Marine
Marine and Coastal Resources
Thailands marine areas host diverse coral reef communities
© WWF-Canon/Kittipan SUBKHOON
© WWF-Canon/Kittipan SUBKHOON
Thailand has a total coastal line of approximately 2,960 kilometers, 750 of which lies on the Andaman Sea, 1,670 on the Gulf of Thailand and 520 kilometers distributed amongst islands.
These coastal areas consist of multiple natural resources, such as beach forests, mangrove forests, seagrasses and coral reefs, all of which are of ecological significance both at the local and national level.Threats
Since ancient times, these resources have played a major role in the country's growth, though possibly in different circumstances. Unfortunately, sustainable management and practice have always been lacking. Currently, the need for these natural resources increase as the amount of people whom use them increase as well, resulting in the degradation of these resources. Therefore, in order to truly sustain growth, while conserving these resources, it is necessary to integrate proper marine resources management into conservation, but more importantly, to involve affected parties, including government and private organizations.
What WWF is doing
WWF Thailand's Marine and Coastal Unit is working on conserving Thailand 's marine and coastal resources.This unit does so by integrating multiple processes in reaching the ultimate goal of sustainable development. Throughout this time, there have been various operations.
Such operations include those that build awareness on conservation, capacity building for marine national park officers, restoration of marine resources and local livelihoods, support of local technical information, tourism industry, seeking partner organizations, and local administrative offices as well as policy lobbying for conservation of natural resources and environment
