Thailand’s top global warming victims in 2024: Dugongs and coral
Climate change took a heavy toll on the kingdom’s natural riches this year, as Thai waters hit record temperatures
Thailand suffered a huge loss of natural resources in 2024 due to global warming, according to several experts.
High-profile marine ecologist Thon Thamrongnawasawat told SpringNews that global warming would intensify over the next 70 years, pushing corals to extinction in the next 30 years.
He also predicted mass die-offs of saltwater fish and forests, warning that wildfires and smog will also worsen.
He noted that coral bleaching is already occurring worldwide.
Climate-warming related damage to coral reefs has been documented in 54 countries, including Australia, Tanzania, Mauritius, Brazil, the US (Florida) and Thailand, he said, noting that 40% of corals in Thailand had died from bleaching.
Coral bleaching in Thailand comes as Thai seas reach their hottest temperatures ever recorded, Thon said in a May 6 Facebook post.
The rising sea temperatures have also led to declines in rare marine species, he said, citing leatherback turtles as an example, with most now being born female.
Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, a researcher at the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, told SpringNews that global warming has killed off seagrass meadows, decimating the dugong population in Thailand.
Over 20,000 rai of seagrass in Trang and Krabi provinces have disappeared, resulting in 60% of Thai dugongs dying of starvation over the past two years, he said.
Dugongs seeking new feeding grounds have fallen prey to human activities, caught in fishing gear or hit by boats, he added.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Chalermchai Sri-on has launched four measures to save Thai dugongs from extinction:
- Boosting accuracy of surveys by using fixed-wing drones to observe the dugong population, behaviour, and health.
- Designating three dugong preservation areas in Phuket to protect them from human activities, namely Rawai Beach and Bang Rong and Bang Khwan bays.
- Restoring their feeding grounds and taking care of dugongs in poor health.
- Preparing seagrass cultivation areas and accelerating research on seagrass restoration.
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources is also launching an operation centre for dugong preservation, while asking for 615 million baht from the 2025 central budget to preserve dugongs and seagrass resources.
