Abstract—The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of climate change on water on Koh Chang Island. The island has suffered from climate change and limitations of available water supplies, while they have also been confronted by an increasing demand on water for tourism activities. According to the 4th Assessment Report of IPCC, a study framework included the current sensitivity and vulnerability of the small island on water resources. Data collection was conducted by documentary research, interviews, and field surveys in 4 villages and in-depth interview of 24 participants including local governmental agencies, village heads, and tourism operators. The study found that this island would be affected by climate change regarding water scarcity. The changing of rainfall pattern has affected the amount of water supply and its due to salt water intrusion. While the numbers of tourists and people consume more water. This would be consequence impact on tourism economy and the quality of life of people. Therefore, the public and private sectors should cooperate setting appropriate strategies and practical actions on sustainable water resources management for a sustainable tourism in the island.

Index Terms—Impact of climate change, water resources, tourism industry, small island, Koh Chang

W. Tanoamchard and S. Limjirakan are with the Environment Development and Sustainability Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand (e-mail: wanvicechanee@hotmail.com; lsangcha@chula.ac.th)

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Cite: Wanvicechanee Tanoamchard and Sangchan Limjirakan, "Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources Affecting Tourism Industry in a Small Island: A Case Study of Koh Chang, Thailand," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 109-113, 2012.