Coral Diversity at Losin Island, an Offshore Reef in the Gulf of Thailand: Toward a Future MPA
Speaking of the dive sites in Thai waters, “Losin Island”
Dr.Mathinee Yucharoen
Marine and Coastal Resources Institute (MACORIN), Faculty of Environmental Management (FEM) and Coastal Oceanography and Climate Change Research Center (COCC), Prince of Songkla University
It locates in the most southern Gulf of Thailand, would be one of the top dive sites for scuba divers. This is because of its beautiful and healthy reefs. Some marine endangered species, i.e., whale shark, manta ray, guitarfish, etc. are generally found in this area. In 2017, COCC researcher joined a coral reef survey with the specialists from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and Walailak University. The survey is under the Project on Marine Biodiversity of Losin Island Survey to prepare for the proposal to designate Losin Island to be a Thailand’s Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Losin Island consists of a reef area encompassing about 65,000 square meters and is associated with good water quality. The reef on the south and west sides had high live coral coverage about 80-90%. Dense Acropora communities at those sites included A. intermedia, A. grandis, A. hyacinthus, and several corymbose species. Some Montipora, Porites, and Pocillopora were found interspersed. Whereas, live corals at the east reef due to wave exposure showed lower percentage coverage about 40-50%. A total of 76 hard coral species were recorded in Losin Reef. Of those, as many as 26 species of Acropora species were found. Specially, we observed a rare species, Acropora longicyathus in this area.
The findings of this project were not only published in an international research journal but also used as supporting information for the establishment of conservation measures and the MPA designation of Losin Island, Panare District, Pattani Province. This process has been implemented by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment under the Act on the Promotion of Marine and Coastal Resources Management B.E. 2558 (2015).
Full article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00130/full
Citation: Yucharoen M, Chankong A, Phongsuwan N, Ninwat S, Darumas U, Thongkao S and Phasombun S (2020) Coral Diversity at Losin Pinnacle, an Offshore Reef in the Gulf of Thailand: Toward a Future MPA. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:130. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00130
