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Bangkok Post, 2 Feb 05 Nature never kills itself by Thon Thamrongnawasawat Experts discover damage to the southern coral was not as great as feared. Coral reef stretches for a total of 78 kilometres around more than 250 islands and islets along the Andaman Sea coastline of the six southern provinces from Ranong to Phangnga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun. Many of these islands--Koh Surin, Similan, Phi Phi, Adang and Rawi among them--are listed as marine national park waters, and have sites for snorkeling and scuba diving. After the Dec 26 tsunami, the Natural Resource and Environment Ministry's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources conducted a two-week survey with the help of eight educational institutes, to assess damage and changes to the reefs. In all, more than 100 marine scientists and 200 volunteer divers took part. The surveys generally concluded that about 40 percent of the coral reefs remained intact. The rest were affected, but in different ways and in different amounts. Some suffered slight damage, estimated at less than 10 percent to a given reef, but a few sites suffered destruction of more than 50 percent. Coral reefs in Phuket, Trang and Satun came through the disaster best. Visible damage in these provinces occurred chiefly only at Koh Kata and at a few smaller and seldom visited sites in Satun. And most of the few reefs damaged in these provinces were only slightly affected by the tsunami. In short, tourist activities can still be carried out in the coral reefs of these three provinces, although the survey teams said it is time to put on proper controls. Damage elsewhere differed province by province. In Krabi, some reefs were severely affected. These include the coral at Koh Pai in the Phi Phi islands and at Koh Damhok. These ravaged sites will require time to rehabilitate. Garbage, ranging from broken tree branches to human belongings, was swept into the sea, washed offshore by the giant waves, and stuck among the coral. This waste needs to be removed, and in fact private and public agencies are working hard on this as you read. Coral in Ranong suffered the most of any province. This has not been widely publicised because the province is not a popular diving destination. The conservation and exploitation of the heavily damaged coral reefs at Koh Larn, Koh Khangkhao, Koh Kam Nui and other islets require carefully thought-out measures to help in the rehabilitation of the reefs. The Marine and Coastal Resources Research Station of Kasetsart University, located at Had Prapas of Ranong province, was itself destroyed by the tsunami. The university plans to rebuild this research facility to serve as a centre for study and protection of the province's diverse ecosystems, which include sea grass areas and mangrove as well as the reefs. Phangnga province has two well-known island groups that are key tourist attractions: Moo Koh Surin and Moo Koh Similan. The survey team found that the coral was severely damaged at some spots at Moo Koh Surin, especially along channels like Chong Khad and Torinla. This occurred because the narrow passages caused the tsunami to surge faster and with more power, and it not only ripped the coral, but dumped huge quantities of sand over the reefs at these two sites. Survey teams looked at shallow and deep-sea areas at Similan island, and found similar results. Coral reefs close to underwater channels were most heavily affected. These included coral at Koh Kao and Koh Paed. At some deep-sea diving spots such as Christmas Point, the powerful waves tore off some of the seafan and covered part of the reef with sand. Overall, however, the news is good: There are many dive sites unaffected by the tsunami, both in shallow and deep water. At many sites, soft coral and sea fans still display their bright colours, and shoals of fish still thrive among the unscratched reefs. In general terms, many coral reefs in the Andaman are still in good condition and tourism can continue in the sea. But that should be on the condition that people accept that damaged areas need to be closed to allow rehabilitation and that they stay out of such areas to allow the environment to heal itself without human disturbance. Remember, the tsunami was a natural phenomenon. The giant waves did not "completely destroy" the natural environment. Nature would never kill itself. Still, it is time we abandon the selfish attitude that the sea is too immense to be affected by our actions. It's true the coral reef survey is the job of marine scientists and those with diving experience. It's also true that getting rid of the trash now stuck in the coral reefs has to be done only by specialists and divers. But the fate of the Kingdom's coral reefs are not only in the hands of these experts. Nor is conservation work simply the job of a particular political party or government, or of tourists and tour operators. Everyone must act responsibly. The future of our coral reefs depends on each one of us. links Related articles on Tsunami and the environment |
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