Maya Bay: How conservationists saved Thailand’s most well-known seaside from destroy

Maya Bay, Thailand (CNN) — It is simply previous 7 a.m. on a February morning in Maya Bay, a number of weeks after authorities reopened what’s one among Thailand’s hottest vacationer points of interest to the world for the primary time since June 2018 following a large rehabilitation program.

A lone vacationer walks alongside the shore, the towering limestone monoliths showing to drift over the floor of the water, their bases eroded by thousands and thousands of years of lapping salt water. Within the distance, blacktip sharks swim by way of the bay, their fins breaking the floor.

It is a surreal scene, having this spectacular cove largely to oneself.

Within the hours to comply with, a gradual however regular trickle of arrivals turns into a deluge as dozens of vacationers trudge down a newly erected boardwalk, making their option to the celebrated white-sand seaside, telephones on the prepared as they take selfies and pose for images.

Those that enterprise various steps into the water are met with loud whistles from a park official overlooking the seaside from a sheltered lifeguard tower nestled within the bushes edging the sand; swimming just isn’t allowed, although guests can wade a number of steps in.

However some vacationers are seemingly unable to withstand the aquamarine waters of the bay and try to push the boundaries. One French vacationer is issued a 5,000 baht high quality (about $137) for repeatedly ignoring the rule.

On the boardwalk, an aged girl furtively smokes a cigarette close to the doorway to the seaside — a strictly no smoking space.

It is disheartening, however an enormous enchancment over what guests as soon as skilled right here.

The seaside that was beloved to loss of life

Positioned in Thailand’s Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi Nationwide Park, Maya Bay is a part of the uninhabited Phi Phi Leh, one of many two principal Phi Phi islands, in Krabi province.

For Thai authorities, balancing the necessity for vacationers — tourism contributed about 20% to Thailand’s GDP previous to the pandemic — with the pressing name to guard the park’s treasured pure assets is an ongoing problem.

“The perfect resolution is no one comes,” says marine biologist and professor Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat.

“When you ask me as a scientist, hold the bay for the sharks. However as we all know, the bay is a giant tourism spot. So we now have to compromise.”

Thon is extensively credited with convincing authorities to indefinitely shut the bay 4 years in the past — a controversial choice on the time.

Main a crew of marine scientists, he labored with the Ministry of Pure Assets and Setting alongside the personal sector — specifically, property developer Singha Estates, which has put sustainability on the forefront of its operations — on the huge rejuvenation venture that came about within the absence of vacationers.

“Round 40 years in the past, Maya Bay was already a tourism vacation spot, however (primarily) just for Thai vacationers — and never so many as a result of you did not have velocity boats at the moment,” Thon says.

“Increasingly more individuals got here. After which there was that film from Hollywood.”

‘That film’ after all being “The Seashore,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Launched in 2000, it targeted on a gaggle of backpackers seeking to create their very own personal utopia on an unbelievably stunning island in Thailand.

Because the movie’s reputation grew, so too did vacationers’ need to go to the placement the place a lot of it was shot — Maya Bay.

Over time, the variety of vacationers elevated from lower than 1,000 to as many as 7,000 or 8,000 guests a day at its peak, says Thon. Many have been daytrippers visiting from close by Phuket. On common, round 5,000 individuals entered the bay every day.

“There have been numerous boats coming in,” he recollects. “I used to test utilizing a drone and I discovered nearly 100 boats on the similar time.”

The boats’ propellers whisked sand up onto the coral, their anchors slamming down onto the fragile sea flooring. Incoming vacationers walked on the reef as effectively, most unaware of the harm they have been doing.

Thon says they first checked on the corals round 30 years in the past, and 70-80% of the bay’s reef was intact.

Years later, lower than 8% remained.

Except for necessary ecological considerations, the vacationer expertise was not a constructive one both. Panoramic views of the attractive bay have been blocked by the lengthy line of boats anchored alongside the shore.

Since closing the bay in 2018, Thon and a crew of fellow marine consultants and volunteers have replanted over 30,000 items of coral, a lot of it grown off the coast of a close-by island, Koh Yung.

About 50% of the replanted coral survived — there was some bleaching — and now it is beginning to develop and unfold by itself. As Thon says, “mom nature is doing the job.”

With out the transplanting course of, he says it might take 30-50 years for the reef to regenerate naturally.

In the meantime, the wildlife additionally returned and has been thriving. Among the many animals at present inhabiting the bay are clownfish, lobsters and blacktip sharks, that are innocent to people.

“Once we closed the bay, after solely three months, the blacktip sharks got here again, they carry on mating, a few of them give delivery … so there are numerous issues taking place in Maya Bay, not solely the coral reef.”

(See above video for extra on the restoration venture.)

A resurrected bay closes once more

Now, a mere seven months since reopening, Thai authorities are closing Maya Bay as soon as once more.

This time, nevertheless, the closure will solely final two months, from August 1 to September 30, in the course of the monsoon season.

Authorities inform CNN they need to additional enhance the island’s infrastructure and provides the protected space a break from the lots of vacationers which have already returned to its gorgeous shores.

The closure comes as a reminder that numerous effort has been put into rehabilitating this battered attraction, and authorities need to guarantee these strikes weren’t made in useless.

Suthep Chaikaow, present chief of Maya Bay nationwide park, recollects the ambiance earlier than the park was closed in 2018.

“All I can say is that it was horrible,” he tells CNN. “Previously, when vacationers tried to take images, all they may see was the bay, flooded with anchored boats. The views weren’t stunning. And the seaside was additionally stuffed with vacationers.”

To treatment this, the Division of Nationwide Parks has restricted the variety of guests to no more 4,125 individuals per day, allotted into one-hour slots to unfold them out. The primary slot is at 7 a.m. and every slot can’t exceed 375 individuals.

Boats can now not enter the bay. As a substitute, drivers must drop passengers off at a newly constructed jetty set behind the island away from the famed cove — all a part of the rejuvenation program designed to keep away from the issues of the previous.

A brand new boardwalk main from the dock cuts by way of the forest, providing a nice five-minute stroll by way of the forest to the seaside on the opposite aspect of the slender island.

And that swimming ban? The park director says there are a number of causes they need to hold vacationers out of the water. For one, they’ll disturb the sharks. Additionally, he says some vacationers are usually not good at swimming, and will step on the corals that scientists labored so exhausting to regrow.

“The corals might be damaged, our pure assets might once more disappear,” he says.

The present setup is a adequate compromise.

“I really feel very glad after I see guests are blissful. The earlier than and after of (Maya Bay) are a lot completely different… it is inspired us to protect this space.”

Vacationers CNN spoke with appear to agree.

“It is like paradise,” says Nicole, a German traveler visiting Maya Bay for the primary time.

“It is an excellent factor to do,” says one Thai vacationer from Bangkok of the brand new guidelines. “For individuals who haven’t been, I like to recommend it as a as soon as in a lifetime factor to see.”

As for the criticisms the federal government confronted when closing the bay 4 years in the past, a transfer that minimize into the pockets of the numerous tour operators that organized journey to the bay, park chief Suthep says most have since come round.

“The one considered enterprise operators was to have as a lot vacationers as they may,” he recollects. “However after the shutdown, they despatched representatives to witness the world. It was very shocking for them, they stated in the event that they knew it might end up this fashion, we should always have achieved it a very long time in the past. They’ve been cooperative.”

Safety by way of schooling

Owned by Singha Estates, its marine scientists labored intently with Thon on the Maya Bay restoration venture — all a part of a broader intention to usher in a brand new period of sustainable tourism in Thailand.

Amongst them is marine biologist Kullawit Limchularat, sustainability improvement supervisor for Singha Estates. He says the Maya Bay venture is probably the most seen a part of their efforts to guard and revive your entire space’s treasured underwater life, however they’re additionally invested in different necessary works to enhance the area.

“The area people is the one who lives right here. They should know what did they’ve and the way necessary it’s to guard,” says Kullawit.

As a part of the SOS program, employees handle each stage of the bamboo sharks’ improvement.

First, the juvenile bamboo shark embryos are delivered to the middle from the Phuket Marine Biology Middle. The embryos take round 90 days to hatch.

After they attain 30 centimeters, they’re moved to the larger shark tank, the place they’re going to dwell for an additional three months earlier than they’re launched into the ocean.

The middle additionally breeds and releases a much more acquainted fish that makes its residence in Thai waters — the clownfish, or just “Nemo fish” as most Thais check with them colloquially because of the recognition of Disney’s “Discovering Nemo.”

Kullawit says the captively bred clownfish within the middle’s tanks will likely be launched if native populations are depleted.

CNN joined Kullawit and different employees from the resort on an expedition to launch the newest absolutely grown bamboo sharks earlier this yr. (See video above.)

In accordance with Thai legal guidelines, the sharks can’t be launched in nationwide marine park waters because the sharks have been bred in captivity, says Kullawit. As a substitute, the crew should cruise a number of hours away to waters outdoors the protected space to a tiny, rocky outcrop often called Koh Mah — or Canine Island.

“We discovered that round this space has numerous coral, and it is a good place for the bamboo shark, as a result of this shark is the reef species, however they keep within the backside,” says the marine scientist as he prepares to launch a number of of the sharks bred within the middle.

Carried right down to their new residence by a crew of scuba divers, the sharks are timid at first, and reluctant to depart their brightly coloured baskets. Finally, they swim away, slowly.

“The bamboo shark is a small species,” says Kullawit. “They don’t seem to be aggressive and play an necessary position within the atmosphere as a result of they’re a predator. They may management the weak prey like weak octopus, weak small fish… the atmosphere of the coral reef will likely be stronger.”

Bamboo shark numbers have declined in recent times attributable to fishing practices and habitat destruction, placing reefs like this one in jeopardy.

“If we would not have sharks, the ecology of the reef will likely be destroyed. Once we launch them, we really feel like we give one thing again to nature.”

“I’ll hold my eye on Maya Bay”

Boats can now not enter the bay. As a substitute, drivers must drop passengers off at this newly constructed floating jetty set behind the island.

Karla Cripps/CNN

Previous to the pandemic, Chinese language vacationers have been the largest supply marketplace for Thailand’s tourism trade.

When the lots of world vacationers finally do return at pre-pandemic ranges, park officers’ dedication to sustainability will likely be put to the check.

However Thon is assured the success of Maya Bay can act as a mannequin for different vacationer locations in danger.

“It should change the picture of Thai tourism, share the picture that we aren’t only a nation which might be loopy about cash,” he says.

“We wish to save our sea. And we are able to, if we are able to do on the heaviest mass tourism spot within the Thai sea, we are able to do it in every single place. The Maya Bay venture is one among my greatest tasks in my life. So so long as I dwell, I’ll hold my eye on Maya Bay.”

CNN’s Kocha Olarn contributed to this report.