With the imposed restrictions and a range of increasing environmental and economic pressures emerging that are only exacerbated by being cast out of Thai society, the Moken risk losing this precious knowledge that has remained within the community for generations.
In 2020, Moken elders proposed an innovative project to help preserve the ancestral wisdom and restore the islands health. With many out of work because of Covid-19 and the lack of tourism, something needed to be done. This was where Moken Against Marine Debris was born.
The Surin Islands boast some of the best marine life in Thailand. Surrounded by coral reefs, turtles, sharks and many other predatory fish, it is being rapidly impacted by an onslaught of marine pollution. The location of the islands mean that tons of debris from Thailand, Myanmar and India end up washing up onto their beaches. This effects nesting turtles, who often must fight their way onto the beaches to lay their eggs.