New measures have been put in place to support efforts to save more dugongs, after several were found dead recently, says Natural Resources and Environment Minister Chalermchai Sri-on.
The problem has been attributed mainly to dwindling seagrass meadows in the usual habitats of the world's only herbivorous marine mammal, which is reliant on seagrasses for food, he said.
As seagrass meadows disappear, dugongs are forced to migrate in search of food, which can result in them getting injured while at sea as a result of fishing and other hazards.
For the first measure, a survey of the dugong population will be enhanced with the help of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), he said, adding the technology will not only make the survey more accurate but will also allow a closer examination of dugongs' health and to pick out ones which may be ill and need help.
The second measure will see certain marine areas declared as temporary dugong protection zones, where activities deemed harmful to dugongs will likely be prohibited, he said.
The first three areas that are likely to be declared as temporary dugong sanctuaries are Rawai Beach and Bang Rong Bay in Phuket, as well as Bang Khwan Bay in Phangnga, where a large number of dugongs have been observed recently. Further talks will be conducted with various parties to gauge their opinions, he said.
The third measure concerns a plan to deal with the depletion of seagrass by supplementing dugong's natural food with other types of food while separating ill or starving dugongs from their herd to be treated at makeshift isolation pools in the sea.
Lastly, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) will set up joint operations centres to protect dugongs at a cost of 615.16 million baht.
For now, food supplements for dugongs are being distributed in certain areas in Phuket, Trang and Phangnga as part of efforts to tackle the depletion of seagrass, said Pinsak Suraswadi, director-general of the DMCR.
These areas include underneath Rawai Bridge in Phuket, Tang Khen Bay in the same province, an area off Koh Libong in Trang, Chao Mai National Park in Trang and Bang Khwan Bay in Phangnga.
Floating fences are also being built to isolate and nurse sick or weak dugongs in the sea in Phangnga, he said.
