CityNews – On the 29th of September 2019 Flight of the Gibbon successfully continued their Mangrove Planting Project by planting over 500 mangrove saplings on Samae Sarn Island in Chonburi. This is the second year that the Flight of the Gibbon will be taking part in this project with help of many people, including Royal Thai Navy Seals, Thai Island, Sea Natural History Museum team, Off-road team, Thai Eco Solutions, Flight of the Gibbon staff, volunteers and partners.
The planting site this year was on the Samae Sarn island, which is “Thai Island and Sea Natural History Museum” area where they planted hundreds of mangroves last year. The day of the event started with gathering all parties and volunteers of the short ceremony about the introduction and purpose of this event. After that everyone went to the island by speed boat around 20 minutes to arrive at Samae Sarn island.
The process to plant mangrove saplings is quite technical and time consuming. The mangroves must be planted above the low tide line and below the high tide line. Also, the tubes that house the mangrove saplings are layered with various dirt, clay, rocks and gravel. They are also counter sunk to protect them from strong winds. Maintenance is then carried out on a regular basis including weeding and fertilising.
Mangroves are a diminishing resource and provide huge benefits to local ecosystems. They provide habitat for thousands of various species, protect the coastline from erosion and maintain water quality and clarity. The company’s goal is to continue these events yearly including their tree planting throughout Thailand and help to inspire others to join the eco-tourism revolution, whether it’s getting involved and helping out or encouraging people to make eco-friendly buying decisions.