Trang Coastal Conservation - Pak Meng Beach

The Trang Coastal Conservation Hub, based at Pak Meng Beach in Trang province, southern Thailand, puts you on the front lines of efforts to protect them. Located beside Hat Chao Mai National Park on the Andaman coast, this program tackles the full spectrum of coastal threats—from mangrove degradation and plastic pollution to coral decline—through long-term, standardized fieldwork that feeds directly into conservation planning by government bodies, universities, and community partners.

Fieldwork runs Monday to Friday, based on tides, and includes seagrass and dugong habitat surveys, community mangrove restoration, coral monitoring at Koh Ngai, microplastic beach surveys, biodiversity mapping, and coastal clean-ups. The hub collaborates with local institutions like Rajamangala University and its Trang aquarium, providing volunteers with laboratory access, an animal hospital for injured marine animals, and connections with community enterprises and national park rangers. Alongside fieldwork, community education involves English teaching and environmental outreach in local schools and villages.

Weekends are free to explore the surrounding islands, national park, and southern Thai food culture. The program suits volunteers, gap-year participants, and university-level field researchers alike.