Four eco-warriors in the vanguard of environmental protection in Thailand talk to Tatler Thailand about the impact of the coronavirus lockdown on the nation’s wildlife and its tourism industry and the chance it affords us to implement permanent changes for the good of both.
irachai Arunrugstichai is a marine biologist turned photojournalist who specialises in marine conservation stories. He laughs, So, I have a very large and salty office. I roam around different oceans, hop between islands and travel diverse coastlines. My goal is to be at the right place at the right time to capture images that educate, that tell the stories of the seas. Shin, as he is known, mainly photographs for the local edition of National Geographic and agencies related to conservation. He also undertakes freelance assignments from international eco-organisations. A busy man, he has witnessed first hand the damaging impact mankind has had on the world’s oceans.
Overfishing is what concerns me most, he says. Over many years of collecting data in fish markets and diving the deep, the effects of overfishing have become very obvious to me. Some species have almost disappeared completely and the impact on large marine predators, particularly sharks, has become acute. Whereas the outbreak of Covid-19 has given nature a foothold for recovery in many areas, Shin says that from personal observations it doesn’t appear to have had much effect far out at sea. Sure there has been a smaller human footprint in coastal regions, which is good and has given rise to numerous reports of notable animal sightingssea turtles nesting in new spots, huge herds of dugongs, the return of certain species to previously abandoned territories, even the recovery of fish stocks in inland waters, he explains. But the reported recovery of fish stocks cannot be completely attributed to Covid-19. Prior to the outbreak, the adjustment of fisheries rules to combat IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing were beginning to have an impact. The slow-down caused by Covid-19 will help but in the long run we have to change our fishing practices to make an enduring difference.
Change in the way we approach issues involving nature is key for Shin, who believes there are two key components to this. The first is behavioural change. The focus in mainstream conversation is on changing our individual behaviour to reduce a harmful footprint, he says citing waste generation, energy consumption and the adoption of environmentally responsible products as examples. The other crucial component is policymaking and implementation. We need lawmakers to embrace and promote strong policies that balance economic needs with a systematic, long-term commitment to conservation.
The shifting of Thailand’s fisheries towards more sustainable practices is a starting point, Shin adds. Instead of trawling in whatever they can regardless of size and species, which is severely destructive to the marine environment and very wasteful, policymakers could provide more incentives to shift our nation’s fisheries away from that mindsetsubsidise them not to fish in a certain way if you like and get them to switch to eco-friendly line methods and abandon nets. That would allow for the long-term recovery of marine resources.
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