Fishing has long been an important economic activity in Thailand, but widespread destructive fishing techniques and trawling have had impacts on coral reefs since the early 1960s.

An estimated 1,800 square kilometers of coral reefs grow along Thailand’s coastline in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. The structure and distribution of coral reefs vary significantly between the two. Because of climatic and oceanographic variations in their water bodies, threats and reef condition can also be substantially different.

Fishing has long been an important economic activity in Thailand, but widespread destructive fishing techniques and trawling have had impacts on coral reefs since the early 1960s.[1] Destructive fishing practices on both coasts have damaged countless reefs, but these activities are believed to have declined as the tourism industry has grown.[2] The rise in tourism and other population pressures, however, have caused sedimentation and wastewater pollution to increase, and damage from boat anchors, divers, garbage, erosion, and sewage and wastewater discharge is evident.[3]

Significant coral bleaching episodes have also plagued Thai reefs. Coral reefs in the Andaman Sea suffered extensive coral bleaching and subsequent mortality in 1991 and 1995, and some bleaching was observed in 1998.[4] Coral bleaching during the 1997-98 ENSO event was widespread in the Gulf of Thailand, where it had not previously been recorded; as many as 60 percent of corals may have bleached in some locations.[5] Unfortunately, the frequency and intensity of bleaching in Thai waters appear to be increasing.

From 1995 to 1998, Thailand began a comprehensive reef survey program that included coral reef m and field surveying. Scientists surveyed 251 reef sites in the Gulf of Thailand and 169 sites in the Andaman Sea. Reef condition was evaluated based on a ratio of live to dead coral cover. Using this indicator, 16 percent of reefs in the Gulf of Thailand were rated as excellent, 29 percent good, 31 percent fair, and 24 percent poor. In the Andaman Sea, 5 percent of reefs were rated as excellent, 12 percent good, 34 percent fair, and 50 percent poor. Monitoring suggests that the condition of coral reefs in the Gulf of Thailand has worsened since the late 1980s, while the condition of reefs in the Andaman Sea has remained stable or improved slightly.[6]

The RRSEA model shows that about 77 percent of Thailand's reefs are threatened by human activities, with over 60 percent of corals in the Andaman Sea and nearly 90 percent in the Gulf of Thailand at risk. Overfishing is the most pervasive threat, affecting about one half of all reefs. Sedimentation and pollution associated with coastal development and inland activities threaten over 40 percent of the country's reefs. Destructive fishing activities have damaged many reefs in the past and may continue to be a problem in some areas.

The Department of Fisheries and the Royal Thai Forestry Department are responsible for enforcing coral reef protection regulations. Nonetheless, interpretation of the laws is complex and regulations are sometimes unclear. Designated marine protected areas cover nearly 40 percent of coral reefs, although sites in the Gulf of Thailand are underrepresented. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of Thai MPAs has been compromised by local conflicts, unclear boundaries, jurisdictional issues, and controversial priority setting that places more emphasis on tourism than conservation.[7] An active NGO network in Thailand is currently taking action to foster better community-based management of coral reefs and restoration of forests and mangroves.[8]

Notes

1. S. Sudara and O. Patimanukasaem, "Large-scale Anchovy Fishing in the Gulf of Thailand: A New Threat to Reef Fish Communities," in A.C. Alcala, ed., The Regional Symposium on Living Resources in Coastal Areas (Quezon City: Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, 1991), pp. 581-83.

2. M. Spalding, C. Ravilious, and E.P. Green, World Atlas of Coral Reefs (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001), p. 263.

3. T. Yeemin et al., "International Coral Reef Initiative Country Report: Thailand," paper presented at the International Coral Reef Initiative Regional Workshop for East Asia, Cebu, Philippines, April 2, 2001, p. 7.

4. Data for 1991/95 from Yeemin et al., "International Coral Reef Initiative Country Report: Thailand," p.6; data for 1998 from Reef Check, Reef Check Database (Los Angeles, California: Reef Check, 1998).

5. Spalding, Ravilious, and Green, World Atlas of Coral Reefs p. 263.

6. Yeemin et al., "International Coral Reef Initiative Country Report: Thailand," p. 6; Chou Loke Ming, "Southeast Asian Reefs-Status Update: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam," in Wilkinson, Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000, p. 121.

7. Yeemin et al., "International Coral Reef Initiative Country Report: Thailand," p. 9.

8. Chou Loke Ming, "Status of Southeast Asian Coral Reefs," in C. Wilkinson, ed., Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 1998 (Cape Ferguson: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 1998), p. 85.