Thailand finds a winning formula for wildlife

Bangkok, the world’s most visited city, welcomed almost 40million tourists in 2019. If a substantial number of those decided to forsake the crowded city and head to Thailand’s unspoilt forests and sensitive reef habitats instead, the negative impact on wildlife could be huge. But the country believes it has stumbled upon a sustainable solution, largely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Animals in Thailand’s national parks look set to enjoy the benefit of lessons learnt from almost a year of human absence – dubbed “the anthropause”. The Department of National Parks has recommended that many of the country’s parks and reserves close to the public for up to four months each year, mirroring the effect of the pandemic. Some parks are already forced to shut during the rainy season and, rather than have a rigid closed season, the idea is to stagger closures at various times.

“The absence of tourists leads to wildlife recovery,” said Thanya Netithammakun, director-general of the DNP, when the plan was unveiled. Already, Maya Bay in the Phi Phi

Islands (which became a highlight of the backpacker route after it featured in the film The Beach) has been declared off-limits for the foreseeable future. So heavy was the footprint of mass tourism there, coral reefs might take 40 years to recover, says environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa.

In other heavily impacted areas, signs of change have already been witnessed as a result of the anthropause: hawksbill turtles have returned in record numbers to traditional nesting sites on the tourist beaches of Koh Samui; large herds of dugongs (sea cows) have materialised near the normally busy port of Trang; sea otters have been seen basking on Ranong beach, a popular haunt of backpackers; in Koh Chang National Park, starry puffer fish (measuring around 3ft long) returned after an absence of 13 years.

If the policy is implemented wisely, Thailand might have hit on a method for “sharing the love” through less wellknown parks while simultaneously diluting the pressure that comes with being an overexploited tourist gem.

Broadclub cuttlefish are among the animals benefitting from ‘the anthropause’