Two teenage environmental activists have donated vital equipment to support Thailand’s dugong conservation program. Arin Thongtang, 17, and his sister Arisa, 15, presented two portable power stations worth 40,000 baht to the Andaman Coastal and Marine Research Center in Phuket.
The donation ceremony took place on December 26 at the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in Bangkok. The equipment will power drone operations for surveying seagrass beds and tracking dugong movements in their natural habitat.
The siblings, who founded the conservation group Below the Tides, are currently spearheading the “Long Live Dugongs” campaign. Their next goal is to raise 240,000 baht for a specialized thermal surveillance drone to enhance dugong research and protection efforts.
“We’ve raised part of the funds through Taejai.com, but we still need about 80,000 baht to reach our total goal of 280,000 baht by June 2025,” said Arin Thongtang. The campaign has collected 22,750 baht as of December.
Department Director-General Pinsak Suraswadi praised the teenagers’ dedication to marine conservation. “Their support extends beyond this project to previous initiatives involving sea turtle protection and coral reef preservation,” he said. “These young environmentalists are inspiring their peers to participate in conservation efforts.”
Below the Tides continues to accept donations through Taejai.com for their dugong conservation project, which focuses on protecting the endangered marine mammals and their critical seagrass habitat.
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