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cover of episode Why are dugongs (or sea cows) dying out in Thailand?

Why are dugongs (or sea cows) dying out in Thailand?

2025/1/23
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What in the World
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Evan Trotzuk
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Panisa Aemocha
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Panisa Aemocha: 我是Panisa Aemocha，来自泰国。泰国儒艮数量急剧下降，目前可能不足100只。主要原因是儒艮赖以生存的海草减少。这与近年来海平面下降、异常降雨导致海水盐度变化，以及海草暴露于阳光和空气中时间过长有关。此外，塑料污染也对儒艮造成了严重威胁，例如2019年，一只名为Miriam的儒艮因误食塑料而死亡。泰国政府正在努力通过重新种植海草来恢复儒艮的栖息地，但这项工作面临诸多挑战，例如气候变化和海草生长缓慢等问题。虽然这项工作可能需要5到10年才能看到成效，但我们必须坚持下去，避免重蹈中国儒艮灭绝的覆辙。 Evan Trotzuk: 我是Evan Trotzuk，来自非洲公园组织。在非洲东海岸，儒艮数量也大幅减少，主要原因是自20世纪70年代以来，刺网捕鱼的增加。刺网捕鱼是一种被动捕鱼方式，对儒艮等大型海洋生物构成严重威胁。它们很容易被缠住，导致窒息死亡。为了保护儒艮，我们与莫桑比克政府合作，开展了多种保护措施，包括社区发展、生计替代、教育、空中调查、卫星追踪、海草调查以及打击非法捕捞等。

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This chapter explores the alarming decline of dugongs in Thailand, focusing on the loss of their primary food source, seagrass, due to environmental factors like unusual sea level drops and heavy rainfall. It also highlights the impact of plastic waste and the limited success of seagrass replanting efforts.
  • Loss of seagrass due to environmental changes (sea level drop, heavy rain) is the primary cause of dugong deaths.
  • Plastic waste ingestion also contributes to dugong mortality.
  • Seagrass replanting efforts face challenges and show limited success rate.
  • Dugong population in Thailand has significantly decreased, with less than 100 remaining, and less than 10 in Trang province.

Shownotes Transcript

Dugongs are grey sea mammals, also called “sea cows”, partly because of how they look and because they graze on seagrass. The dugong can be found off the coast of 48 countries between East Africa and Vanuatu in Oceania. They are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

There used to be common sightings off the coast of Thailand but now, at least 70 dugongs have been found dead along the southern coast of the Andaman Sea over a period of 22 months. In October 2024 alone, 30 dugongs were reported dead in Thailand. What’s behind this?

Panisa Aemocha from BBC Thai, explains the importance of dugongs to local eco-systems and why their numbers are declining. We also hear what the Thai government is trying to do to save them.

Numbers have also gone down in East Africa. Evan Trotzuk from the African Parks NGO, explains why and tells us about the measures being taken to protect dugong in Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, Mozambique.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Maria Clara Montoya Video Journalist: Tim Hodges Editor: Verity Wilde