#Ecosystem

A new study reframes how Thailand’s coastlines, coral reefs, and marine life are sustained. Research indicates that flying seabirds provide a steady nutrient input to surface waters as they defecate mid-flight, fertilizing the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. This finding highlights natural processes that support Thailand’s vibrant marine ecosystems and tourism-dependent communities.

In a collaboration between researchers from a Japanese university and Thai scholars, lightweight belly-mounted cameras recorded 195 defecation events across 36 hours of seabird flight. The observations reveal that streaked shearwaters and similar species defecate almost exclusively while in flight, a behavior that creates regular aerial nutrient pulses over the sea.

A stark warning echoes from Mexico that could reshape Thailand’s booming coastal tourism. In the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand, millions seek whale sharks, dolphins, and vibrant reefs. Yet new evidence shows that even well-intentioned protections can fail without strong enforcement, training, and stakeholder engagement. Thailand’s tourism sector, worth more than $60 billion annually, faces a paradox: rapid growth and rising revenue alongside increasing risk to the very marine ecosystems that attract visitors.