The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation has declared the shorelines and coral reefs around Ta Chai island off Phang-nga off-limits to all visitors for a temporary period as of Monday May 16.
Mr Tunya Netithamkul, the department chief, said over the weekend that the temporary closure of the seashore and the coral reefs was necessary to protect the natural resources from being damaged by humans because there have been many activities on the island from tourists.
However, he said that two deep dive sites near the island which is part of the Similan Islands still remain open to divers and tourists.
An advisor to the department, Dr Thorn Thamrongnavasawat, voiced his agreement to the department’s move pointing out that marine resources in and around Ta Chai island have been disturbed by human activities such as snorkelling which could harm some rare resources such as blue corals, whale sharks and sea turtles.
He said the temporary closure would help preserve coral reefs and other marine lives from being damaged or threatened by human activities.
