What changes might this designation bring?

[Quero]

Similans Seem Set for World Heritage Listing

Would it mean better patrols for fishing violations? Would it mean some kind of limits on the numbers of dive boats on a site simultaneously? Would it mean enforcement of park closing dates?

 

[Bowmouth]

Similans Seem Set for World Heritage Listing

Would it mean better patrols for fishing violations? Would it mean some kind of limits on the numbers of dive boats on a site simultaneously? Would it mean enforcement of park closing dates?

I have just come back from (actually am still underway back home to Thailand now!) a month diving Tubbataha in the Philippines which is listed as a World Heritage Site.
The diving was fabulous (I'll do a little write up about it later on the Philippines Forum), but there was not a lot of patrolling or checking going on. There is one ranger station with 10 rangers or so on the North Atoll and they had as far as I could see only 1 small patrol boat and a couple of M-16 guns. There were a few coast guard vessels around the atolls and one of their vessels had run aground on the reef! I'm not sure if the coast guard vessels are actually part of the ranger force or were there just for exercise purposes.
There are very strict rules and regulations when entering and operating in the park boundaries and the rangers do respond to alerts on poaching etc. given by dive and tour operators. There are hefty fines and/or imprisonment for violators of the rules and regulations within the park. Apparently the last poacher was caught several years ago with a shipload full of live Napoleon wrasse. The Napoleons were put back in the water, the fishermen prosecuted and the vessel impounded.
I'm not sure if a World Heritage Site status would do the Similans' any more good than the current normal Marine Park status it has. I guess it has all to do with what kind of tools (and salaries) the rangers will get, if they will be motivated and educated enough to do regular checks on tour and other vessels entering the park boundaries and if they will be under the wing of a non-corrupt chief with heart for the environment.