Dugongs on the brink

In 2019, the struggles of a sick baby dugong named Marium captured the public’s attention, which sadly ended with her dying with plastic waste later found in her intestines. Dugong deaths were alarmingly frequent that year, with five of these gentle marine mammals found dead off the coast of Krabi and Trang.
The deaths were a significant loss for the endangered species, whose population in the Andaman Sea was estimated to be just 250 in 2022.
Unfortunately, the situation has worsened since then.
Well-known marine biologist Thon Thamrongnawasawat reported that from 2023 to 2024, it was recorded that 35 dugongs had died — an almost three-fold increase from an average of 12 per year over the past decade.
In October this year alone, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) recorded 10 dugong deaths.
Initial findings have so far revealed a grim pattern.
While four carcasses were too decomposed for the cause of death to be identified, and one was believed to have become entangled in a fishing net, the other three were found emaciated, with their digestive tracts nearly empty, suggesting they had starved.
The findings are consistent with an unusual phenomenon in which seagrass — the dugong’s primary food source — has continually died off.
According to Mr Thon, Trang province, where the seagrass is most abundant, has lost over 10,000 rai, or more than half of its reserves, in recent months.
Seagrass is vital for the survival of dugongs. A single dugong requires 15 to 40 kilogrammes of seagrass to sustain itself daily.
Its diminishing supply thus poses a direct threat to the marine mammal, which has no known alternative food.
If the current death rate continues, the total number of dugongs could decline from over 100 to just 70 in four years, according to Mr Thon.
At such low numbers, the future would be extremely bleak for dugongs as their population could become too small to maintain viability.
Although the DMCR, academics, and other agencies are working hard to find ways to protect the remaining dugongs, they have not found an effective solution.
Attempts to provide alternative food sources — placing vegetables like morning glory and cabbage at sites where dugongs usually come in to feed — have been unsuccessful. Only one dugong was seen approaching the site, but it did not eat any vegetables.
Meanwhile, the authorities are on an urgent mission to revive the seagrass.
While the exact cause of its sudden demise remains unclear, Mr Thon suggests it is possibly linked to impacts from climate change, which is also believed to be the factor behind other disturbances such as coral bleaching.
If that is the case, the rapid decline of the dugongs and unusual die-off of seagrass off the southern coast of Thailand would have added to the growing list of warnings of the toll that climate change and the more frequently observed pattern of extreme weather can take on the environment.
While there is hope that solutions will somehow be found to save the dwindling dugong population and seagrass, the signs from the Andaman Sea are clear: Thailand must do more to address the impacts of global warming and prepare for the escalating challenges of a changing climate.