The Last Eden (Part 4)
Action Asia (1998)

Into a lost world

When Hedrick and his group set off, they didn’t know exactly what they were going to find. Although there were both marine charts of the islands from the British colonial days, and the reports of a group invited in 1996 to assess the area’s tourism potential and the establishment of a marine park, recent reports on the area were virtually non-existent. But the little that was known was enough to excite the imagination of anyone with a sense of adventure or an interest in the environment.

The Mergui Archipelago consists of some 804 islands spread over several thousand square kilometers of ocean. Many of the islands are little more than rocks rearing up from the sea, but others are big, impressive – and deserted. Lampi, now designed a national park, is some 90 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide, a rugged landmass of jungle-covered hills and mountains. On the western side two substantial rivers run into the sea, but although they are navigable for a few kilometers upstream dense undergrowth has obstructed any further exploration of the interior. This great island remains a great unknown. Most of the bigger islands of the archipelago are ringed by mangrove forests and sand or pebble beaches. Many also have towering limestone sea cliffs pockmarked with caves. In some cases the caves are part of extensive underground networks; in others they lead through to tidal lagoons enclosed in the heart of the island. Virtually all the larger islands appear to have mountainous interior and are covered in dense rainforest. This, together with the isolation of the area, has raised the hopes of naturalists and environmentalists to find rare and endangered species – including large mammals – still flourishing in these hidden retreats.

Certainly bird life is abundant. The skies around the coast are filled with a great array of sea birds, including white-bellied sea eagles and Brahminy kites; while in the forests brilliantly colored parakeets and several species of hornbills – sometimes in flocks of up to forty birds – are very much in evidence. Known land animals include gibbons, crab-eating macaques, flying lemur, civet cats, tigers, leopard cats, boar, mouse deer, barking deer, sea otters and crocodiles. Pythons hang from the trees and snakes glide through the underbrush. At night, fruit bats swarm into the skies. There is the hope that the jungle will contain rare rhinoceros and elephant species, but that remains to be confirmed. Certainly this is an animal kingdom where species have flourished in an ecosystem untainted by human development and environmental destruction. There seems little doubt that research and exploration in the years to come will uncover a rich natural heritage that hopefully, will continue to be protected and preserved.

Most of the initial cruises have concentrated on the underwater world, and already some major new dive sites have been discovered. Most of the main islands are relatively close to inshore, so sediment and run-off have restricted coral growth and reduced visibility. Even so, there are impressive rocky reefs, and areas abundant in soft corals, anemones and crusting sponges. But the real drama for divers is further out to sea around the outlying islands and sea pinnacles of the group. Here, encounters with big pelagics, including sharks, whale sharks, barracuda, rays and jacks are common. Several of these sites have drawn rave reviews from even the most experienced and well-traveled dive writers. There’s no doubt that it’s still early days, and much more remains to be discovered.