Queen’s sea turtle conservation project on Koh Mannai
Concerned about the rapid decline of sea turtle populations in Thailand, Her Majesty the Queen Sirikit initiated the “Queen’s Project on Sea Turtle Conservation” in 1979. On the 11th of August of that year, Her Majesty donated her island property named Koh Mannai to the Department of Fisheries, for the establishment of the project.
Located off the coast of Rayong Province in the northern part of the Gulf of Thailand, the island has a total area of about 22 hectares.
In 1985, the project was transformed to become the “Sea Turtle Conservation Station” under the Department of Fisheries. Since 2003, the station has been operated by Department of Marine Costal and Resources (DMCR), of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.