{"id":68102,"date":"2025-11-27T13:10:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T06:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/?p=68102"},"modified":"2025-11-27T13:21:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T06:21:59","slug":"thailands-coastal-communities-and-indigenous-peoples-are-fighting-for-their-right-to-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/story\/68102\/thailands-coastal-communities-and-indigenous-peoples-are-fighting-for-their-right-to-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Thailand\u2019s Coastal communities and Indigenous Peoples are fighting for their right to development."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Southern Thailand is standing at a crossroads between the government-led coastal industrial development plan which is expected to create jobs and the country’s economic growth against threats to coastal and small-scale fisher communities whose rights, livelihoods, and ecological knowledge would be lost. The proposed deep-sea ports to connect two seas – Andaman and the Gulf of Thailand – with a motorway and a dual-track railway  titled \u201cLand Bridge\u201d are moving forward without genuine community consent, despite the fact that local fishers and Indigenous peoples will bear the brunt of its pollution and ecological devastation including irreversible seabed destruction.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
A marine research team from Prince of Songkla University, together with the Southern Green Foundation, Beach for Life, Greenpeace Thailand, EnLAW, the Ranong Conservation Network, the Moken community, the Pa Toh Conservation Network, and the Pak Nam Lang Suan coastal community, carried out a citizen science survey of benthic fauna in Ao Ang, Ranong Province\u2014 the proposed site of the Ranong\u2013Chumphon deep-sea port under the Land Bridge project \u2014 after the project\u2019s EHIA reported finding only one benthic species at a density of seven individuals per square meter.<\/strong>
Greenpeace Thailand supports the creation of \u201ccommunity seas\u201d\u2014community-led marine protected areas\u2014along with the rights of small-scale fishers and coastal communities who are facing the impacts of the climate crisis, industrial pollution, destructive fisheries, and large-scale development projects.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

If the project is approved to proceed, this would irreversibly damage some of Thailand\u2019s most intact marine ecosystems. Ranong is home to the country\u2019s largest mangrove forest known as the UNESCO-recognized Ranong Biosphere Reserve\u201d which will be threatened by this project. That is why Greenpeace Thailand, together with community networks and marine researchers, launched a mission to document benthic species in the project area\u2014collecting scientific evidence to challenge the government\u2019s claim that this coastline is suitable for large-scale industrialization.<\/p>\n\n

But this mission is more than science. It is a statement of power.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The Yang Kot and Chang Haek port communities in Ranong are sorting visible benthic fauna collected after the research team sampled sediment in Ao Ang, Ranong\u2014the proposed site of the Ranong\u2013Chumphon deep-sea port under the Land Bridge project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Local communities, Indigenous groups, students, and small-scale fishers came together to sort and identify benthic organisms from the collected samples\u2014putting citizen science at the core of this marine research. Through this approach,  they can see with their own eyes the diversity of life beneath their sea and affirm what they have always known: their seas are abundant, alive, and essential to their livelihoods, food security, and future.<\/p>\n\n

Sakanun Plathong, the benthos research team lead, Prince of Songkhla University said:<\/strong>
\u201c At least 30 species of benthic animals were found in each sampling station. We\u2019ll continue to analyze the sediment in the lab to uncover more microscopic species so that we will know the exact number of benthos species in each station. \u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Sakanun Plathong, the benthos research team lead, Prince of Songkhla University<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

He noted what they witnessed at sea:
\u201cWe saw a lot of coastal fishers working at the sea. Even though the seabed is just mud, life thrives\u2014shrimp, shellfish, crabs, and fish are fed by these benthic organisms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Local Voices: \u2018This Land and Sea Are Ours\u2019<\/h3>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Tom Sinsuwan, a Thai diaspora and small-scale fisher in Ranong,<\/strong> joined the research team on the boat. Her message was clear:<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOur livelihoods come from the sea. If this project gets the green light, we will lose everything. Today’s research gives us evidence that our sea is truly abundant. The government must listen\u2014and at the very least pause the project and confront the truth of what communities have been saying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Another small-scale fisher in Ranong, Somkiat Manjit, <\/strong>also <\/strong>echoed his concerns after helping sort the samples:<\/p>\n\n

\u201cDon Ta Phaeo, an area identified by the local community as rich in marine life and  may be affected by the deep-sea port project, is a biodiversity hotspot. Today, I learned about polychaetes, crustaceans\u2014tiny creatures that sustain our fish, our shrimp, and our lives. If the government buries the sea here, we, small-scale fishers, will have no future. This place must remain abundant for our descendants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The benthic organisms that the community helped separate from the mud are those visible to the naked eye. The research team will next collect samples from various points to identify smaller, microscopic marine species and analyze the results.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

From Top-Down Development to Community Leadership<\/h3>\n\n

Kadesiree Thossaphonpaisan, Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace Thailand<\/strong>, emphasized why the campaign centers on local communities:<\/p>\n\n

\u201cCitizen science emphasizes people\u2019s participation. Local communities who rely on these ecosystems must have a leading role in decision-making. Coastal communities and Indigenous peoples have protected and sustainably used these resources for generations. They must not be excluded and be affected by top-down development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

On the choice to document biodiversity at Don Ta Phaeo, she added:<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis underwater sand dune is a crucial fishing ground for small-scale fishers and the Moken people\u2014yet it has never been officially recognized by the state, despite its importance. By using citizen science, we are proving what they have long known: this area is alive, valuable, and worth defending.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace Thailand calls on the Thai government\u2014under its commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)\u2014to respect the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities<\/strong>, and  genuinely implement Thailand\u2019s national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAP) to meet the fair and sustainable 30\u00d730 target.<\/strong> This is impossible if frontline communities are excluded from decision-making processes.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Join us in defending Thailand\u2019s \u201ccommunity seas.\u201d<\/a> Stand with small-scale fishers and coastal and Indigenous communities to protect their rights, safeguard marine ecosystems, and stop destructive megaprojects before they erase the future of our coasts.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Supang Chatuchinda is a Digital Campaigner with Greenpeace Thailand.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ranong is home to the country\u2019s largest mangrove forest which will be threatened by a motorway and a dual-track railway\u00a0 titled \u201cLand Bridge\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":68111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"Thailand\u2019s Coastal communities and Indigenous Peoples are fighting for their right to development.","p4_og_description":"Southern Thailand is standing at a crossroads between the government-led coastal industrial development plan which is expected to create jobs and the country's economic growth against threats to coastal and small-scale fisher communities whose rights, livelihoods, and ecological knowledge would be lost. ","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[86,113,111],"p4-page-type":[16],"class_list":["post-68102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oceans","tag-human-rights","tag-impacted-communities","tag-indigenous-rights","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68102"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68113,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68102\/revisions\/68113"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68102"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=68102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}