Adopting a reef on Koh Tao Thailand

This year, the Save Koh Tao Group and The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) is implementing an ‘Adopt a Reef’ program to make local businesses or landowners responsible for the protection and maintenance of reef areas around the island. This program is aimed to combat threats to our coral reefs to protect these ecosystems and the economies and business dependent upon their health.

We assume that long term residents or business owner are aware of many of the problems facing the reefs on Koh Tao and may even have had their business affected by the loss of reef diversity or health. Because of this, the Save Koh Tao Group and The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) is asking for your assistance in establishing a community based protection program that will supplement the government based protection programs on the island.

Business participating in this program would be registered as the manager for a particular reef area and promoted as a being in charge of the protection for the area. Minimum businesses responsibilities would include:

* reporting of illegal fishing/collection or other threats to reef health to the DMCR or Marine Fisheries Dept.
* conducting a transect survey to count giant clams, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and other commonly collected organisms.
* constructing cheap and easy to build coral nurseries to rehabilitate broken or damaged corals, and maintain those nurseries at least once per month.
* removing fishing nets/cages that have drifted into or caught on the reef
* once per month organize a beach/underwater clean-up with the business around you
* monitoring/maintaining mooring buoys at your site

Benefits for your participation would be positive media promoting the business as stewards of the environment, accreditation and promotion by Save Koh Tao or the DMCR on websites, publications, newsletters, etc., Listing on websites and printed materials as the representative for reef management of certain reefs or dive sites, Training in reef management, survey techniques, and coral restoration.

The Save Koh Tao Group and The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) is hopeing some businesses will consider joining this program. They believe that through our community strength they can combat many of the problems all can see on our island, without having to rely upon outside groups or the government to do it for us. There is no restriction to the size of the reef/dive site that participants may request, but Save Koh Tao Group and DMCR will register on a first come first serve basis.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Filed under: Home