The Rama VIII Bridge of the Chao Praya River in BangkokOne of my favorite experiences while in Thailand was when I went zip-lining through the rain forest. The company was called Flight of the Gibbon, as we were like Gibbons, moving from tree to tree through the rain forest. It was such a rush to zip through the jungle and see all if its beauty undisturbed. The establishment itself was built within the rain forest instead of cutting it down and constructing a building in it.
Zip-lining
Chumphon had one of the most calm and beautiful beaches I have ever been to. The water was so quiet, clear and serene, it was such a good place to unwind and clear my mind.
Chumphon Beach
Chumphon BeachAfter Chumphon, we moved to an eco-tourism lodge called Runs and Roses. There we more about eco-tourism, learning to decrease inputs and outputs and also brick making for the bungalows
Brick making
Brick making
Thailand was my first trip out of the country as well, and I agree it was 100% fantastic! The zip line did look really fun and eco-friendly, i'm glad you researched that they didn't deforest any sections of the jungle to the make the path for it. The jungle biodiversity was breathtaking, but how could you forget the beautiful coastal mangrove forests? Remember that Mangroves are more endangered than tropical forests, and Coral Reefs, but they are under publicized because they aren't very 'awesome' to observe like the other two ecosystems. Isn't that unfair? Its the politics of environmental science though, in my opinion, the same logic works for the reason fuzzy pandas get tons of funding for protection while hundreds of fish and bird species go extinct.'Popularity of species' correlates directly with 'Time in existence of species' weird right? The ocean ecosystems are also seemingly pristine but as we know increasing tourism rates are quickly polluting and degrading these thriving sandy coastal ecosystems, not only in Thailand of course, but it is still a major environmental concern. Regulation on endangered animal protection funding and more eco-friendly and strict resort building codes could help solve these problems. I hope my comments are helpful to you Alex. You know I only picked on you because I love you ;)..Peace!!
ReplyDeleteBy: Kelley Berg
Mangroves cut down in Phuket.
ReplyDeleteMonday, August 17, 2009
More Phuket mangroves destroyed
Forestry Department officer Chartsompong Rangsimuntuchart, who is responsible for the Bang Khanoon forest in Thalang, points to the latest encroachment area.
Forestry Department officer Chartsompong Rangsimuntuchart, who is responsible for the Bang Khanoon forest in Thalang, points to the latest encroachment area.
RASSADA, PHUKET: In the latest assault on Phuket’s natural environment, more than 10 rai of mangrove forest has been felled by encroachers.
The encroachment was reported to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMRC) Phuket office on Thursday afternoon.
Led by office chief Surachat Chararat, DMRC officers visited the site, located near the confluence of the Tha Chine and Chi Lao canals in Rassada Village 3.
There they found the knocked down remains of a small shack that had been built at the site and more than 10 rai of felled mangrove forest surrounding it.
Those responsible for the destruction were nowhere to be found, but a local resident told the DMRC officers that they were from the area.
The local community is divided on the issue of conserving what is left of the once-extensive mangroves that covered the low-lying area between Koh Sireh and the mainland, the villager told officials.
Mr Surachat said the encroachers are members of the ‘30 Communities Network’, landless poor who in April this year protested to incoming governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop for access to running water and electricity for their communities.
Of the 30 communities, 13 have been established on what was once mangrove forest – including most of Phuket’s sea gypsy communities.
“They have already been provided with state land to live on. If we catch them encroaching again they will be arrested,” Mr Surachat said.
What do you think? I'm not sure its the 'sea gypsy communities' threatening the mangroves. It seems to be something or someone higher up in the governance or commercial sector....