The government should immediately get behind, approve and regulate a plan unveiled last week to protect marine parks and life. The plan, produced by an environmental strategy group, requires an enforced ceiling on visitors to the country's 22 marine national parks. Not only is this project a chance to protect and preserve coral, beaches, fish and islands, but it's a prime opportunity across several departments and ministries to promote new technology and help move along the Thailand 4.0 effort.
The recommendation for a visitor cap came out of discussion at the national strategy drafting committee. It is encouraging that environment even got a fair look during these sessions. National strategy lately has seemed to focus entirely on "development" and it is often controversial. It includes an energy policy encouraging more dependence on coal and other fossil fuels, and an industrial policy based on filling the entire eastern seaboard with factories, ports and exports. Apart from lip service to limits on pollution, the environment and conservation often are buried.
As conservationists and regular readers know, Thon Thamrongnawasawat is one of the nation's leading experts on marine life. He has studied not only the textbooks, but has "got his hands dirty", as the saying goes. For several years, the deputy dean of Kasetsart University's faculty of fisheries has been concerned about heavy traffic on the beaches and waterways in and around the country's marine national parks.
