An Awareness Strategy to Combat The Environmental Degradation of Tarutao National Park Thailand

Environmental degradation poses a threat to social, political and economic stability worldwide. Natural disasters, human activities including tourism, population growth, economic growth and inadequate environmental policies and regulations place pressure on regional and global ecosystems and contribute to environmental decline. Tarutao National Park, Thailand’s best known ecotourist destination, offers an abundance of diversity in flora, fauna, and marine resources. However, it is also facing the challenge of environmental degradation such as a garbage disposal problem. This research aims to investigate an awareness strategy to combat the environmental degradation of Tarutao National Park specifically due to issues of garbage disposal. Individual interviews situated within qualitative research methodology were employed in this research project to investigate an awareness strategy. Seven key schemes of inquiry, or possible awareness strategies, derived from the literature review were asked to TNP stakeholders: increasing penalties, public interest litigation, payment for ecosystem services, education and communication, stakeholder involvement, a broadbased public awareness campaign across Thailand, and social networking. There were 11 key TNP stakeholder groups: Satun Province officials, Ko Sarai Sub-District officials, TNP officials, local tourism operators, local accommodation owners, local transportation businesses, employees working in the tourism industry in TNP, local private business owners, relevant non-government organizations (NGOs), community elders, and tourists. V The research project concludes that integrated strategies such education and communication, payment for ecosystem services, stakeholder involvement and increasing penalties may be potential solutions to eliminating garbage disposal problems in the TNP area. It is anticipated that the strategies might spur the development of sustainable tourism management at TNP and thereby deliver benefits to the Thai tourism industry and the TNP local community by way of the economy and industry.