A famous beach in Krabi from Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Beach is recovering its wildlife after having been overrun by tourists in the past. The beach, called Maya Bay, closed in 2018, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, because of how much tourism damaged the ecosystem. Now, plant and animal species that disappeared are returning. The bay has reopened to visitors, however they are not allowed to swim. This way, sunscreen won’t damage the reef.
The most notable animal to return to breed in the bay is the blacktip shark. A park ranger told NPR that before the park closed, when there were over 5,000 tourists a day, no one would ever think of seeing sharks. He said now, on a good day, 160 sharks can be seen.
“And when the tide goes down, I can see all the new coral and crabs and shrimp. It makes me very proud.”
Other visitors, both Thai and foreign, were emotional, struggling to…
