Trang Coastal Conservation Hub
Seagrass, mangrove, coral reef and dugong-habitat conservation on Thailand’s Andaman coast, based at Pak Meng Beach in Trang province. We work to support the development of the Trang region, while ensuring communities, culture and conservation are at the heart of any growth.
About Trang Coastal Conservation Hub
Operating since 2025
Seagrass, mangrove, coral reef and dugong-habitat conservation on Thailand’s Andaman coast, based at Pak Meng Beach in Trang province. We work to support the development of the Trang region, while ensuring communities, culture and conservation are at the heart of any growth.
Trang’s mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and coastal ecosystems face increasing pressure from habitat degradation, coastal development and the impacts of climate change. Our projects work run from land to sea, aiming at monitoring and recovering different coastal habitats.
- Seagrass & dugong habitat — Seagrass and dugong habitat - transect surveys monitoring the health and distribution of seagrass meadows, and restoration actions in partnership with the local university, including laboratory cultivation and in-situ plantation.
- Mangroves — Mangroves - community-based ecological mangrove restoration (CBEMR), monitoring of restoration areas, support for community-led mangrove management plans.
- Plastic pollution — beach cleans and standardised microplastic beach surveys.
- Coral — Coral Check and Reef Check snorkel surveys at local islands, and coral restoration in partnership with the local university, including nurseries for coral cultivation and in-situ installation.
- Wildlife & habitat mapping — regular bird surveys to map seasonal and spatial changes.
- Marine animal care — supporting the local university on health monitoring and recovering of sea turtles and other rescued marine animals.
- Community education — conservation awareness and nature exploration activities with children from the local community.
Learning programmes for groups. With its education partners the hub also hosts residential visits for under-18s; curriculum-focused expeditions (CAS, GCSE Biology and Geography field studies, project- and research-based trips); Duke of Edinburgh Award support; career-readiness intensives; gap-year programmes; and university-level field courses.
Project work
Coastal conservation
Seagrass, mangrove, biodiversity and microplastic surveys build long-term, consistent datasets for conservation partners, while restoration work — from community-based mangrove planting to coral and seagrass restoration — helps recovering habitats hold their ground.
Community-led & ethical
The hub works through local institutions: Rajamangala University and its Trang aquarium, village schools, national-park rangers, and community enterprises such as Bo Hin Farmstay and the Panae craft weavers. Data and results are shared with government, community partners and research groups.
The experience
Volunteers live about 100 metres from Pak Meng Beach in a quiet fishing community. Fieldwork runs Monday to Friday around the tides; weekends are free for the islands, national park and southern Thailand's food and culture.
Approach
The hub's approach rests on long-term, consistent data. Seagrass, mangrove, biodiversity and microplastic surveys follow standardised protocols, so results can be compared season on season and shared with conservation partners, government and research groups.
Restoration is community-based by design. Mangrove work follows the CBEMR approach — community engagement and participatory methods combined with environmental education and hands-on ecosystem restoration — and projects such as seagrass and coral restoration help keep management in local hands.
Everything runs through local institutions. Rajamangala University and its Trang aquarium anchor the science; schools, community enterprises and national-park rangers anchor the community strand. Field work follows the tides, and education runs alongside it.
Impact
The Trang Coastal Conservation Hub opened in 2025 and has reported into the network's shared monitoring framework from its first season. In partnership with Rajamangala University, the team runs seagrass, mangrove, biodiversity and microplastic monitoring around Pak Meng and the Hat Chao Mai coast. The figures below are drawn from the hub's monitoring records, grouped by year.
2026
2025
Milestones
- 2007Coastal work in southern Thailand began at Ao Luk, running expeditions and an education partnership with the local non-formal education centre.
- 2012The base relocated to Ban Nam Khem in Phang Nga province.
- 2013Coastal conservation and community projects opened, with partnerships including the Royal Thai Navy turtle sanctuary and the coastal fisheries research centre.
- 2016The first island wildlife monitoring project was set up on Koh Prathong and Koh Ra.
- 2020The programme paused in the COVID-19 hibernation.
- 2021Staff and volunteers returned; sea-turtle conservation restarted at the navy base and community teaching resumed.
- 2024The programme moved south to Krabi in partnership with NatureMind.
- 2025The Trang coastal hub opened at Pak Meng: seagrass, mangrove, microplastic and bird monitoring established alongside the Rajamangala University partnership.
- 2026The second season of monitoring got under way, reporting into the network's shared impact framework.
Highlights
- Trang's seagrass meadows are Thailand's most important dugong habitat — the dugong is the region's flagship species.
- Based about 100 metres from Pak Meng Beach, next to Hat Chao Mai National Park.
- Works with Rajamangala University and the Rajamangala Aquarium Trang, with access to laboratory facilities and the university animal hospital.
- Snorkel surveys track coral reef health in islands nearby, with coral nurseries supporting restoration.
- Community projects range from seagrass restoration led by local fishers and community mangrove management plans.
- The long-term ambition is an Institute of Conservation and Global Citizenship in Trang.
Setting
Trang province sits on the southern Andaman coast between Krabi and the Malaysian border — a coastline of mangrove estuaries, seagrass meadows and offshore islands including Koh Ngai and Koh Libong. Programme sites centre on the Sikao district and the near islands, with the base at Pak Meng: a quiet beach village with an authentic fishing community and traditional markets.
Trang itself offers a laid-back southern-Thai experience, with night markets, local restaurants and easy access to Hat Chao Mai National Park and the Khao Chong wildlife conservation station — good ground for island-hopping, snorkelling, hiking and birdwatching. Accommodation is at Dugong Village on the mainland, with Thapwarin on Koh Ngai used offshore.
Volunteering
Volunteer placement FAQs
What does a typical week look like?
Fieldwork runs Monday to Friday, with early tide-dependent starts for seagrass monitoring and weekends free. Activities rotate across a fortnight, for example:
Week one — caring for rescued marine animals with university partners and kayaking in the mangroves; a beach clean and microplastics survey; a bird survey, national-park visit and mangrove restoration; seagrass monitoring and data entry; coral surveys on the nearby islands.
Week two — mangrove nursery and restoration sessions; seagrass monitoring and a cooking class; conservation presentations; monitoring coral nursery followed by in-situ restoration; a beach clean and a visit to the botanical gardens.
Evenings mix Thai lessons, Muay Thai, night markets and community dinners.
Where will I stay?
The base is Dugong Village, about 100 metres from Pak Meng Beach: shared six-bed dorm rooms with air conditioning,two bathrooms per six bed room, a pool, a meeting room and workspace, and free bicycles. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided on weekdays; volunteers self-cater at the weekend. For offshore work, Thapwarin on Koh Ngai is used as the island base.
Do I need to be able to dive?
No. Most of the work is walking or snorkel-based — seagrass surveys in the shallows, mangrove work, beach surveys. Coral activities are also possible without scuba, including protocol design, data analysis, snorkel surveys and intertidal work at low tide.
Will I see dugongs?
Direct sightings are rare, which is exactly why the work matters. The hub surveys key dugong feeding habitat — seagrass meadows — and uses signs such as feeding trails to detect their presence.
How do I get there?
Fly to Krabi International Airport; the transfer to the hub takes about an hour and a half, with pickups arranged on programme start dates.
Who does the hub work with?
Rajamangala University and the Rajamangala Aquarium Trang, Bhan Chang Lam School, Bo Hin Farmstay, the Panae craft weavers, and local national-park rangers, alongside the wider Pak Meng community.
Can school or university groups visit?
Yes. The hub hosts co-designed group programmes: residential visits for under-18s, curriculum-linked field studies (including CAS and GCSE Biology and Geography), Duke of Edinburgh Award support, and university-level field courses.
When is the best time to come?
The hub runs year-round. July and August fall in the dry season, and survey timings follow the tides through the year.
Group bookings
We also host school groups, university groups, under-18 cohorts, Duke of Edinburgh groups and bespoke groups.
School group info University group info U18 cohort info DofE group info Bespoke group info