PHANG NGA, 8 March 2012 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s Phang Nga branch has organized the “Save Sea, Save Turtle” campaign to raise awareness in turtle conservation.
In response to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s initiative to conserve the marine environment, the TAT and Phang Nga residents have released 99 giant clams and 85 turtles into the sea. The marine creatures came from the Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Bureau. Divers also helped collect garbage from underwater around the corals to preserve the environment.
The event is held annually and this year it is organized from March 1-10 at Thai Muang district.
Over the past ten years, four types of turtles namely: hawksbill, green, leatherback, and olive ridley turtles have been laying eggs on the Thai Muang Beach. However the number of turtles visiting the beach to lay eggs has been on a decline. Only the leatherbacks have been coming to the Thai Muang Beach to lay eggs in the past three years.
For this reason, the TAT has organized the event to help preserve the ecosystem and promote sustainable tourism at the same time
