How two sisters turned their passion into a mission to save Thailand’s coral reefs
Deep beneath the surface of the blue sea, two young divers were inspired to embark on a life-changing mission – launching a thriving movement known as “Care for Coral”.
Plengrhambhai and Pynbhairoh Snidvongs Kruesopon noticed the degrading state of coral reefs during one of their diving missions and on surfacing decided to launch the initiative.
Their aim was to foster a deeper understanding of coral reefs among the younger generation – from elementary school students to high school seniors.
It was 2019 and Plengrhambhai was in the 10th grade at International School Bangkok (ISB) at that time.
Plengrhambhai is now a sophomore at Standford University in California, while her younger sister Pynbhairoh will be graduating from ISB this year.
Their initiative gives young people a chance to participate in diverse restoration activities, such as building structures and nurseries to cleaning glass bottles for artificial reefs.
Plengrhambhai said she wanted to give people an immersive educational experience, so they can come up with eco-friendly solutions and spread the word among their families and friends.
“Taking them on these immersive trips allows them to see the changes that they can make first-hand and realise that they can make a true difference,” Plengrhambhai explained.
The collaboration with schools has resulted in educational seminars, fostering mutual learning with other coral restoration organisations.
“Our initiative allows the public to really engage with the restoration work, fostering environmental stewards and long-term passion for protecting our marine ecosystem” Plengrhambhai explained.
Since it began, the Care for Coral mission has been evolving continuously. Starting with making coral nurseries in glass bottles and metal structures, the mission has now grown into hands-on moulding and attaching broken coral pieces to the reef.
“Each trip, we experiment with different types of restoration methods in order to determine which one provides conditions for optimal growth. For example, on our second restoration trip, we worked with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources to mold epoxy underwater, which we subsequently used to bind coral fragments onto cement blocks,” Plengrhambhai said.
In their next step, the two sisters are planning to turn Care for Coral into a more sustainable, research-oriented initiative. Plengrhambhai said she has spoken to different organisations in Koh Tao and her professors at Stanford University to help the mission transition into something bigger.
As the sisters steer the initiative towards a more research-focused organisation, they hope Care for Coral’s legacy continues and has a meaningful impact on the conservation of coral for generations to come.
