The recent order by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation on Wednesday to ban some sunscreen products in marine national parks sparked public and media interest as it may have upset visitors who sunbathe and disrupted the production of these products.
However, the department deserves praise for imposing the ban, which should have been put in place years ago. Nevertheless, the real concern is that this order will not do too much to protect our coral reefs. More concerted efforts and restrictions are needed.
The ban covers only 24 marine national parks in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. Only sunscreen products that contain the chemical compounds Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3, BP-3), Octinoxate (Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate), 4-Methylbenzylid Camphor (4MBC) and Butylparaben are prohibited. These chemicals are harmful to coral larvae, affecting their reproductive systems and causing coral bleaching. The sunscreen products have been banned in several parts of the world including Hawaii, Palau and Bonaire.
Violating the ban, effective on Wednesday, may lead to a maximum fine of 100,000 baht.
However, sunscreen is just one of many factors that damage coral reefs -- valuable marine resources that generate revenue from tourism and serve as a spawning ground for marine life.
Other factors include rising sea water temperatures, destructive fishing methods, garbage, tourism activities, as well as toxic waste such as wastewater from hotels and factories and other chemicals from man-made products.
The ban on sunscreen is just a small step. A positive aspect of it is that it could raise awareness about the precarious nature of marine resource and coral reefs, yet the authorities need to take further steps.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation should press ahead by imposing bans including preventing tourism boats from anchoring near coral reef areas, limiting the number of tourists as well as banning tourist popular activities including feeding fish in coral reef areas.
But that is far from enough -- and other state agencies should collaborate to help protect marine resources.
According to research from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the real threats to coral reefs are from human activities inland, in addition to rising sea water temperatures. A major threat is sediment -- soil swept from inland that flows into the sea. This soil comes from coastal land development -- the construction of hotels, bungalows or even factories by the sea.
Research and monitoring by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as well as marine ecologists has found many coral reefs along coastal areas of Phuket and Krabi have been damaged because they have been buried under sediment swept from inland. Indeed, this polluting activity should not even happen because there is a regulation that prevents the discharge of waste into the sea. But with negligent authorities, such pollution has been left unchecked.
The ban on sunscreen is a small step that will send a message to consumers and tourists. Of course, companies also need to switch to producing products that are environmental friendly. Nevertheless, related agencies need to be on the same page. Tourists can help protect coral reefs by choosing the right sunscreen. Yet, the state and developers must move to save coral reefs too.