by Li Ching Lim
BOBP/REP/79
BAY OF BENGAL PROGRAMME
Madras, India 1998
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This document assesses a few critical aspects of the "carrying capacity" of the Pulau Payar Marine Park, a marine resource sanctuary and tourist attraction off the west coast of Kedah state, in the northwest of Peninsular Malaysia. The document is based on a survey of the park's coral reefs which are popular dive sites, and a land-based survey for which interviews were conducted with tourists, tour operators, divers and dive operators. The document says that given the increasing number of tourists to the park, further expansion of tourism development is not desirable. Improving the "carrying capacity" of the park means taking appropriate management action to prevent degradation of the coral reefs and provide adequate facilities to cope with tourist use, demands and requirements. Ms Li Ching Lim, Scientific Officer, World Wildlife Fund, Malaysia, conducted the survey for the Department of Fisheries, Malaysia. The study was made possible with funds provided by the Bay of Bengal Programme (BOBP) and the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Foundation. The author makes several recommendations concerning the reefs, the marine park, its facilities, and socio-economics. The BOBP is a multi-agency regional fisheries programme which covers seven countries around the Bay of Bengal - Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand. The Programme plays a catalytic and consultative role in developing coastal fisheries management in the Bay of Bengal to help improve the conditions of small-scale fisherfolk in the member-countries. The BOBP is sponsored by the governments of Denmark and Japan. The executing agency is the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.) |
Published by the Bay of Bengal Programme, 91 St. Mary's Road, Abhiramapuram, Madras 600 018, India.
This electronic document has been scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software and careful manual recorrection. Even if the quality of digitalisation is high, the FAO declines all responsibility for any discrepancies that may exist between the present document and its original printed version.
1.1 Coral reefs
1.2 Carrying capacity1.2.1 Definition of carrying capacity
1.2.2 Coral reef carrying capacity
1.2.3 Determinants of reef carrying capacity1.3 Objectives of the study
1.4 Background information on Pulau Payar Marine Park1.4.1 Location and geography
1.4.2 Marine resources
1.4.3 Historical use
1.4.4 Tourism in Pulau Payar Marine Park
1.4.5 Pulau Payar as a Marine Park
2.1 Coral reef survey
2.2 Land-based survey: Questionnaires
3. RESULTS OF THE CORAL REEF SURVEY
3.1 The coral reefs studied
3.2 Reef profiles
4. RESULTS OF THE LAND-BASED SURVEY
4.1 Visitor statistics
4.2 General opinions of Pulau Payar Marine Park4.2.1 Activities and facilities
4.2.2 Perception of crowding and satisfaction
4.2.3 Marine Parks and conservation awareness4.3 Information from tour operators
4.4 Information from divers and dive operators4.4.1 General information
4.4.2 Diver profiles
4.4.3 Diver satisfaction
4.4.4 Marine conservation awareness
4.4.5 Assessment of dive sites
5.1 Carrying capacity as a planning and management tool
5.2 Type of tourism
5.3 Management objectives
5.4 Criteria that affect capacity5.4.1 Physical criteria
5.4.2 Ecological criteria
5.4.3 Social criteria
5.4.4 Economic criteria
5.4.5 Availability of facilities and infrastructure
5.4.6 Development in Pulau Payar
5.4.7 Human threats to the coral reef environment5.5 Carrying capacity assessment
5.5.1 Tourism carrying capacity
5.5.2 Reef carrying capacity
6.1 Zonation according to use and objectives
6.2 Gazettement of a State Park
6.3 Increasing carrying capacity6.3.1 Increasing reef carrying capacity
6.3.2 Increasing tourism carrying capacity6.4 Implementation of a marine education and awareness programme
6.4.1 Training of Marine Park managers, tour operators and dive operators
6.5 Enforcement of Marine Park regulations
6.6 Limiting visitor use
6.7 Establishing monitoring and evaluation programmes
7.1.1 Activities of dive operators
7.1.2 Recommendations for reefs7.2.1 Zonation according to use and objectives
7.2.2 Gazettement of a State Park
7.2.3 Implementation of a marine education and awareness programme
7.2.4 Enforcement of Marine Park regulations
7.2.5 Limiting visitor use
7.2.6 Establishing monitoring and evaluation programmes7.3 Facilities and development management
7.3.1 Focus of development
7.3.2 Addressing sewage and solid waste pollution problems
7.3.3 Alternative activities
APPENDIX 1. Framework guidelines for assessing carrying capacity