Protection of the Environment
All major development proposals must be accompanied by a thorough environmental
impact study conducted by an independent, qualified expert. The government can submit a
developer’s plan to an outside independent appraisal funded by the developer. A permit
should be required for the erection of advertisement signs and billboards, which must
conform to certain specified standards. The operation of jet skis and similar high-powered
marine crafts should be totally prohibited in the environmentally sensitive areas. Examples
of specific guidelines on tourism development of Phang Nga Bay are as follows:
(1) exclude development from geologically unstable areas (e.g., high erosion areas, floodprone
areas); and provide adequate buffer zones between development and existing
shoreline;
(2) define zones for development (e.g., suitable beaches);
(3) ensure that construction materials and methods are compatible with the reef
environment; and
(4) control effluent disposal to prevent disturbances to the reef ecology.
Further research should be undertaken by the concerned government agencies to determine
the precise carrying capacity of the parks, whether in terms of the maximum number of
users or the intensity of use by various categories of users. Establishment of an ongoing
program for monitoring changes in the levels of coral covers and in the species
composition of corals, fishes, and other marine organisms would be a first step towards
determining the carrying capacity of Phang Nga Bay. Information on user attitudes to
congestion and apparent degradation within the marine parks is also recommended.
A GIS database focusing on Phang Nga Bay region should be established. Information on
the location and structure of the islands, marine community structures, location of
moorings, and bottom features in certain areas of the marine parks should be stored in the
database. This system provides a tool to measure the effects of changing usage patterns
and will assist future management decisions, in particular those relating to the
establishment of an artificial reef, the location of additional mooring buoys, and the need
to preclude diving from certain areas to allow marine community structures (e.g. coral) to
recover.