I spent three days doing field research with my Tropical Ecology class. We studied tourist behavior, coral reef health and the types of trash that ends up on beaches. While it wasn’t obvious how tourism affected the reefs, I was made aware of how standing on corals or jet skiing above them would destroy the valuable underwater habitats. One could see how the tops of corals had been shaved off or turned to rubble by such behavior. When studying trash, the main items we saw and picked up were plastic bottles, straws, cups, and foam. Pollution has become a global problem, and it is very evident in the Pattaya Bay. There are ways to prevent pollution such as reducing our use of disposable items and choosing reusable options instead. This practice was not being followed on the island where plastic containers were being used for food, rather than washable dishes.
I felt so proud of our class when we cleaned up the south beach of Ko Sak. We spent a couple of hours the first day and then came back the next day. Yes, we did need to clean again, but there was much less trash, so I knew that we had made a difference.
