Expert says closing dive sites only one measure of many needed to battle bleaching
Bangkok Post 23 Jan 11;
Closing popular diving sites will provide only short-term relief to the problem of coral bleaching, but cost the tourism industry millions of baht a year, industry experts say.
The Marine and Coastal Resources Department is pressing ahead with a plan to close 10 popular diving sites in five provinces to limit the impact of tourism on severely damaged coral.
The sites attract about one million tourists a year, and could be closed for up to 14 months.
But diving operators say tourism is but one cause of the bleaching phenomemon, and if the diving sites are closed for as long as proposed, taxpayer help may be needed to keep some companies alive.
"Diving companies are being singled out for blame, when the main cause is a warming of sea temperatures," said one disgruntled company head.
Some coral reefs may need several years to recover, not just a matter of months, they say.
Veteran marine biologist Thorn Thanrongnawasawat said closing the coral reefs will give the coral time to recover, but more permanent solutions are still needed.
He said man-made dive sites should be developed to help relieve pressure on popular coral reefs. Artificial reefs should also be produced, and coral transplanting considered.
"Closing the dive sites gives the coral an opportunity to revive.
"This does not mean that the coral will revive automatically, however. It really depends on how we tackle other factors that may affect them such as water pollution," said Dr Thorn, who heads the department of marine science at Kasetsart University's faculty of fisheries.
Scientists believe the main cause of the bleaching is the warming of the oceans, which forces zooxanthallae, an algae which coexists with the coral and gives it colour, to extract itself from the coral. Many coral reefs in the Andaman Sea have turned a pale yellow or white colour and gradually died.
The diving sites facing temporary closure to allow coral to recover from bleaching are located in Hat Nopparattara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park in Krabi; Mu Koh Surin Marine National Park (Phangnga); Mu Koh Rang National Park (Trat); Koh Tao (Surat Thani); and Koh Pai and Koh Kang Kao (Chon Buri).
Defending the proposed closure, the department says that without immediate action, the corals may be lost permanently, which would cause even more economic damage.
Dr Thorn said the closures which stand to affect tourists the most are in Surin and Tarutao Marine National Parks, where up to 80% of corals have bleached.
Some tourism operators say the extent of the damage has been exaggerated.
Fabian Teruel, general manager of Khao Lak Scuba Adventure and a member of the Khao Lak Diving Operator Forum in Phangnga province, said news about coral bleaching has hurt local businesses.
Many tourists mistakenly believed that coral leaching was widespread.
At some sites, such as the Similan Islands, bleaching had affected only only a few dive sites.
Customers had asked about the closures, and some threatened to cancel bookings.
"We can still dive in several spots. We want to make clear that some islands such as Surin may have been affected, but there are several other places like the Similan islands which have not been affected much by the phenomenon," Mr Teruel said.
The government was wrong to blame divers for destroying coral reefs.
Most divers were environmentally conscious, and would not try to harm the coral.
Jannee Jandamneornpong, manager of the Phi Phi Scuba Diving Centre, said operators were willing to cooperate with the closure but the government should come up with measures to help them survive.
Tourism businesses on the island had yet to recover fully since the 2004 tsunami.
"We are business operators, but we are also concerned for the environment. Without a quality environment, we cannot survive," said Ms Jannee.
Reef Bans: 'Passionate' Andaman Divers Speak Out
Phuketwan 23 Jan 11;
KHAO LAK dive operators have issued a statement aimed at clarifying the confusion surrounding aspects of the sudden closure of a number of Andaman dive sites. The group, the Khao Lak Dive Operators Forum, represents 26 operators. The statement is as follows:
Due to higher than normal sea water temperatures in 2010, some of the hard corals around the Similan and Surin Islands have been damaged by coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is a well-known phenomenon and has occurred several times in various parts of the world over the past century. The term covers an event where the symbiotic colored algae living inside the coral are released due to stress (high temperature, for example). When the algae have been released, the coral appears white, hence the term ''coral bleaching.''
If you would like to have more information about coral bleaching please click on the following link to see a presentation from Dr Mark Eakin, the Coordinator of NOAA's Coral ReefWatch program. www.climatewatch.noaa.gov
In the Similan and Surin Islands, the highest impact has been on hard corals in shallow water, where the sea temperature is generally higher than in deeper water. Members of the KLDOF have been very happy to observe a speedy recovery of certain types of coral, especially soft corals, which appeared to have suffered from the bleaching effect as well. Corals located deeper than 12 meters have suffered no or very little damage.
We as dive operators are passionate about the environment in which we live and work. Therefore we are very concerned about the condition of the reef. It is proven that there is absolutely no connection between diving and coral bleaching, but we feel the need to be even more careful around the reef to prevent further stress.
With more than 25 named dive sites, the region offers ample opportunity to dive and snorkel. Our recommendation would be to temporarily close the dive sites most affected in the Similan Islands, namely East of Eden, Beacon Reef and Breakfast Bend.
These dive sites are located on the east side of the islands. Dive sites on the west side have only been minimally affected and have many colorful corals and a wide range of marine life.
Famous dive sites such as Elephant Head Rock, Koh Tachai Pinnacle, and Richelieu Rock still offer great diving. The stag horn coral at Koh Bon has been affected; however there have been a record number of Manta Ray sightings this season.
In addition, we think it would be worth considering re-opening some of the dive sites around the southern Similan Islands, such as Fantasy Reef, which has had a number of years to recover.
Simultaneously, the KLDOF has contacted several scientists, organisations and universities specializing in monitoring and improving coral health. In previous coral bleaching events there has been successful recovery of damaged reefs, as the temperature drops.
Projects are being started to monitor the development of the corals and other individual projects are ongoing.
We will continue to observe all rules and regulations implemented for this region and offer our assistance to the National Park Head Offices involved. Additionally, we will re-enforce our strict rules for visiting divers on the boats operated by us, in terms of the policy ''absolutely no touching, feeding or harassing marine life and no rubbish thrown overboard''.
We, the dive operators and dive community in Khao Lak, are eager to do everything within our possibilities to protect and conserve the wonderful underwater world.
Khao Lak, Thailand, January 22nd, 2011
The Khao Lak Dive Operators Forum is a forum for boat operators in Khao Lak, Thailand. Members represent 26 dive shops, arranging snorkel and/or diving trips to the Similan and Surin Islands.
