BANGKOK, Thailand – The Thai dugong population has declined by nearly 30% over the past three years, prompting the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) to intensify conservation efforts. Deputy Prime Minister and MNRE Minister Suchart Chomklin ordered the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) to implement proactive measures to protect dugongs, restore their habitats, and enforce strict safeguards against illegal removal of tusks and heads driven by superstition.
DMCR surveys show the population fell from around 280 to 203 individuals — a 27.5% drop — with 187 in the Andaman Sea and only 16 in the Gulf of Thailand. Analysis of 112 stranded dugongs between FY2023–2025 revealed:
43% died from illness or poor health
39% unknown causes
7% entangled in fishing gear
5% marine accidents, including boat strikes
6% other causes, such as predation or disorientation
Additionally, eight dugongs (7.1%) were found with tusks or heads illegally removed after death. On October 5, 2025, authorities discovered a dugong carcass with its head removed on Ban Lang Beach, Ko Sriboya, Krabi Province. While post-mortem removal, it still constitutes a legal violation.
DMCR Director-General Pinsak Suraswadi highlighted habitat degradation as the primary threat, particularly in Krabi, Trang, and Phuket, where seagrass beds — the dugong’s main food source — have been damaged by sedimentation, tourism, and coastal fishing.
“Dugongs are highly sensitive and have low survival rates. This rapid population decline signals the urgent need for habitat restoration,” Pinsak said.
Key conservation measures include:
-Monitoring and protection – patrolling seagrass habitats, using drones and citizen science, and establishing additional protected zones.
-Emergency assistance – deploying marine rescue teams and veterinarians at Phuket and Trang’s rare marine animal hospitals.
-Strict law enforcement – investigating and prosecuting illegal trade in dugong tusks or carcasses in coordination with local authorities and the Natural Resources Crime Suppression Division.
Habitat restoration – replanting seagrass in abandoned shrimp ponds, installing protective enclosures, and rehabilitating over 1,000 rai of degraded seagrass beds.
Minister Suchart emphasized that dugongs are protected under the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act of 2019, with penalties up to 15 years in prison or fines up to 1.5 million baht for illegal possession or trade.
“Conserving dugongs is not just about protecting a rare marine species — it preserves coastal ecosystems that support local communities. Superstitions should not cost dugongs their lives. Dugongs are an indicator of Thailand’s marine health, and it is our duty to safeguard them for the world,” Minister Suchart said. (TNA)
