Wildlands Studies: The Thailand Project: Marine And Coastal Ecology Of The Indo-Pacific

Team members of the Thailand program will explore vibrant marine ecosystems and learn about the ecological and evolutionary significance of key species. Moving from Ko Rang on the Eastern border with Cambodia, to Ko Surin in the Andaman Sea, to Ko Adang on the Southern border with Malaysia, we will cover the breadth of coastal Thailand. In each of these locations fringing reefs provide an excellent natural classroom for evolutionary biology and coral reef ecology. On several islands, effective conservation efforts have resulted in fish that are generally larger and more abundant; whereas, on other islands, long-term human impacts have changed the composition of the reef community to one that supports smaller fish and larger, more abundant invertebrates. Our sites span the Pacific and Indian Oceans, showcasing coral reef diversity at this fascinating junction.

Throughout our study sites, we will survey selected coral and fish species. We will conduct transects to compare the health and diversity of reef communities. Our findings will become part of a data series collected over more than ten years. We will leverage this data to compare dynamics over time and space.

Mainland coastal sites are another focus of our program in Maritime Southeast Asia. Trang Bay is a system of river channels that converges to form an estuary amidst towering pinnacles of weathered limestone. Communities of artisanal fishermen practice ecologically sustainable methods for harvesting crabs and fish from the shallow waters of the bay. With its extensive sea-grass beds (essentially, meadows that flourish on the sandy bottom of calm tropical bays where waters are shallow and clear), the area around Trang supports Thailand’s only population of dugongs. These gentle, grazing marine mammals are kin to the Caribbean manatee. In Trang, non-government organizations have been active in promoting coastal conservation and the rights of Indigenous people to control the local fishery. Local people have in turn become ardent dugong conservationists. It is here in Trang that we will witness how local activism can establish wildlife protection initiatives.

This program presents a singular opportunity to assess issues that affect coastal and marine environments in Thailand; to investigate the habitat firsthand; and to evaluate possible strategies to solve problems posed by resource extraction, coastal development, introduced species and climate change. By the end of the program, students will have gained an in-depth understanding of many marine species and about Indigenous seafaring culture groups.

Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Accommodations:  Primarily camping, occasional youth hostel or rural lodge
Credits: 15 quarter credits or 10 semester credits