Koh Phi Phi resort’s laudable green program
WITH continuing global warming set to drastically change the planet every little bit helps and setting a good example is Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort on Koh Phi Phi which has invited guests and local communities to join its environmental program on land and below the water’s surface.
A five-acre plot on the resort grounds has been dedicated to planting and nurturing new mangrove trees. The tropical coastal vegetation protects shorelines from erosion, helps maintain water clarity, and provides breeding and nursery grounds for a number of marine organisms that in recent decades have been harmed by environmentally unfriendly harvesting and fishing practices.
This resort has designated the 18th of every month as “Save the Sea Day” and on this day staff members helped by guests check and maintain the resort’s coral nursery and collect garbage built up within one-kilometer radius of the resort.
After around 10 months when the coral is strong enough, it is transplanted onto offshore reefs that surround the island.
“Over the years, we’ve witnessed the rich ecosystem of Koh Phi Phi slowly deteriorating through manmade causes. Whether hotelier or local villager, the natural environs are our livelihoods, and we vow to do our part for this ecosystem we all call home,” the resort’s general manager Chao Treenawong said.
“We aim to reduce the stress that’s put upon our environment and return balance to the delicate ecosystems to the best of our ability. With these initiatives in place, we hope to stand as a figurehead for a more environmentally sustainable Koh Phi Phi.”
That global warming is already affecting the world is underscored by the findings of scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York which said that July 2016 was the warmest July in 136 years of modern record-keeping.
Because the seasonal temperature cycle peaks in July, it means July 2016 also was warmer than any other month on record. July 2016’s temperature was a statistically small 0.1 degrees Celsius warmer than previous warm Julys in 2015, 2011 and 2009, GISS said.
“It wasn’t by the widest of margins, but July 2016 was the warmest month since modern record keeping began in 1880,” said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. “It appears almost a certainty that 2016 also will be the warmest year on record.”
The record warm July continued a streak of 10 consecutive months dating back to October 2015 that have set new monthly high-temperature records. Compared to previous years, the warmer global temperatures last month were most pronounced in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly near the Arctic region, GISS added.
CAPTIONS:
TOP: On “Save the Sea Day” resort guests and diving instructors plant young corals in the ocean around Koh Phi Phi
INSET: Guests and staff regularly help plant mangrove trees.
By Thai Residents reporters
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