Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) says Pling Island and the coral reefs around Sirinart National Park in Phuket will be temporarily closed due to extensive coral bleaching caused by rising seawater temperatures.
The department is also monitoring national parks at Koh Chang, Koh Samet, Chumphon, Koh Surin, Phang Nga Bay, the Phi Phi islands, and Lanta.
The news comes after a deadly heat wave caused temperatures to soar across Thailand and Asia in recent weeks.
Last month, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned that the world is currently experiencing its second major coral bleaching event in 10 years.
Bleaching, which occurs when algae that live inside corals is expelled, is usually caused by higher than normal ocean temperatures and increased ultraviolet radiation.
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