{"id":20158,"date":"2021-08-05T12:17:21","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T05:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exotravel.com\/blog\/?p=20158"},"modified":"2023-11-04T09:06:38","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T02:06:38","slug":"thailand-moves-to-protect-coral-reefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exotravel.com\/blog\/en\/thailand-moves-to-protect-coral-reefs\/","title":{"rendered":"Thailand Protects Coral Reefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the Phuket Sandbox model for reopening to vaccinated travellers<\/a> well underway, Thailand is looking to join a growing movement to build travel back better and more sustainable in the future.<\/p>\n

In line with this, Thailand has just approved a measure to ban certain types of sunscreen known to be damaging to coral reefs; a measure that will be confounding to some who are not aware of its negative impacts.<\/p>\n

Here we shed light on why Thailand has taken this measure and what guests can use to protect themselves from the sun while enjoying the beautiful coral-laden waters of Thailand instead.<\/p>\n

THAILAND’S BAN ON NON-REEF SAFE SUNSCREENS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:<\/h2>\n

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Thailand has just passed a law prohibiting the use of sunscreens containing Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, 4-Methylbenzyk and Butylparaben in all national parks.<\/p>\n

It has been well established that the UV-filtering agents in these lotions and cosmetics have a negative and even devastating impact on marine life and, in particular, juvenile coral.<\/p>\n

Those found using products with these banned chemicals may face a stiff fine of up to $3,000 USD -an indication that the law is being taken seriously and that visitors should pay heed.<\/p>\n

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WHY BANNED SUNSCREENS CAN BE SO DAMAGING<\/h2>\n

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Coral reefs in Thailand and around the world already face an uphill battle in the face of ocean acidification and climate change. Chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate are known to:<\/p>\n