Excerpt and Photo from nationthailand.com
A groundbreaking community waste management programme on the island of Koh Lanta in Krabi province is being hailed as a game-changer in the fight against environmental damage caused by overtourism in Thailand.
Launched by the Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) in 2021, the initiative is setting a new standard for sustainable tourism and preserving the island’s natural beauty for generations to come.
Koh Lanta’s mangroves, coral beaches, and jungle-covered hills have faced increasing pressure from tourism development over the past few decades, with nearly 300,000 tourists visiting the island in 2019 alone. The island’s economy is now almost entirely dependent on tourism, which is taking a heavy toll on the environment amid limited waste-management infrastructure.