Project Description
This study explores the value chain of ‘nature based activities’ on the Thai island of Koh Chang. This rapidly developing tourism destination faces various environmental and socio-economic challenges that put pressure on the island’s carrying capacity and affect the destination’s competitiveness. The research focuses on the six elephant camps present at Koh Chang in order to define interventions to reduce carbon emissions and to contribute to the development of Koh Chang as a low carbon destination.”
Three critical bottlenecks were identify that were related to the mitigation of carbon emissions. These bottlenecks regard the management of the elephant excrement, seasonality in visitor numbers, and a sub-optimal tourist experience of the elephant trek activity. Potential solutions are: setting up an ‘elephant paper’ production plant allowing the reclycing of elephant excrement, revision of the transport schedule to the elephant camps to increase taxi occupancy rate, and offering additional information about the elephant to enhance to tourist experience.
Authors: De Geus, F., Konijn, E., Lammertink, I., Van Campenhout, T. & Van Leeuwen, J. (2014)
