Ko Libong Non‑Hunting Area and Hat Chao Mai National Park, covering a combined area of approximately 276,000 hectares in Trang Province, form one of the most important coastal conservation landscapes in Peninsular Thailand. The site encompasses an extensive mosaic of mangroves, intertidal mudflats, estuarine waters, seagrass beds, coral reefs, sandy beaches, and limestone coastal hills. It is internationally significant for biodiversity, supporting globally important wintering populations of the Endangered Spotted Greenshank, along with numerous other migratory shorebirds. The area also hosts one of Thailand’s largest populations of Dugong and a wide range of threatened terrestrial and marine species, reflecting its high ecological value.

The coastal ecosystems provide essential ecosystem services, including freshwater supply, fisheries production, shoreline protection, and cultural services linked to nature‑based tourism. Local livelihoods depend heavily on small‑scale fisheries, shellfish aquaculture, mangrove resource use, and tourism activities. However, increasing pressures from aquaculture expansion, tourism development, port activities, and climate‑related risks pose challenges to long‑term sustainability. Strengthening sustainable fisheries and shellfisheries management, improving coastal planning, restoring mangroves and seagrass habitats, expanding biodiversity monitoring, and promoting well‑managed nature‑based tourism offer key opportunities to enhance resilience while safeguarding ecological integrity and community livelihoods.

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