The move aims to promote coral growth in damaged areas and to protect the reefs from visiting tour boats.
Paitoon Panchaiyaphoom, Director of the DMCR’s Conservation and Restoration of Marine and Coastal Resources division, said the installation of the artificial reefs and mooring buoys today was being carried out as part of two auspicious Royal projects.
“This project is part of the Area Management and Restoration of Coral Reefs of HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana and the Project of Plants Heredity Conservation of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn,” he said.
The project involves coral restoration and preservation measures covering a total of five rai in three provinces: Phuket, Phang Nga and Surat Thani.
The project is to take three days, from today through Thursday (Jan 12), with Batok Bay, Siam Bay, Lah Bay and Teu Bay the target areas around Koh Racha.
“We will take the damaged corals that are still alive and nurse them back to health before returning them to their natural habitat,” Mr Paitoon said.
“When there are more corals, marine life also increases, and that brings marine ecosystems back into balance,” he added.
The move today follows a slew of coral preservation measures launched after local conservationists publicly blamed unprofessional dive instructors for allowing coral damage when teaching beginner courses at the Batok Bay reefs.
The accusations led to a meeting with local DMCR officials, who were handed a five-point plan to ensure the preservation of the corals in the area. (See story here.)