It is not just environmentalists who are calling for limits to the
ravages of tourism. Tourists themselves have shown
increasing concern about the behaviour of some of their fellow visitors
around scenic sites, and eco-tourism firms know
better than anyone that a lack of proper regulation is causing damage
to
their businesses.
Unfortunately, the message does not seem to have sunk in where it
matters most, with the government agencies that are
supposed to serve as regulators, in particular with the Royal Forestry
Department (RFD).
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has tried many times now to
take
control of eco-tourism away from the RFD, but
without success. That is probably a good thing. The TAT is a promotional
agency for the tourism industry, and so would
make a lousy regulator. Indeed, the squalor of Pattaya and Patong serve
as testament to its poor record.
The officers in the National Parks Division and other conservation
agencies also have more knowledge about how to protect
natural eco-systems. But so far, they have been either unwilling or
unable to put proper eco-tourism regulations into effect,
and as the high season hits full swing, the wear on Thailand's natural
wonders is beginning to show.
All along the Andaman coast, for instance, there are ominous signs that
the coral reefs are dying. National park officials tend
to blame this on bad practices by fishermen, but while that may have
been true in the past, it is now tourism which seems to
be causing the most damage.
Even once remote diving destinations such as the Surin and Similan
Islands are now besieged by tour boats, and some of
the tour guides show shockingly little concern for the source of their
livelihood. Not content with merely observing fish,
dive-masters have been seen taking out their spearguns to shoot dinner.
Incredibly, they do not seem to find any
contradiction in these actions, and stroll brazenly past park officials
with their catch.
Even more seriously, many tour boats leak oil and simply dump their
waste water into the sea. Pollution may now be the
most serious problem facing marine parks because it causes algae to
grow
on the reefs, killing off the coral, which will not
grow back as long as the algae remains. At the Surin Islands National
Park, a whole reef seems to have died off as a result
of pollution from the park headquarters itself.
Unregulated growth is also hurting the sea canoe and river rafting
tours. Traffic jams have formed in the caves of Phang
Nga Bay as companies shuttle tourists in and out on sea canoes.
Meanwhile, along some rivers huge stands of bamboo
have been cut down to make rafts for sightseers. Both trades also suffer
from noisy and even drunken revellers, as some
firms fail to advise their customers on proper eco-tourism etiquette.
Not only will this lax attitude give Thai eco-tourism a bad name, it
could lead to disaster. It won't be too long before some
irresponsible sea-canoeist gets trapped in a cave by rising tides,
or
some tipsy rafter tips over and drowns. What will be the
impact on the tourism trade then?
It would be far better to begin placing proper restrictions on these
activities today. Ideally, tour companies should agree on
their own regulations, but rivalries often prevent this. So the RFD
will
have to step in if calamity is to be averted.
Park chiefs have so far been reluctant to restrict the number of
visitors in parks, perhaps because of the revenue generated,
so the initiative will probably have to come from the head office.
Strict guidelines have to be set up for eco-tourism firms, and
those companies which fail to honour them should have their licences
revoked. If money is really the issue here, then it
would be better to reduce the number of visitors while raising park
fees.
Whatever the solution, the RFD or some other government agency must
do
something soon. Otherwise, Thailand will
strangle yet another golden egg-laying goose.