Volume 10: Protected Areas and Sustainable Tourism 91

An Eco-Camping Site as a Tool for Ecotourism Development in Si Nan National Park, ,

T. Utarasakul 1,2, A. Pradatsundarasar1 and K. Thirakhupt1 1 Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand 2 Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

Si Nan National Park (SNNP) is one of the famous tourist destinations, located in Nan Province, Northern Thailand. In SNNP, an eco-camping technique has been developed in order to minimize environmental impacts on the forest ecosystem at the Doi Samoe Dao and Pha Chu camping sites. At present, tourists need space of at least 2 m2/person for camping, consume water at the rate of about 10.8 litres/person/day and generate waste of 0.6 kg/person/day. To maintain the quality of the environment, an eco-camping guidebook, garbage bins, a waste separation program, telescopes, star observation activity, a bird guide, and environmentally-friendly cleanser were provided in the park. Tourists were very interested and collaborated in the use of the materials provided and this circumstance indicated that the success of ecotourism development in SNNP was due to the provision of appropriate activities and materials for tourists. Moreover, the result of this study will be useful to enhance ecotourism development in other national parks by using holistic approaches.

Keywords: eco-camping, ecotourism, Si Nan National Park, Thailand

Introduction

Ecotourism has been defined as a form of sustainable tourism expected to serve as a tool for both conservation and development (Ceballos-Lascurain, 1998). The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas described ecotourism as ‘environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in

Proceedings of the FORTROP II: Tropical Forestry Change in a Changing World 17-20 November 2008, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand 92 FORTROP II: Tropical Forestry Change in a Changing World order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features - both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low visitor negative impact and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations’ (Ceballos - Lascurain, 1996). Ecotourism is usually considered to be not only nature-based tourism, but also responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) determined an outline for the principles of ecotourism in the Oslo Statement on Ecotourism 2007. The principles of ecotourism include: minimizing environmental impact; building environmental and cultural awareness and respect; providing positive experiences for both visitors and hosts; providing direct benefits for conservation; providing financial benefits and empowerment for local people; and raising sensitivity to the host country’s political, environmental and social climate (The International Ecotourism Society [TIES], 2007).

In Thailand, ecotourism is composed of four key elements: tourism based on nature, sustainably managed tourism, tourism based on environmental education and tourism based on community participation (Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research [TISTR], 1997). Ecotourism became an alternative approach to traditional tourism under the assumption that it minimized negative impacts but maximized benefits for the local people and their environment. As a result, much research into sustainable techniques for tourism has been conducted in order to reduce tourism’s negative impacts and promote sustainable tourism development. One of the goals of ecotourism is to cause minimal environmental damage to tourist sites (Page and Dowling, 2002; International Ecotourism Standard, 2004). Tourists are attracted particularly to mountainous destinations for many reasons, including: cool climate, clean air, unique landscapes and wildlife, scenic beauty, local culture, history and heritage, and nature-related activities and sports. Consequently, tourism may have a wide impact on mountain ecosystems, communities and economics (United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP], 2007).

Nan province is located in the northern part of Thailand (Figure 1). Nan currently has seven national parks, covering approximately 4863 km2, with the province’s beauty and the fascination of its natural environment currently being of primary interest to appreciative tourists. Of relevance is the increasing number of tourists who seem to realize the importance of Volume 10: Protected Areas and Sustainable Tourism 93

nature conservation, resulting in ecotourism becoming more and more popular recently (National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department [DNP], 2004).

Na

Si Nan National Park

Figure 1 Map showing location of Nan province and Si Nan National Park, Thailand.

In 2004, 445 988 tourists visited Nan, with 94.53% being Thai (Tourism Authority of Thailand [TAT], 2005). Among all tourists who visited Nan, 61 308 or 13.75% visited Si Nan National Park (SNNP) which had the highest number of tourists compared to other national parks (DNP, 2005). Si Nan covers 934 km2 and is made up of massive mountains and hill ranges with several spectacular natural environments. Many types of forest and a tremendous range of floral and faunal species exist within the park.

To date, tourist numbers in SNNP have been increasing and some negative impacts on the natural environment have appeared due to a lack of appropriate management planning. Tourists visited SNNP for relaxing (85.8%) followed by admiring the sea of mist (59.1%), scenery (58.6) and photography (47.3%). Some 49.15% of tourists camped overnight (Utarasakul, 2007). Many researchers have mentioned the impacts of camping on the ecosystem, including: vegetation disturbance, composition change and loss of cover; loss of organic litter and exposure, compaction and erosion of 94 FORTROP II: Tropical Forestry Change in a Changing World

soil; damage and loss of shrubs and trees; pollution of water resources; and disturbance to wildlife (Cole, 1987; Kuss et al., 1990; Leung and Marion, 2000, cited in Marion and Farrell, 2002).

Therefore, the idea of an eco-camping site was developed in SNNP in order to reduce the impact on the natural environment. Eco-camping sites have been established in Europe since 1999, with the intention to develop an environmental management system especially for campsites based on EMAS. The eco-camping concept aims to: increase the satisfaction of guests through high service quality; minimize and recycle waste; use energy and water efficiently; damage neither soil nor water supplies with sewage; design and maintain camp sites in a nature-oriented way; be clean in an environmentally friendly way; avoid the use of environmentally damaging materials; process and sell regionally produced products and consider nature and the environment through a choice of leisure activities (Walter, 2008).

In this study, eco-camping site techniques were applied at the Doi Samoe Dao and Pha Chu camping sites of SNNP to enhance eco-friendly activities for tourists and to achieve the ecotourism principles of further managing and reducing the negative environmental impact on the fragile natural tourist destinations.

Study Area

Si Nan National Park is in Nan province, with the flowing in a north-south direction through the Park and the valley is surrounded by an intricate mountain range. Mixed deciduous and dry dipterocarp forests are commonly found along both banks of the river while hill evergreen, dry evergreen and pine forests are dominant on the mountain slopes. At the time of the study, SNNP had two main camping sites at Doi Samoe Dao and Pha Chu.

The Pha Chu Cliff camping site covers 2775 m2 and provides a good viewpoint overlooking the sea of mist and the Nan river. The flagpole on the cliff is the highest pole in Thailand. More than 500 tourists camp overnight during long weekends, particularly during the winter season. Due to the massive tourist numbers visiting Pha Chu and camping without any regulated limit, some problems have occurred such as a lack of camp sites, car parking spaces, and water shortages. Volume 10: Protected Areas and Sustainable Tourism 95

The Doi Samoe Dao camping site covers approximately 1520 m2. In recent times, Doi Samoe Dao has been a popular tourist destination, especially during the 2006 New Year festival, when more than 700 tourists camped overnight in order to admire the sea of mist, the sunrise and the beautiful sunset.

Methodology

A technique to appraise the eco-camping site was applied to SNNP from April 2005 to April 2007. The methodology was based on the four components of ecotourism discussed below.

Nature-Based Tourism

Data on attractive flora and fauna found at the tourist sites were collected and tourist’s appreciation of the natural surroundings was surveyed using a specifically designed questionnaire.

Sustainable Management

Information on tourist activities and behaviour as well as statistics were collected. A thorough investigation was carried out on the environmental aspects of: water usage, wastewater treatment, waste management, garbage loads, energy consumption, vehicle numbers, parking area, infrastructure, accommodation and carrying capacity.

Environmentally Educative Tourism

Baseline information on flora, fauna and tourist sites in SNNP was collected. Additional aspects covered at the prominent tourist sites were the enhancement of ecotourism activities and the development of a media program including an eco-camping guidebook.

People Participation

The stakeholders who participated in this research were divided into two groups: local people (tourists, local people and park officers) and policy makers (government, sub-district administration organization, tourist agency, 96 FORTROP II: Tropical Forestry Change in a Changing World

NGOs, and local academic institutes). Relevant stakeholders were interviewed regarding suggestions for ecotourism development.

Results and Discussion

Nature-Based Tourism

Tourist site classification and tourism activities in SNNP are shown in Table 1.

Based on the questionnaires, tourists came to SNNP to relax followed by admiring the sea of mist (59.1%), admiring scenery (58.6%) and photography (47.3%) which was correlated with their activities at SNNP. Therefore, to enhance ecotourism activities, passive ecotourism should be developed based on the behaviour patterns and interests of tourists. Tourists also greatly appreciated: the sea of mist; the panoramic scenery; the friendliness and service of the staff; the beautiful landscape; the cool, fresh air; clean toilets; the natural environment; the calm; the uniqueness of Sao Din; the comfortable visiting and camping facilities; and the coffee service.

The Pha Chu Cliff site has the longest flag pole in Thailand and provides a good viewpoint to overlook the sea of fog and the Nan river. The location of the camp site and lodgings are convenient for families and senior tourists. Overnight camping during the winter season to view the sea of mist is particularly impressive for nature lovers.

Doi Samoe Dao is surrounded by rich biodiversity in the massive mountains and hill ranges with several spectacular natural environmental and forested habitats. The camp site at Doi Samoe Dao is a magnificent spot for admiring the sunrise, sunset and the sea of mist with a 360 degree viewing angle.

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Table 1 Tourist site classification and tourism activities in Si Nan National Park.

Major tourist Type Tourist sites Site characteristics activities Landform Sao Din Na Noi Admiring scenery, and flora watching

Rapids Kaeng Luang Admiring scenery and picnic

Cave Tham Luang Cave exploring

Mountain Doi Samoe Dao Camping, sea fog, sunset, and sunrise scenery

Pha Chu Cliff

Reservoir Pak Nai Fishery Village Admiring scenery and relaxing

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Sustainable Management

Based on the collected data on tourist activities and behaviour, more than 78% of tourists visited SNNP between December and April for camping or for admiring the sea of fog, the sunrise or the sunset. Of this group, 49.15% camped overnight. At the time of the study, SNNP had two main camping sites, Doi Samoe Dao and Pha Chu, covering 4295 m2 and the car parks close to these camping sites were not sufficient to support the tourist numbers during the high season. Examples of the environmental problems caused by such a large tourist impact were: the lack of camping sites and car parking; a water shortage, waste management; and overcrowding. Therefore, the behaviour and resource consumption of the tourists were also investigated. In addition, research was conducted to assess the optimum carrying capacity of the camping sites and car parks (Table 2).

The study results showed that tourists needed at least 2 m2 of space per person. Based on the physical carrying capacity, Doi Samoe Dao is able to support 760 tourists, with a further 1387 tourists at Pha Chu. During the New Year period, the number of tourists at Doi Samoe Dao exceeded capacity. However, due to the water shortage problem during the high season, optimum numbers were limited by the water supply.

At the time of the study, the water supply in the storage tanks for tourists at Doi Samoe Dao and Pha Chu was 2700 and 3370 litres, respectively. Meters were installed at each camping site to calculate the water consumption of tourists.

The water consumption of tourists at camping sites differs based on location. In the Mediterranean region, water consumption was approximately 145 litres/tourist/day (Gossling, 2001) while at Khao Yai National Park, the water consumption was 114 litres/tourist/day. In this study, most tourists liked to visit SNNP during winter when the weather is very cold (5-20 qC). As a result, they consumed water only for necessary activities such as cleaning dishes and toilet use, with an estimate of only 10.8 litres of water consumed per person per day. As a consequence, the suitable number of tourists that could camp overnight in SNNP would be approximately 550 persons per night.

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Table 2 Resource consumption of tourists at camping sites in SNNP.

Aspect Average Standard Current Situation Status Camping area Doi Samoe Dao = 760 Doi Samoe Dao = 811* Exceed (2 m2/person) a Pha Chu = 1387 Pha Chu = 561 Lower Area of tent 10 (3 persons)b 7( 4 persons) Exceed (m2/tent) Doi Samoe Dao = 152 Doi Samoe Dao = 211 Lower Pha Chu = 277 Pha Chu = 120 Water consumption One –day trip: 19 10.8 Lower (litres/person) Camping: 114 b Camping: 145 c Doi Samoe Dao = 250 Doi Samoe Dao = 811 Exceed Pha Chu = 312 Pha Chu = 561 Exceed Waste generated One day trip: 0.60 Exceed (kg/person/day) 0.02-0.06 b Camping: 0.06-0.45 b Car area (m2/ car) > 12 b 12.8 Normal Number of cars Doi Samoe Dao = 129 Doi Samoe Dao = 130 Exceed Pha Chu = 60 Pha Chu = 65 Exceed

Sources: * Maximum number of tourists a Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation and Parks (n.d.). b Asia Lab and Consultant (n.d.). c German Federal Agency for Natural Conservation [GFANC], (1997).

However, wastewater from the canteen and toilets was discharged straight into the environment without any wastewater treatment. Therefore, to reduce the environmental impact to the fragile protected area, the use of chemical detergents should be avoided, so an environmentally friendly cleanser was provided to SNNP staff and tourists during the high tourist season.

A waste management system was also considered in the study. Waste characteristics in SNNP showed that 49% of the total waste generated by tourists was organic, while recyclable wastes such as plastic, glass bottles, polyethylene and aluminum cans comprised 51% of the total waste (Figure 2). Therefore, waste separation should certainly be implemented in the SNNP.

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4% 2% 9%

49% 16% Organic Plastic Paper

5% Glass Aluminium Polyethylene 15% Others

Figure 2 Percent of waste generated in Si Nan National Park.

Solid waste from SNNP was transferred for open burning in Na Noi district. As part of this process, waste separation was established, so the organic and non-toxic wastes were transferred to a landfill site for open burning, while other waste was included in the recycling process. In addition, 20 garbage bins, bags and environmental awareness signs were introduced to encourage tourists to separate waste in SNNP.

From observations made after the implementation of waste separation in the park, some tourists cooperated and separated their waste. However, some tourists failed to see the symbol indicating the type of rubbish to be placed in the bin when they disposed of the garbage at night. Many tourists improved their behaviour, especially with regard to recycling bottles and aluminum cans.

Environmentally friendly cleanser was also well received by the staff and tourists, who used this product instead of their own cleansers during their stay in the park. Therefore, this implementation was able to reduce some severe environmental impacts in the national park and the nearby ecosystem during the high tourist season. Moreover, the mitigation of environmental damage could also be applied in other national parks in order to broaden tourist’s environmental awareness for ecotourism development.

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Environmental Education

The major reason for tourists to visit SNNP was to admire the sea of mist and to relax in a natural, beautiful environment by camping overnight at Pha Chu and Doi Samoe Dao. Tourist activities in SNNP at the time of the study were focused on camping and admiring the beautiful scenery.

As a result, some environmentally friendly activities such as eco-camping, observing the night sky, landscape interpretation, bird watching and an environmental youth camp should be developed in SNNP. These activities would encourage tourists and the younger generation to expand their learning experience beyond the natural scenery. The way to increase natural resource protection awareness among tourists is to enhance their understanding of the relationships between living species in the ecosystem because they cannot save and conserve nature without loving and understanding the value of the natural environment.

Some materials and books were made available in the park, including: an eco- camping guidebook, a bird guide, a ‘stream detective’ package, telescopes, star maps and an environmentally friendly game. The eco-camping book was initiated to increase the awareness of tourists and staff about ways to reduce environmental impacts using simplified techniques.

Many tourists were interested in the eco-camping guidebook and it is expected that some of them will spread this idea to their family, friends and colleagues. The telescope for observing the night sky is a suitable environmentally educative activity for tourists to discover more of the universe, especially at Doi Samoe Dao and Pha Chu. From the materials provided to promote the use of SNNP as an eco-camping site, tourists are encouraged to learn more about the environment and local ecosystems and thus change their behaviour from that of tourists to eco-friendly tourists. Achieving this outcome would indicate that successful ecotourism development in SNNP was due to having a suitable environmental management system incorporating eco-camping techniques.

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People Participation

The stakeholders in SNNP who participated in ecotourism development included: national park officers, tourists, local people, tourism operators and local academic institutes. The in-depth interview and questionnaire revealed that people understood the concept of ecotourism and took human impact on the environment into consideration. Currently, the park officers come from the area close to the national park. Local people are also involved with tourism activities by selling their local food, seasonal fruits and local handicraft to tourists. Some of them have been involved throughout the ecotourism process, beginning with planning and then participating in tourism activities, evaluating tourism impacts and monitoring natural resources in the national park.

Conclusions and Recommendations

From the entire study, it is concluded that eco-camping can solve some of the environmental impacts from tourism in SNNP through the application of an holistic approach. The major problems occurring during the high tourism season were camp site and car park limitations, water shortage and waste management. To solve such problems, the integration of environmental techniques thru the eco-camping concept was applied and investigated in the study area. Baseline information was thoroughly studied on the carrying capacity, solid waste management, water consumption and on the eco- camping site. The recommendations for ecotourism development in SNNP are:

x Avoid the use of toxic chemicals and use biodegradable chemicals, for example, encourage tourist and staff to use environmentally friendly cleansers where possible. x Develop more tourist activities, such as observation of the night sky and an eco-camping guide book for tourists. x Closing the park to tourists during the rainy season is highly recommended in order to facilitate ecosystem recovery and for transportation safety. x Establish an early booking system for camping at Doi Samoe Dao and Pha Chu in the high tourist season. From this study, Doi Samoe Dao can support 760 tourists or 152 tents and 129 cars. Pha Chu (including the area near the headquarters) has space Volume 10: Protected Areas and Sustainable Tourism 103

available for 1387 tourists or 277 tents and 60 cars. Early booking and campsite zoning should be implementing in SNNP with division into a quiet zone, cooking zone and family zone. x Develop a waste separation program for staff and tourists. x Try to minimize the amount of waste generated by tourist activities and staff by: avoiding over-packaged goods; purchasing in bulk; using recycled containers; avoiding purchasing disposable items; using refillable containers; trying to protect waterways from pollution by chemicals, rubbish and other waste products; and avoiding the use of cleaning products, soaps, detergents, and toothpaste in or near freshwater. x In order to increase the number of tourists at camping sites, a proper wastewater treatment system should be implemented and more water supply tanks should be installed for tourists. x SNNP has several popular tourist sites: Sao Din Na Noi, Doi Samoe Dao camping site, Pha Chu Cliff, Pak Nai Fishery Village, and Kaeng Luang which are easily visited over a one or two day period. Alternative travel routes linking to nearby national parks are highly recommended, especially in the high tourist season. x Lastly, to achieve long term ecotourism development, SNNP needs to continue developing and monitoring the tourism situation and its impacts on a regular basis, involving staff and local stakeholders as well as enhancing tourist awareness of their impact on the pristine environment.

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Korean Foundation for Advanced Studies (KFAS) and the Graduate School of Chulalongkorn University. Special thanks are extended to the staff of Si Nan National Park and the many tourists and local people, who provided important information and help and showed an interest in this work.

References

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