THE SUMMIT meeting that reached agreement on ways of protecting Racha's coral reefs on August 8 has set a remarkable precedent for community action on Phuket.

A line has been drawn in Racha's perfect white sand, almost literally.

Key commercial and traditional players in Phuket's tourism industry have declared, at long last, that the natural assets come first.

And that's definitely something new.

That they were all able to meet and agree was a remarkable event. Let's hope the echoes from it reverberate all along the Andaman coast.

Racha, a breathtakingly beautiful island just a short ride by speedboat from Phuket, was gradually losing out to an invasion of speedboats, jetskis and intensive fishing and poaching.

The coral reefs didn't stand a chance.

Paitoon Planchaiyaphon, director of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, feared that the natural assets would eventually be destroyed by their proximity and popularity.

After the Racha meeting, delighted with the result, he said: ''This was exactly the outcome we needed to preserve the reefs.

''If we have problems in future, we should all sit down the way we did on Racha to discuss them.''

What the consensus achieves is to put a cordon around the island. No longer will speedboats and longtails laden with tourists line up on or close to the beach.

They will be corralled at anchor buoys, well back from the beaches. No more anchors will be dropped.

No longer will speedboats and liveaboards compete with fishing trawlers for space above the reefs.

Everybody now knows what the zones will be for different kinds of divers and snorkellers. The fishermen have agreed to retreat.

No more will jetskis and banana boats add excessive noise and confusion and risk the safety of swimmers.

Only the local fisherfolk remain unhappy, and at the end of the day they agreed their issues seem resolvable.

From now on, the reef and its marine life comes first. Everybody knows the rules, or if they don't now, they will before next high season.

Are these measures enough? Have your say about the future of the Andaman in the Comment box below. It's easy!

In a sense, the local people have won their island back, with a list of agreed measures designed to protect it and the coral from the tourist invasion.

Can it lead to better things for Phuket? Maybe.

Khun Paitoon, having seen the reefs at Patong, Kata and Karon largely disappear, will now seek to apply the principles embraced on Racha at other threatened sites.

He will start by providing 120 buoys to make the new rules obvious to everyone.

For a change, instead of the lead being taken by the more community-minded sectors of Phang Nga and Krabi, Phuket has done something for the cause of the environment.

More community consensus could bring change for the better on Phuket, where the natural assets are constantly at risk from a combination of greed , ignorance and lack of action.

Perhaps Phang Nga will now be able to take on board the idea of collective community action. Perhaps it's even not too late to save Phi Phi.

*Among those at the meeting on Racha were Isara Butyarat of the Fisheries Department, ''Charlie'' Lidureau, of the Thai Diving Association, Garry Halpin, of Raya Divers, Somran Salee, of South Siam Divers, Noparong Kaewjam, of West Coast Divers, Panya Chaichana, of the Marine Police, Peeyanut Sanangkun, of the Phuket Speedboat Club, Witanu Chumsuwan, from The Racha, and Sopon Sukarain, representing the Racha Conservation and Self Care Group.

Complete Report:
A meeting on Racha saves the island's coral, delivering an eight million baht artificial reef, a zoning system to keep divers and fishing trawlers apart, bans aimed at protecting the natural environment, and hope for other endangered reefs and islands.

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