Tourism has helped fuel much of Thailand's rapid growth in recent years. Yet the country is in danger of killing the goose that lays this golden egg. Lack of regulation, coupled with inappropriate development, has meant that many of the country's most important tourist sites are in danger of...

In recent years, environmental degradation has become an increasing concern in Thailand. Of the environmental problems and challenges facing the Kingdom, water pollution is one of the most serious. Among the rivers in Thailand, the Chao Phraya River is the most contaminated. Recently, the...

Dam construction has long provided valuable economic benefits to Thailand in distributing low-priced electricity and supporting low-income farmers by providing them with free-flowing irrigation water; this promotes domestic consumption and investment. Even though many benefits are expected from...

Thailand's Phang Nga Bay is under threat from unregulated tourism and the proposed Southern Seaboard Development Project. The project would involve construction of many infrastructure and industrial projects very close to important and sensitive tourist sites in the Bay. This study assessed the...

Mangrove ecosystems are a very important category of wetland systems that shelter coastlines and estuaries. Mangroves, especially in the tropics, are rich in flora and fauna. Their major environmental services include storm protection, shore stabilization, and control of soil erosion and...

National parks benefit society in many ways. Besides their ecological functions, national parks also provide recreational benefits to park visitors and help earn foreign exchange from international travellers. In Thailand, more than 80 forest reserves have been declared national parks under the...

The growing concern over environmental degradation has heightened the role of environmental economics and the valuation of natural resources as analytical tools that facilitate policy design for sustainable management. Research of the past four decades, however, has not provided reliable methods...

The focus of this study is the valuation of coral reefs and how this information can be used to improve planning for coral reef management in Thailand. The site analysed, Phi Phi Islands, is rich in reef systems and is envisioned as an eco-tourism destination by government planners. Phi Phi can...

Like most developing countries, Thailand has insufficient basic infrastructure such as roads, highways, and energy supply. Trying to overcome these deficiencies is the first step in the development process, and Thailand's National Economic and Social Development Plans, especially the First and...

Millions of people have read about "The Beach" and or seen it in the Leonardo de Caprio film, while many others have visited it, or similar ones, in Thailand's Andaman sea. And there lies the rub: The famous 'paradise' islands of Phi Phi are so popular that they are in danger of being loved to...