Story By PONGPET MEKLOY
Hunting
and irresponsible fishing practices have put the dugong (Dugong dugon)
on the verge of extinction. With the tourism industry cruising into the
species' final stronghold in the Trang sea, the dugong now has to brace
itself for the worst.
In the past, the marine mammal used to thrive in coastal waters both
in the Andaman and the Gulf of Thailand. According to local old timers,
sometimes hundreds of individuals could be seen in a single herd. These
days, aerial surveys show that only a small number still survive here
and there along the Andaman coast from Phangnga to Satun provinces. In
the Thai gulf, the most "promising" sign of the species'
presence is occasional find of lifeless ones washed up onto the shore.
On both sides of the peninsula, about a dozen dugongs are found dead
each year. The mammal needs to come up to the water surface to breath
every few minutes, and most of those that died got trapped and drowned
in fishing nets. Over the past three months, four such deaths have been
recorded.
The largest remnant population of dugongs is that thriving in the sea
off Trang province, especially near the beds of seagrass, the species'
main diet, around and between Koh Muk and Koh Libong. The highest number
of dugongs spotted in one day by a researcher flying above the area in a
microlight plane last year was 66. However, it is estimated that the
actual number of dugongs in the Trang sea could exceed 100.
This particular dugong population, which consists of both adults and
calves, owes its survival to a joint effort by the fishermen of Ban Chao
Mai and those in nearby villages, together with academics and NGO
workers.
Over the past several years, these people have put life back to the
once dying seagrass habitats-which serve as natural nurseries for fish
and other marine creatures, the villagers' source of income-by banning
dangerous fishing practices in the area, such as the use of the
"push net" which uproots everything in its path.
Also, as a result of an education and conservation campaign,
intentional killing of the dugong for food and medicine has become rare.
But here comes a new challenge for the conservationists-large-scale
tourism.
With the sea of Trang being promoted worldwide as a new destination
for tourists trying to avoid the crowded beaches of nearby Phuket and
Krabi, more and more tour boats, large and small, are appearing in this
quiet part of the Andaman. Many of them even venture into the dugongs'
seagrass grazing grounds.
Resorts and restaurants-many of them not equipped with proper waste
and sewage treatment-are popping up on beaches both on the mainland and
on islands. Facilities-roads on Koh Libong, for example-are being
improved in preparation for future tourist influx.
To tackle the unstoppable arrival of the tourist industry, the Koh
Libong Tambon Administration and local villagers have planned to build a
pier at Ban Chao Mai. The project, for which a budget of 27 million baht
has been approved by the Harbour Department, is expected to enable
locals to compete with capitalists from outside.
However, wildlife researchers have expressed fear that it would also
increase traffic and pollution in the dugong habitats which are just a
few minutes away by boat.
So far, studies on dugongs have focused only on their populations and
locations. Little is known about the species' behaviour and biology.
Systematic assessment of the impacts on the animals of underwater noises
and other sorts of pollution that mass tourism would bring along is
non-existent.
The situation is not hopeless, however, if all the
"stakeholders"-ie villagers, the business sectors, the
authorities, researchers and NGO's-could put their conflicts of interest
behind them and, instead, put their heads together to draw up a master
plan that will benefit everybody, including, of course, the dugongs and
other marine life.
Rules and regulations that ensure sustainable business-possibly
including designation of off-limit zones-need to be realised. The Yadfon
Association, a local NGO, plans to hold such a meeting later this month.
With the tourist season ending in May because of the upcoming
southwestern monsoon, Trang locals have a few months to get themselves
ready before the next, and larger, waves of visitors start to storm in
around November. The fate of the last dugongs depends on how their human
friends define "ready".
Nature Outlook wishes to thank:
- Pisit Charnsnoh of Yadfon Association
- Tanu Nabnien of Wildlife Fund Thailand
- Kanjana Adulyanukosol of Phuket Marine Biological Centre
- Ellen Hines, PhD candidate at University of Victoria's Whale
and Dugong Research Lab
- Yahed and Miya Hawa of Small-Scale Fisherfolk Club of Trang
- Issama-el Bensaard of Koh Libong Tambon Administration
- Anita Siaw of Haad Yao Nature Resort
