Community Landscape Development for Dugong Conservation

The Dugong is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Presently, the dugong
population is on the decrease and their mortality rates continue to increase annually. The main cause is due to human threats to their natural resources impacting the ecosystem of seagrass which is a dugong’s main diet. Its habitat is also the first ecosystem to be impacted by various changes, as it acts as the gate between the coast and the sea. The deterioration of seagrass ecosystem and increased morality rates of dugongs has led to a state policy aiming to develop Andaman seacoast communities into a model community for dugong conservation. The main occupations in these communities are fishery and agriculture, and it is Thailand’s largest seagrass ecosystem and dugong habitat. The expansion of communities and the tourism industry has caused various nagative impacts to the dugong habitat, including shrimp farming, monoculture, dropping waste and sediments into the sea, and inappropriate fishery.The objective of this community landscape development for dugong conservation project is to restore natural resources, develop the community to be able to co-exist with other living beings, as well as providing knowledge, instilling and creating awareness in nature conservation, and promoting sustainable ecotourism.