Mangrove Conservation in Ao Luk

Friday, the 9th of May 2008 was the 11th village visit as part of the Ao Luk Village Project. The project is a longterm collaboration between the Ao Luk Community Development Office, the mayor of Ao Luk, GVI Thailand, and the heads of 52 villages that make up the district of Ao Luk. Through this project Expedition Members (EMs) visit rural villages throughout Ao Luk and assist with a development, conservation, or education project as chosen by the head of the that village. Past projects have included trash pick-ups, general cleaning and improvements of schools, temples, and community centers, tree planting, and working with school children. It also provides the GVI community and the community of Ao Luk to share their culture, traditions, language, food, and smiles.

This Friday's trip took place in the village of Ban Klong Suk, located in the Ao Luk Thai sub district, not far from the GVI base. This village is home to Bor Thor, a famous pier with access to mangrove forests, amazing caves, hidden lagoons, and 3,000-5,000 year old cave paintings. Each 5 weeks EMs have the opportunity to visit this local attraction and kayak through some of the region's hidden treasures.

However, this week's visit wasn't a siteseeing one. The head of Ban Klong Suk asked that EMs assist the community with replanting mangroves in a degraded area. Mangroves are coastal trees known for their ability to cope with changing tides and brackish waters which create a unique ecosystem specific to this environment. The mangrove forests create a buffer zone which protects the land from the storms, winds, and waves of the seas and protect the land from destruction and erosion. Unfortunately mangrove forests around the world have been destroyed and replaced with aquiculture ponds for raising shrimp and crabs, agricultural fields, and buildings, removing nature's buffer zone completely. As imagined this leaves these inland areas once again vulnerable to rising tides, violent storms, heavy winds, and big waves.

On this particular Friday the community was joined by the GVI team along with the mayor and his family, folks from Wetlands International -Thailand Office, and the head of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR). Together we planted a mangrove plot that had been illegally cut and burned with new seedlings. We were lucky to have so many experts at hand to teach us the proper way to replant the trees in order that they survive into adulthood.

Mangrove Conservation in Ao Luk