Chang Island national marine park (Elephant Island) is at 492 sq.km, Thailand’s second largest island after Phuket Island. The entire park officially encompasses 192 sq.km of land surface, and 458 sq.km of sea. Change Island itself is about 70% undisturbed island rainforest – the best preserved in Thailand. Beach forest and mangrove are also found in abundance. Until rather recently there wasn’t a single paved road on Chang Island, only red dirt roads between Khlong Son beach and Hat Kaibae beach on the west coast of the Chang Island, and between Khlong Son beach and Ban Salak Phet beach on the east side, plus walking trails passable by motorcycle from Kaibae beach to Bang Bao beach and Salak Kok beach to Salak Phet beach. Road crews are working to extend the road along the west side. A paved section now exists between Khlong Son beach/Ao Sapparot beach and Khlong Phroa beach, and Trat authorities say the Chang Island will have a paved ring road – or at least the beginnings of one – within the next two or three years. Electricity now come form the mainland to the northern part of the island via a submarine cable and power lines will probably continue to follow the sealing of the roads around the island.
Mostly Thai people around 75,000 a year who like to arrive on weekends and holidays only, stay for 24 hours or less, and stay in the more expensive accommodation. The non Thai tourist average stay around 5 days; a small number of visitors take up residence for weeks on end.
As with other national marine parks in Thailand, park status versus resort development is a hot issue. On Chang Island, so far everyone seems to be in agreement about what parkland is and what isn’t. Any land that was planted before the conferral of park status in 1982 can be privately deeded, bought, sold and developed – this includes many beach areas used for coconut plantations, or about 15% of the Chang Island. The Forestry Department makes regular flights over the island to check for encroachment on the 85% belonging to the national park mostly in the interior – and they are said to be very strict with interlopers.
