Dugong and seagrass conservation in Trang

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Dugong and seagrass conservation in Trang

 

   

TRANG (NNT) - The death of baby dugong Mariam, from ingestion of plastic waste at Libong Island, has raised awareness of dugong conservation. The dugong conservation project and villagers have been seeking ways to protect dugongs and seagrass sources in Thailand.

 

A research team from the Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), and local people, have joined hands to find a sustainable way to conserve the last group of Thai dugongs. Libong Island has about 180 dugongs living in the waters around it, the largest group in Thailand. It also has a source of sea grass, which is the staple food for dugongs. It is necessary to conserve the mammal. We can benefit from knowledge gained from research, and steer conservation of rare marine animals and natural resources, by determining a guideline for increasing the dugong population.

 

Three years ago, the TSRI encouraged people on Libong Island to join the Dugong Conservation Research Project because they were found to be at risk of extinction, mainly due to tourism, fishing and hunting. When they joined the project, people on the island loved, pitied and became attached to the dugongs. It led to a plan to protecting dugongs, which has resulted in an increase in their population from 170 to as many as 200.

 

On November 24, 2019, Libong Island will organize an underwater waste collection project, in memory of Mariam.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2019-10-01

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[nobodysfriend]

If you want to protect a species from extinction , it is always necessary to preserve their environment first . ( that goes for the homo sapiens as well ...)