GREEN FINS
Eco-friendly Diving in Thailand
An interview with Niphon Phongsuwan,
Project Leader, Green Fins Project
Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand

	Introduction to the Green Fins Programme
	Green Fins Code of Conduct
	How You Can Help
	Sustaining the Programme
	Thailand — One of the World's Top 10 Dive Destinations
	Reef Stability and Health
	Environmentally-Friendly Dive Operators in Thailand

Thailand welcomes over 550,000¹ dive tourists each year and is home to over 80,000 certified divers of its own. Dive tourism in Thailand has increased by more than twenty-fold from 25,000 divers² in 1985.

THE GREEN FINS PROGRAMME
Coral reefs are an important resource in Southeast Asia, contributing to the economic incomes of the coastal population and the growing dive tourism industry in this region. The East Asian Seas region contains one of the greatest concentrations of coral reefs in the world. The area is so rich in biodiversity that more coral and reef fish species can be found here than anywhere else. The coral reefs of the region can be regarded as a classic example of a rich and diverse ecosystem.³

Map of global coral diversity from the World Resources Institute
Please click to expand

Thailand joins The Philippines in being actively engaged with Green Fins.
The main reason the participating countries were selected is recognition of the importance of the Indo-Pacific in terms of their contribution to global marine biodiversity. As this inevitably makes countries in the region popular dive sites, there is the risk that they will be adversely impacted by dive tourism if conservation measures are not introduced pro-actively.

To promote the protection and preservation of the marine environment, a new project called Green Fins is being rolled out in Thailand. An initiative of the Coordinating Body of the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the Green Fins mission is “to protect and conserve coral reefs by establishing and implementing environmentally friendly guidelines to promote a sustainable diving tourism industry”.

With decades of sustained growth in Thailand’s economic and tourism development, the impact of human activity on coral reefs is apparent. In the past, human impact on Thailand’s coral reefs were primarily from unsustainable practices such as dynamite and poison fishing. While these factors have not disappeared altogether, the environmental impact from dive tourism is potentially of more significance now. For example, the island of Koh Tao, a diving Mecca off the coast of Chumphon Province and Thailand’s most popular diving destination for all dive beginners, accounts for approximately 30 per cent of all dive certificates issued around the world. With the large numbers of divers visiting this island and other diving hotspots, inexperienced divers, reef-walking snorkellers and underwater photographers, as well as dive boat anchors, cause direct physical damage to coral.

Images © Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand

Image © Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand	Human-induced climate change is also leading to changes in temperature and sea level which in turn are causing changes in reef communities, such as bleaching and disease. This makes it all the more important to reduce the impact people have on this fragile ecosystem. While climate change is inevitable, minimizing the impact from tourism-related activities can be more easily achieved.
	Green Fins addresses the following environmental issues: The lack of awareness among tourists, guides and tour boat operators of the adverse impact of improper recreational use of the marine environment Anchor damage to reefs that have become popular year-round destinations for tour boats Littering

	Increased awareness of good diving practices
	Increased protective measures for coral reefs
	Increased coral reef data and information at the selected sites
	Improved coral reef health

Image © Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand Environmentally-friendly Dive Operators Please click to view	The Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) and the Conservation Unit under the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DoMCR) have direct responsibility for coral reefs. PMBC is coordinating Green Fins in Thailand and is facilitating the development of a network of environmentally friendly divers and dive operators. The programme was launched in Thailand on 29-30 May 2007. Seventy-seven (mostly foreign) diving companies and over 200 (mostly Thai) individuals from six provinces (Phuket, Krabi, Phang-nga, Satun, Trang and Surat Thani) are currently participating in the programme. Each has agreed to abide by the Green Fins Code of Conduct.
Image © Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand	Project activities fall under three categories: Awareness training Reef protection and monitoring Improving reef health While diver-training courses such as PADI already emphasize how easy it is to disturb the sensitive marine environment, it is easy for divers to fall into poor habits. Green Fins awareness presentations remind participants to control their buoyancy and not touch marine life. Dive operators can reinforce these simple protocls with their guests.
Image © Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand	Clear identification of impacts caused by tourism vis-à-vis natural causes is important for managing reefs. Green Fins participants help PMBC scientists monitor reef health by conducting surveys using Reef Watch or Reef Check protocols. Reef conditions such as depth, topography, type and coverage of coral, water visibility and species indicative of environmental conditions are recorded. For example, urchins, snapper, butterfly fish, sea cucumber are indicators of environmental health. Changes on reefs detected by Green Fins surveyors such as marine life die-offs have alerted scientists to new and emerging threats such as cold-water upwellings and crown of thorns starfish. Seventy sites are currently monitored by Green Fins.

	Image © Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand Clean-ups are organized to collect and dispose of garbage accumulating on beaches and reefs. Participants may adopt reef sites. For example, as part of the Clean-up The World Weekend, Green Fins participants cleaned up the reefs at Racha Island, Phuket and the beach at Lanta Island, Krabi during September 14-16th 2007.
	Image © Phuket Marine Biological Center,  Phuket, Thailand Raising and releasing giant clams Their populations are rapidly declining due to over-harvesting and water pollution.
	Image © Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand Installing mooring buoys and replacing damaged buoys to help keep boat anchors off coral beds. This activity involves the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation (DoNP) and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DoMCR)

	How well did the dive operator adhere to Green Fins ‘Friendly Diving and Snorkelling Guidelines’ and act as responsible role model for guests?
	Did the dive operator use mooring buoys on every dive, when available?
	Did the dive operator sell or allow others to sell corals and other marine life at the shop?
	How well did the dive/boat operator deal with garbage and solid waste?
	Did the dive/boat operator abide by all local, regional, national and international environmental laws, regulations and customs?
	Did the dive operator provide guests with an explanation of “Green Fins” ‘Friendly Diving and Snorkelling Guidelines’ in pre-dive briefings?
	Did the dive operator provide other public awareness and environmental materials (books, pamphlets, fish ID books, etc.)?
	Did the dive operator provide information on local marine protected areas, environmental rules and regulations?
	Did the dive operator promote a strict “no touch” policy for all reef diving and snorkeling?

Please click to expand

In the second year of the programme in Thailand, Green Fins will work more closely with existing participants, and will evaluate and certificate dive operators based on the results of the assessments. The Thai and English language website will be further developed to raise awareness and for the web site to function as a tool for on-going communication with Green Fin members.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Divers visiting Thailand can help save coral reefs by choosing to dive with companies that abide by the Green Fins Code of Conduct. In so doing they help promote environmentally-friendly businesses. Divers can learn about Reef Watch/Reef Check and volunteer to collect data. They may also participate in special activities such as reef clean-ups and the installation of mooring buoys.

ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY DIVE OPERATORS IN THAILAND
Please click to view

SUSTAINING THE PROGAMME
Individuals and organizations will in future be able to join a Green Fins Club. This will promote interest in the conservation of reefs. Funding support from the private sector will help fund activities and monitoring of the programme. Ultimately the success of the programme will depend on the extent to which it can be sustained.

Green Fins can eventually become a part of official Thailand Government marine conservation programmes, and so be supported through annual budgets and sustained through forward planning.

*Sources
1 Tourism Authority of Thailand
2 Department of Marine and Coastal Resources
3 Coordinating Body of the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA)

THAILAND – ONE OF THE WORLD’S TOP-10 DIVE DESTINATIONS Although they are no longer a secret to the diving community, Thailand’s marine attractions remain among the best-loved in Asia. Here are some reasons why… Natural history Undersea pinnacles host large pelagic fish, rays and whale sharks Reefs feature a great diversity of corals, fish and other marine life, especially along the Andaman coastline Feeding this diversity are mangrove forests, which protect coastlines, and serve as nurseries for marine fish and other animals Sea grass beds stretching along the Andaman coastline from Ranong to Satun, as well as in the Gulf of Thailand, provide critical habitat for dugongs and marine turtles REEF STABILITY AND HEALTH Thailand reefs are more stable than reefs in some other parts of Asia. The impact of the 2004 tsunami were limited to 13 per cent of Thailand's reefs. Dynamic Change of Coral Reefs in the Andaman Sea, Thailand Findings from a study undertaken by the Phuket Marine Biological Center in Phuket, Thailand to monitor the long-term status of coral reefs in the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the pattern of dynamic change of the reefs and causes of change. Proportions of live/dead coral cover provide a visual indicator of reef health in the Andaman Sea. Please click to expand Sixty study sites were grouped into 3 regions. North – offshore Transect sites at Surin Islands group and the Similan Islands group Central – near shore Transect sites in Phuket (at North and South Patong) and Phi Phi Islands South – offshore Transect sites at the Adang-Rawi Islands group Data collected from permanently marked transects on the upper reef slopes at these 60 locations revealed the following findings. 30% were unaffected with live cover either remaining stable or steadily increasing until present 20% of reef sites showed damage from environmental factors followed by good recovery 31.7% showing damage and little or no recovery 18.3% of sites were damaged by the tsunami and are predicted to show recovery within the next 3-10 years if conditions remain favourable for reef growth. ACCESSIBILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE Thailand’s position at the geographic crossroads of Asia makes it both a travel hub and destination. The marine realm is very accessible with international and domestic connections to dive take-off points at Phuket, Ranong, Krabi, Trang, Satun and Koh Samui. Diving in Thailand is possible year-round, with Andaman Sea sites accessible during November to May, and Gulf of Thailand sites available in other months. A plethora of registered dive businesses makes organizing dive tours easy, certification possible for beginners, and specialty instruction (e.g. deep water, wreck, nitrox diving) available to advanced divers. A Google search on the words “diving courses Thailand” returns 2,060,000 links. Story by Antony J. Lynam RELATED LINKS GREEN FINS THAILAND http://www.greenfins-thailand.org COBSEA Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia web site at http://www.cobsea.org/activities/coralreef_sub/activities_greenfins.html Coastal Clean-Up Day in Thailand http://www.cobsea.org/activities/activites_coralreef_coastal%20cleanup.html Coordinating Body of the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) http://www.cobsea.org/activities/coralreef_sub/activities_greenfins.html World Resources Institute web site http://www.wri.org A map of global coral diversity is downloadable from the World Resources Institute web site http://images.wri.org/map_rrsea_01_large.jpg Contact information Green Fins Project Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) 51 Sakdidaj Rd., Vichai, Muang, Phuket 83000, Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 76 391 128 Fax: +66 (0) 76 391 127 E-mail: info@greenfins-thailand.org COMPANIES PARTICIPATING IN GREEN FINS THAILAND Please click to view ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS News Room sincerely thanks the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) for the enthusiastic support and kind assistance in providing information and images for this feature.