THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Experts seek strong regulations to protect parks from excesses

Experts seek strong regulations to protect parks from excesses

BETTER CONTROLS and stronger regulations are necessary in national parks, especially since a large influx of tourists is expected during the high season, environmentalists warned recently.

Rungsrit Kanjanavanit, deputy chairman of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, said this was the time for every national park, not just those by the sea, to limit the number of tourists to prevent damage caused by excessive tourism. Since it is getting cooler in Thailand, and the holiday season is approaching, many major national parks such as Doi Inthanon, Khao Yai and Kaeng Krachan will become prime destinations for both local and foreign tourists. Even though a large number of tourists will generate funds for these parks, Rungsarit warned that allowing too many people to visit at the same time will have an adverse effect on the fragile ecosystems. 
“The National Park and Wildlife Conservation Department [DNP] has set strict regulations and is controlling the number of people allowed to visit the Mu Ko Similan National Park and Phi Phi Island’s Maya Bay. Other national parks need to do the same, as many of them will be getting more tourists than they can handle,” he said. 
He added that even though the damage from tourism is not visible in forests, unlike the destroyed coral reef in Maya Bay, it does not mean their ecosystems are not damaged. Tourism activities in forests also disturb the wildlife, he said. 
“A study learned that human activities have an impact on the behaviour of leopards at Kaeng Krachan National Park. Very few leopards are visible during high season, and they return again when the park is closed,” he said. 
“This change in the behaviour of leopards has a great impact on their survival, health and reproduction. Hence, this study clearly shows that tourism activities in national parks do have adverse effects on wildlife.” 
“The most important thing is that the DNP should not harm national parks’ ecosystems by launching harmful projects, such as the road reconstruction project in Kaeng Krachan National Park,” he added. 
Meanwhile, Chongklai Voraphon-ston, DNP deputy director-general, responded by saying the department had already studied the capacity of most national parks, and while a few prominent attractions were suffering from excessive tourism, the visitor numbers in most parks were below the limit. “We acknowledge that some national parks such as Doi Inthanon and Khao Yai are suffering from too many visitors, but many changes and reforms are being introduced this year to minimise the impact from tourism,” Chongklai said. He said, from this high season, all national parks are banning polystyrene packages. Visitors are encouraged not to bring single-use plastic to ease the garbage problem. 

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