Bangkok Post 30 Jan 11;
The government has sat for four years on a master plan to save the nation's coral, and has yet to put money into it, wildlife officials and conservationists say.
The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning drew up a master plan on coral reef management in 2007, but it has never been implemented, said Thorn Thamrongnawasawat, a marine conservationist and head of Kasetsart University's marine science department.
The draft contains several measures on sustainable management of coral reefs, such as regulating diving and tourism activities, a zoning plan to preserve ecologically fragile areas, proposals to handle the coral-bleaching phenomenon, and financing coral conservation projects.
"The government has no reason to wait. The plan has been completed for several years. All it lacks is money," said Dr Thorn.
A budget of two billion baht might be needed, which he insisted was not a large sum.
"It's not much compared to the revenue earned from tourism and fisheries, which rely on marine resources," the marine biologist told a seminar on coral reef management held by the For Sea Foundation in Bangkok on Friday.
Delegates came up with a list of proposals on coral reef protection which they will put to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday.
They also urged the government to improve sea water quality, crack down on illegal fisheries, tackle the problem of sedimentation, and raise public awareness on marine life preservation.
Songtham Suksawang, director of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department's national parks research division, said staff were finding it hard to enforce marine resources protection regulations amid staff shortages and protests from business groups.
"If we impose tough measures, business operators will resist," he said.
The department may increase entrance fees at marine national parks to raise funds to care for natural resources.
Saran Kittiwannakul, president of the For Sea Foundation, said local people were key players in coral protection.
The residents of Koh Tao in Surat Thani province have come up with projects to protect the island's environment, such as holding beach-cleaning days twice a month, he said.
