New Delhi:
Beach pollution is known to be one of the biggest global concerns in the world. Maya Bay beach in Thailand, a picturesque island straight out of the movie Avatar is closed indefinitely now. Earlier, the beach was scheduled to close for just three months. Authorities in Thailand have said that its ecosystem needs even more time to recover after it was damaged by huge amounts of tourists visiting and polluting the beach. The beach on Phi Phi Leh island was shut previously to retrieve the area’s coral reefs that were affected due to the rising water temperature and additionally by the rubbish that tourists left behind.Â
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Once known for Leonardo Di Caprio’s thriller movie, The Beach, the island now stands as a perfect example of what humans have done to nature. The pictures serve as a powerful photo message of how human activities have devastating consequences on the environment. The recent pictures show the beach littered with trash on one side and on the other a beach with seagull footprints titled, What animals leave behind and what humans leave behind, a sarcastic throw on human carbon footprints.
The surrounding Ocean is littered with plastics, sea life with plastic-filled stomachs are found dead in the surrounding habitat.Â
This year, in Mumbai, a high tide washed ashore and deposited ton of trash on the shores of Juhu beach. The horrifying photos from Juhu beach was a waking-clock to how terrible the situation has become. Unfortunately, we’re all guilty of hurting the ocean.
With the growing concern of the ocean environment, strategies and methods have been sending out messages in the most creative of ways. A diver took to social media filming himself on the Coast of Bali to show the world the grim reality of plastic ridden ocean. Organizations such as the Philippines Greenpeace had a life-size art installation made almost entirely out of rubbish shaped into a decaying blue whale with the message ‘’EVERYBODY has the power to HELP, say no to plastics’’.Â
4Ocean, another non-profit organization has set out to clean the ocean by turning a pound of trash into a bracelet and different accessories, thus, cleaning the marine environment. We need to dwell on the thought that how many Maya Bays will it take for humans to realize that our activities are taking a toll on the ocean. Ocean’s acidification level is rising at unprecedented rates, it will be that much harder for the reef to bounce back.Â
Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a prominent marine scientist and member of Thailand’s national strategy committee on environment development told AP: “It’s like someone who has been working for decades and has never stopped. Overworked and tired, all the beauty of the beach is gone. We need a time-out for the beach.â€
All marine pollution has the potential to seriously damage marine habitats and life in the sea. Scientists are concerned that marine pollution places extra stress on organisms that are already threatened or endangered.
 Tourism makes up up-to 12 per cent of Thailand's economy. But after the growing concerns with the Maya Bay, the country's ability to manage its rapidly growing number of visitors remains a growing concern.Â
Whatever you do, just remember that making even small decisions every day can add up to a big impact and save the nature.
