Conservationists in Phuket are trying to stop further coral reef damage

Conservationists protecting the large Thai coral reef in Ao Kung announce petitioning of Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew, in the matter of dredging of the bay, as during a recent public meeting between officials and local population, most of the fishermen residents have voted in favour of the move.

This raises drastic concerns over environmental disaster in the bay, especially since Thai authorities have announced that up to two-thirds of the coral reef at the resort has already been destroyed by growing tourism and fisheries in the area.

The local residents claim that if the bay will not be dredged, their boats will face significant difficulties entering the port while the tide is low. However, the head of the Baan Ao Kung Mangrove Forest Conservation Group, Pradit Phuangket, declared the meeting was “a truly unfair forum to stakeholders.”

“We submitted a letter to Governor Narong on Nov 1 last year to object to the results of an expert aerial photographic interpretation and to ask for reconsideration of the dredging of Ao Kung by taking all facts into account and 10 additional issues. But until today, there has been no letter of acceptance to clarify the facts from the Phuket Provincial office in any way. […]There have been several rounds of hearings of public opinions in which the majority agreed to take action. Therefore, the Marine Department should now conduct the dredging”, Pradit added.

Ao Kung is an area with astonishing coral diversity, often called “the Coral Island”. The latest concerns are not new, as in 2018 the mangrove conservation group picketed the building of a sports complex over environment-related issues.

 Source: thethaiger.com, thephuketnews.com