Recovery and Management in Surin Marine National Park, Thailand

Reefs around Surin were affected by the 26 December tsunami differently depending on the marine topography, the dominant coral types and the direction of striking waves. Major waves struck Surin three times. The first was from the north-west to southeast, the second was the reverse, from southeast to northwest and the third was again from the northwest to southeast. A survey of the impact of the tsunami on Surin's reefs was undertaken using the same method applied to monitoring the site since 1998 (Department of Marine Science, Kasetsart University). While individual coral forms were effected (Table 1), long lasting effects were generally minor. The scale of impact on individual coral colonies was high but the colonies were not destroyed. Large massive corals were up-turned but were not killed, branching coral colonies were move but survived the shift and many colonies were covered by sand but rapidly uncovered by current with minimal detriment. While some sites were severely affected by the tsunami, overall the reef of Surin can be considered to be a minor affected area. Of greater concern is the slow re-establishment of a management presence to control tourism use and illegal fishing. Unfettered, both have the potential to result in a greater decline in reef condition than that identified from the tsunami