From Koh Tao to Koh Pu: Islands of Resilience and Revival

By Nuansiri Vaidyanuvatti, Executive Vice President, Krungthai Bank, Thailand and Niran Nirannoot, Project Manager of UNDP-BIOFIN Thailand

Dawn breaks over Koh Pu’s emerald waters, and Somchai checks his nets one final time before pushing his longtail boat into the gentle tide. Like his father and grandfather before him, he’s a guardian of these waters off Krabi’s coast - waters where mangroves whisper ancient secrets and seagrass beds sway like underwater meadows. Yet as Somchai motors past the coral that once teemed with life, he knows something fundamental must change.

For generations, Koh Pu’s fishing families have lived in harmony with the sea, but mounting pressures - depleted fish stocks, rising fuel costs, and degraded marine habitats - have pushed this delicate balance to breaking point. The island’s 200 small boat operators found themselves sailing further from shore, spending precious baht on fuel for increasingly meagre catches, whilst their beloved seagrass beds gradually disappeared beneath the waves.

But sometimes, hope arrives on the tide from unexpected shores.

The Blueprint That Changed Everything

Two hundred kilometres north, another island community had faced remarkably similar challenges - and discovered something extraordinary. Koh Tao, once entirely dependent on tourism and devastated when COVID-19 emptied its beaches, had reimagined itself as a beacon of sustainable living. What happened there would become the blueprint that transformed Koh Pu forever.

“Without the Koh Tao model, we wouldn’t have dared to dream this big,” reflects a member from Krungthai Bank’s community development team. “Seeing their transformation gave us the confidence to scale up our sustainable finance initiatives, moving beyond traditional banking to genuinely transformative community development.”

Koh Tao’s remarkable journey began when desperation sparked innovation. Faced with empty shores and struggling families, the island’s community had partnered with UN BIOFIN, Krungthai Bank, and Raks Thai Foundation to raise US$91,980 - exceeding their initial target by over 40%. Rather than simply providing emergency relief, this fund offered something more powerful: a pathway to regeneration.

The island’s 200 small boat operators received monthly payments of $100 per month over three months, but with a crucial difference - these weren’t handouts, but investments in environmental restoration. Working together, the islanders cleared over 40 tonnes of waste from beaches and marine habitats, breathing new life into fragile ecosystems.

The results were nothing short of extraordinary. As marine environments recovered, local fishers discovered they could cut fuel costs by 75% whilst boosting catch rates by 70%. Some earned up to $3000 per month monthly, even during traditionally lean tourism periods. Koh Tao had cracked the code: environmental restoration and economic prosperity weren’t opposing forces - they were natural partners.

Following the Blueprint

Word of Koh Tao’s transformation spread across Thailand’s coastal communities like ripples on calm water. For the Krungthai team and their partners, it proved that sustainable tourism wasn’t merely an aspiration - it was an achievable blueprint for coastal regeneration.

When Krungthai Bank approached Koh Pu with funding and the Koh Tao model as their guiding star, the island’s community was ready to write their own chapter of revival. Following the blueprint step by step, they began with marine restoration, constructing fish aggregating devices and sea domes - innovative artificial reefs designed to draw marine life back to their shores.

The transformation felt almost magical. Somchai, who once journeyed as far as Phi Phi Island for days at a time, spending at least $100 on fuel alone, now fishes productively closer to home. “Today, a single local trip yields $16-$33 whilst fuel costs have dropped to just $6,” he explains, his weathered hands gesturing towards the thriving waters. “My children can see me every evening now, and our seas are coming back to life.”

Building on Koh Tao’s innovation with community-managed marine resources, Koh Pu established blue swimming crab banks and sea cucumber enclosures - what local leader Malee calls “living marine savings accounts that safeguard both biodiversity and our families’ incomes.” The community raised over $26,666 including $8,333 invested in new enclosures. Their sea cucumber bank expects to harvest up to 1,100 sea cucumbers in one season, generating 50,000–80,000 THB in revenue, shared as dividends and environmental restoration funds.

Adding Value, Building Pride

Inspired by Koh Tao’s success with processed seafood and natural-dyed textiles, Koh Pu’s women’s groups began transforming their traditional products. Nim, who leads the local women’s cooperative, beams as she explains how improved packaging raised their shrimp paste prices from $3-$5, and curry paste from $2-$5 “Like Koh Tao’s sun-dried fish and signature tie-dye, we’re adding 30-50% more value to everything we make,” she says. “But more than that, we’re rediscovering pride in our heritage.”

The blueprint extended beyond economics to education. Following Koh Tao’s environmental programmes, Koh Pu’s youth stepped forward to learn hands-on about marine conservation and sustainable living. School waste separation programmes cut plastic burning by 70%, with some schools achieving reductions of up to 80%. Children now collect up to 20 bottles each before heading home, whilst parents actively join in, shifting mindsets to one family at a time.

“My daughter teaches me about the coral now,” laughs fisherman Prasert. “She comes home from school and checks if I’m sorting my rubbish properly. The children are becoming our teachers.”

Tasting a Way of Life

Perhaps most powerfully, Koh Pu has embraced Koh Tao’s approach to experiential tourism. Local leaders have woven environmental stewardship into culinary experiences that tell their island’s story. Creative itineraries invite visitors to join fishing trips, learn traditional weaving, and savour local dishes like spicy crab curry and sun-dried seafood, with complete meals priced up to 1,200 THB per person.

“Guests don’t just taste our food,” explains chef Wilai, stirring a fragrant curry paste made from locally sourced ingredients. “They taste our way of life, our connection to the sea, our respect for what it gives us. When they leave, they carry our story with them.”

Each experience is paired with storytelling that connects visitors to the island’s transformation journey, creating ambassadors for sustainable coastal living who return home with deeper understanding of the delicate balance between human needs and marine ecosystems.

Photo: A celebrity chef trains the women’s group of Koh Pu to perfect their local cuisine—check out her apron proudly showing ‘Roy,’ meaning “yummy” in the Southern dialect!

Challenges and Resilience

Following any blueprint requires adaptation to local conditions, and Koh Pu’s journey hasn’t been without obstacles. Waste management systems need strengthening, seagrass beds continue to face pressure, and the technical demands of sea cucumber farming test the community’s learning capacity. But just as Koh Tao turned adversity into innovation, Koh Pu’s residents stand determined to learn, adapt, and rise together.

“Every challenge is a chance to improve the blueprint,” notes community leader Samran. “We’re not just copying what Koh Tao did - we’re building on it, making it work for our unique island.”

Blueprints for the Future

Looking ahead, Koh Pu’s fishers hope to mirror Koh Tao’s economic resilience, aiming for monthly incomes of up to US$ 2,333 even during low tourism seasons, ensuring no family is left behind. Plans to strengthen the community environmental fund will help secure not just the shores of Koh Pu, but the future of children who grow up knowing they are guardians of their precious blue world.

As dawn breaks over Koh Pu’s transformed waters, Somchai’s son helps him prepare the nets that no longer need to travel far from home to find abundance. The blueprint that began with Koh Tao’s bold experiment has proven that when communities have a guiding light - a model of what’s possible - they can move mountains, or in this case, heal seas.

Today, Koh Pu is more than an island; it’s a testament to the power of shared knowledge, collective action, and the unstoppable spirit of communities that dare to dream beyond survival. And somewhere along Thailand’s coast, another island community is watching, learning, and preparing to follow their own version of this remarkable blueprint.

The ripples continue to spread.

Two Islands, Two Seas, Endless Possibilities

Thailand’s stunning islands are treasures of beauty and uniqueness, each with its own story. Among these, Koh Pu Island (also known as Koh Jum) and Koh Tao Island stand out — not just for their charm, but also as pioneers in bringing the Finance for Nature concept to life.

This groundbreaking impact investment for nature, driven by the visionary efforts of Krungthai Bank PLC, is transforming these picturesque destinations into models of sustainable development. Koh Tao, in the Gulf of Thailand, and Koh Pu, in the Andaman Sea, now demonstrate how finance and nature can work hand-in-hand, ensuring prosperity for communities while safeguarding the environment. These two islands are living proof that with the right finance solutions, nature and progress can thrive together.

The geography of Koh Pu and Koh Tao highlights the diversity of Thailand’s coastal regions. While Koh Tao is nestled in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Pu lies on the opposite side, within the Andaman Sea. Each island offers unique landscapes, ecosystems, and cultural experiences, enriched by their respective marine environments.

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