PHUKET, Thailand (20 Sep 2004) -- Two-thirds of spectacular coral reefs ringing Thailand's top holiday island have been destroyed because of overzealous development. Officials said Monday that large sections of the 14.4 square kilometres (5.6 sq miles) of colourful reefs off the tropical resort of Phuket in the Andaman Sea have been killed and less than one fifth remain in acceptable condition. Sludge and debris washed into the sea from building work across the island was the main factor responsible for the reef destruction, according to Nipon Pongsuwan of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre. Three episodes of coral bleaching in the 1990s -- an environmental phenomenon blamed on rising water temperature and pollution -- was also responsible for the reef's demise, he said. "Sludge from construction and coral bleaching are the main reasons which have destroyed coral reef along the island," he said. Nets from fishing boats and tourists who sign up with the host of diving schools on the island were also blamed for a less significant part of the damage. Phuket, famed for its white sands and seafood, is Thailand's biggest tourist draw. It attracted four million visitors last year, an increase of 1.5 percent from 2002. Tourist officials are aggressively promoting the so-called "Andaman Triangle" that includes up-and-coming resorts in nearby provinces of Krabi and Phang Nga, as a marine tourism hotspot on the west coast. | | Could 12 million tourists a year possibly be wrong? Overdevelopment, tourism and scuba divers have all but destroyed Phuket's coral reefs. Will the Andamans be next? The government has set an ambitious target of 20 million annual arrivals by 2008, more than doubling the figure from 2003, to help keep the fast-growing economy on track. Tourism currently accounts for more than six percent of the country's gross domestic product and the government said it is on target for 12 million arrivals this year. SOURCE - AFP |
