Abstract:
The eastern coast of the inner Gulf of Thailand is considered area under constant changes, mainly for the purposes of national development. These transformations often result in problems concerning utilization of coastal resources and land use. Therefore, it is essential that a study be conducted in order to evaluate the utilization of resources and the physical, biological, ecological, and social suitability of the eastern coast of the inner Gulf of Thailand, which are used to propose management guidelines for reducing such problems. This is accomplished through the accumulation of related secondary data together with the use of the Geographical Information System (GIS). In addition, classifications of satellite images and field surveys were conducted in order to project the present status of the study area. All data were used to analyze the potential, trend, problems, and limitation pertaining to development and to conform resource utilization to the coastal environment and the established policy within the area. The results of the study reveal that resources within the study area is being intensively utilized in a variety of ways including industrial development, tourism, urbanization, transportation, and fisheries all of which causes degradation of resources and related conflicts. The severity of such problems is discovered in coastal communities namely coastal communities in Amphoe Muang Chon Buri, Sriracha Municipal community, coastal communities in Laem Chabang Municipality, and Pattaya City. An integrated coastal management emphasizing the zoning measures is proposed in order to control and promote appropriate activities of the area alongside measures to control urbanization, relocation of industries, mangrove reforestation, and aquaculture, which is important in reducing fishery related problems. Ultimately, these measures will lead to sustainable development and utilization of natural resources of the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand.