Source - TheNation



Friday 29 September 2017

#Thailand - Maya Bay to be closed for three months next year.


Park officials said they were going to close Phi Phi island’s famous Maya Bay from June for three months next year.

Officials of the Koh Phi Phi National park authority held crisis talks on Thursday where they were told that the bay has been ravaged by too much tourism.

So it was going to be shut to allow the beach side of Maya Bay, as well as the waters in the bay, to recover ahead of the 2018 high season.


Photos and stories in international media have shocked officials into doing something about the massive crowds heading to Maya Bay every day, sometimes leaving standing room only on the iconic beach, made famous by the 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio film, The Beach.

 Officials have also been receiving complaints from concerned locals about tour boats anchoring indiscriminately in the area causing damage to the bay floor and any remaining corals.


Source - TheNation

Friday 23 June 2017

#Thailand - Krabi beaches generate most entry fees for national parks

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Nopparat Thara Beach and Phi Phi Islands in Krabi generated the most revenue from entry fees for the national park agency over the past nine months.

Following the renovation of facilities and restoration of natural resources, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has collected Bt1.7 billion in revenue from nationwide national park admission fees from October 2016 until June 2017, DNP spokesman Sompot Maneerat said on Wednesday.

Most of the revenue was collected from the admission fees of Bt428 million at Krabi’s Nopparat Thara Beach and Phi Phi Islands National Park, followed by Bt299 million at Phang Nga's Mu Koh Similan National Park. 

The DNP is aiming to generate more revenue from tourism at the national parks and will allocate the money for the restoration and development of natural attractions, as the budget from the government is not sufficient.


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Friday 20 May 2016

Severe coral bleaching threatens popular Phi Phi dive spots

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Coral bleaching is rife in Phi Phi national park - the worst ever recorded in Thailand - alarmed conservation officials reported Thursday.
Many varieties of coral have been affected by the bleaching, which is due to the sea temperature rising to between 31 to 35 degrees Celsius, said an official from the Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).

Staghorn coral, lesser coral, mushroom coral, cauliflower coral, and hump coral are all being affected by the bleaching, which is far worse than observed in 2010, said Tikamporn Wongtawatchai, a specialist from Marine National Park and Protected Areas Innovation Center (MNIPC).

"Coral bleaching has been recorded all over the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi marine national park, but the bleaching is worse at Koh Kai," said Tikamporn.

This is the first time hump coral has been affected by bleaching, indicating that the bleaching is far worse than ever before. The bleaching has occurred in several popular dive spots, including Pileh Bay, Loh Samah Bay, Koh Yoong, Monkey Beach, Koh Pai and Koh Gai.
Conservationists earlier this week proposed closing off Maya Bay to tourists to help restore the bleached coral and other endangered marine life there (story here).

"We cannot control nature. However, we can stop people from disturbing the marine life in these spots. Hopefully, this latest report of the extensive damage will persuade the DNP to take quick action by closing off Maya bay and other spots in Phi Phi national park affected by the bleaching," said Tikamporn.
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Wednesday 9 December 2015

Phi Phi in dire straits: Coral extinction, ‘overtourism’ threaten island sustainability


The island, known for its marine life and a top tourism destination for more than 20 years, is seeking help from the government and tourism operators to look after its natural resources.
Koh Phi Phi and nearby islands welcome more than 1.4 million tourists a year, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT).

During the November-April high season, more than 5,000 tourists a day visit the cluster.

The Ao Nang Tambon Administrative Organisation said the island produced 10 tonnes of rubbish a day, while the influx of tourists at main sites such as Maya Bay and Ton Sai Bay also posed a threat to marine life.

Thon’s Friends Group, established eight months ago on Facebook by Asst Prof Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine biology lecturer at Kasetsart University who is engaged in marine protection, now has almost 40,000 followers.

The group intends to protect Koh Phi Phi and alert the authorities to the risks the natural resources face.

The Phi Phi cluster consists of six islands that lie 50 kilometres southeast of Phuket, forming part of Hat Nopharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.

“The situation on the Phi Phi islands is critical,” Assoc Prof Thon said.

He said locals were ready to protect their resources but lacked a leader.

Assoc Prof Thon believes tackling the problems on the Phi Phi islands will serve as a model for other locations such as Koh Lipe and Koh Tao, where local residents can resist encroachment by developers and corrupt government officials.

Surveys found only one of Koh Phi Phi's 14 coral reefs remained pristine, while one was slightly damaged, he said.

The other 12 – located in Maya Bay, Ton Sai Bay and Pilay Bay –were dead.

Assoc Prof Thon said the damage came mainly from the anchors of tourist boats and tourists who stepped on coral while snorkelling.

More than 1,000 tourism boats are in operation but fewer than 100 licensed.

Ensuring all boats are licensed will go some way to stopping the damage to the corals and other natural resources, Assoc Prof Thon said.

Another problem facing Koh Phi Phi is corruption in the collection of entrance fees. Last year annual revenue from entrance fees amounted to B24 million.

After complaints by Assoc Prof Thon’s Friends Group led to the transfer of the chief of the national park early this year, however, entrance fees totalled B14 million in October alone despite it being the low season.

Foreign visitors are charged B400 baht and Thais B40 – but since 90% of visitors are foreigners, annual revenue from the fees should be at least B150-200 million.

A limited number of staff at the National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department is another issue.

Source: Phuket News


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The island, known for its marine life and a top tourism destination for more than 20 years, is seeking help from the government and tourism operators to look after its natural resources.
Koh Phi Phi and nearby islands welcome more than 1.4 million tourists a year, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT).
During the November-April high season, more than 5,000 tourists a day visit the cluster.
The Ao Nang Tambon Administrative Organisation said the island produced 10 tonnes of rubbish a day, while the influx of tourists at main sites such as Maya Bay and Ton Sai Bay also posed a threat to marine life.
Thon’s Friends Group, established eight months ago on Facebook by Asst Prof Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine biology lecturer at Kasetsart University who is engaged in marine protection, now has almost 40,000 followers.
The group intends to protect Koh Phi Phi and alert the authorities to the risks the natural resources face.
The Phi Phi cluster consists of six islands that lie 50 kilometres southeast of Phuket, forming part of Hat Nopharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.
“The situation on the Phi Phi islands is critical,” Assoc Prof Thon said.
He said locals were ready to protect their resources but lacked a leader.
Assoc Prof Thon believes tackling the problems on the Phi Phi islands will serve as a model for other locations such as Koh Lipe and Koh Tao, where local residents can resist encroachment by developers and corrupt government officials.
Surveys found only one of Koh Phi Phi's 14 coral reefs remained pristine, while one was slightly damaged, he said.
The other 12 – located in Maya Bay, Ton Sai Bay and Pilay Bay –were dead.
Assoc Prof Thon said the damage came mainly from the anchors of tourist boats and tourists who stepped on coral while snorkelling.
More than 1,000 tourism boats are in operation but fewer than 100 licensed.
Ensuring all boats are licensed will go some way to stopping the damage to the corals and other natural resources, Assoc Prof Thon said.
Another problem facing Koh Phi Phi is corruption in the collection of entrance fees. Last year annual revenue from entrance fees amounted to B24 million.
After complaints by Assoc Prof Thon’s Friends Group led to the transfer of the chief of the national park early this year, however, entrance fees totalled B14 million in October alone despite it being the low season.
Foreign visitors are charged B400 baht and Thais B40 – but since 90% of visitors are foreigners, annual revenue from the fees should be at least B150-200 million.
A limited number of staff at the National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department is another issue.
Only five staff with one boat supervise an areas that attracts well over one million tourists a year, Assoc Prof Thon said.
- See more at: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phi-phi-in-dire-straits-coral-extinction-overtourism-threaten-island-sustainability-55311.php#sthash.7XoTFZvn.dpuf
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