Reefs in Thailand.....

Jan Korrubel korrubelj at science.unp.ac.za
Thu Feb 24 05:30:00 EST 2000


Dear Coral-Listers,

I recently had the opportunity to go to Thailand for a workshop and =
conference, and inbetween the two, managed a quick get away down to the =
Phi Phi Islands.  I did the obligatory day trip around PP Don and PP Ley =
hoping to find gin-clear waters and tropical fish the likes I have never =
seen before......I was disappointed.

Visibility ranged 7 to 10m, and the reefs, well, they were pretty much =
blasted to smithereens.  Hardly any sign of upstanding staghorn corals - =
fields of fragments everywhere.  Huge _Porites_ mounds cleaved and =
upturned.  Some places were better - many plates of fungi coral in some =
areas.  Around nearby Koh Mai Phai (the so called "Bamboo Island"), there =
was an impressive area of 'cabbage' coral  that I thought was remarkably =
intact considering what I saw everywhere else.  Fish life was generally =
scarce and poor in "content" - parrotfish and damsels were the most =
abundant.  Noticeably lacking were lobsters, and also sea cucumbers.  =
Quite a few _Diadema_ and I also logged a solitary COT starfish.

The islands of the area fall under Had Nopparat Marine National Park - =
anyone have info on when the park was instigated?  There were some signs =
of staghorn re-growth - from my (limited) guesstimations, it looks like =
about 2-3 years worth of growth.
I'd very much like to get some more background info - if anybody has a =
reference list of papers and articles pertaining to reefs in Thailand, I'd =
be most appreciative if you would share it with me.

TIA,



------------------------
Jan L. Korrubel

Centre for Environment and Development
University of Natal
Private Bag X01
3209  Scottsville
Pietermaritzburg
South Africa

Tel: +27-33-2606223 (int.)  /  033-2606223 (nat.)
Fax: +27-33-2606118 (int.)  /  033-2606118 (nat.)






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