Report from Thailand
The following is a summary of a report from Dr. Sakanan Plathong, Lecturer for Marine Ecology, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. This summary includes damage and rehabilitation needs; areas of little or no damage; and a summary of urgent needs. Read the full report from Dr. Sakanan (3 pages, PDF format).
Summary of Damage and Rehabilitation Needs
In Patong Bay, the famous tourist destination, there is a lot of debris littering the reef: i.e. logs, chairs, towels, palm trees, boat engines, beach umbrellas etc. Unless these objects are removed they will continue to damage the reefs.
Pi Pi island, another famous tourist destination south of Phuket, has been similarly affected with a great deal of debris on the reef. One large shallow reef in particular has sustained substantial damage where many coral mounds and tabulated corals were found upside down. Pi Pi islands and Patong Bay areas require an urgent mission to clean up the coral reefs. Otherwise they will be destroyed by the debris.
Along the northern Andaman coast, many near shore reefs are severely damaged. Reef rehabilitation projects or artificial reefs are required to aid in their restoration. Many local fishermen who rely on subsistence fishery along the reefs and mangrove creek also need help to repair or replace boats and fishing equipment.
Similian Islands: The rapid surveys showed the coral reefs on the eastern sides of all the islands were the worst affected since the coral on the eastern sides grow on deposited coral sand with very steep reef slopes. The reef slopes on the north eastern sites and south eastern sites of all islands showed substantial movement of sand down to 20-30 meters. We found many coral mounds turned over and table corals fallen from their normal position and some corals were covered by coral rubble and sand. The corals will quickly die if they are not exposed to sunlight
Meanwhile, the sea fans at the northern and southern points of all islands face a different problem. We found many of them have had their attachments broken and have fallen from the rocks and lie flat on the floor at 20-40 meters. Now nearly a month after the Tsunami, many surviving corals are starting to grow upright by themselves. Therefore, we decided to stop turning over the corals, but we must still collect much debris from the reef. Already we have collected quite a number of items, but some big debris and garbage still remain on the reef.
For sea fan restoration, we placed metal rods in the sand and tie the sea fan in an upright position. At the moment our priority is to help them to survive as they will quickly die. We still need to firmly attach them in an upright position for their long term survival. We need special marine cement or epoxy for sea fan attachment. Many of them are bigger than 1 meter wide and very heavy. I estimate nearly 60-100 sea fans in Similan islands have fallen down. This number is about 10% of sea fans found in Similan islands.
On one particular reef area, called Snapper Alley, most of the corals on the reef flat and reef slope are gone. They were washed down to 30-40 meters and covered by rubble and sand. Presently we cannot do anything since this area is covered by sand and future coral recruitment will be very limited. For this particular area, artificial reef substrates are needed for rehabilitation. Reproduction and settlement studies are also required since this research has yet to be done in the Similan Islands.
Little or No Damage
We found little damage from the wave on the western coast of Phuket.
The coral reef of the southern Andaman (Tarutao Marine National Park, Adang Rawi islands), Petra Marine National Park, Chao Mai Marine National Park, Lanta Marine National Park) were not affected by the Tsunami. They were protected by the Sumatra peninsular.
In general, most Similan Islands dive sites are still in good condition. We estimated 10-20% of reefs are severely damaged. Most diving destinations of the Similan Islands are under water rocks, which are full of sea fans, soft coral and big schools of fish. Two recent ship wrecks are also diving spots. Most sea fans are still in their original position. Some diving sites have more than 100 sea fans. For those who have never visited the Similan Islands, it is very difficult to tell it was affected by the Tsunami, but for frequent visitors the destruction is obvious.
Summary of Urgent Needs
Read about regionwide cleanup and restoration needs.
- Assistance with coral rehabilitation and recovery: e.g., replace broken seafans.
- Removing debris from the reefs. View the current clean-up schedule in Phuket, Thailand.
- Scientific assistance with additional monitoring, assessment, and management.
- Supplies and equipment for reef and community restoration: e.g. marine epoxy.
Mid term needs include formulating a suitable management strategy for these marine national parks.
