The Moken are an ethnic group of nomadic fishermen living on several islands in the Andaman Sea, off the coast of Burma and Thailand. Traditionally they move around and live part of the year on their boats, the kabang, subsisting on fishing and shellfish harvesting. But their way of life has been threatened for several years. Intensive fishing is drastically reducing the fish and shellfish resources they have access to, and plastic pollution is hindering their work.
The Surin Islands are an archipelago located in the Andaman Sea, 60 km from the Thai mainland. The Moken people who settled on these islands lived a semi-traditional life in a village with 80 homes. Surin is a national park and many tourists visit the Moken village daily. The Moken of Surin are confronted with the problem of plastic waste brought by tourists, as well as plastic waste carried by sea, which washes up on the numerous beaches and wild creeks of the archipelago.
In 2019 the Moken started a beach restoration initiative that was supported through private funding over three years. 10 tons of plastic have been collected at the remote bays around the Surin islands and shipped to the mainland to be recycled. It was sent to our recycling in Ranong Province, which has purchased plastic at a fair price since the beginning of this project to ensure sustainability.
In 2021, the collection of plastic waste by the Moken of Surin was extended to the islands of Ra and Pratong, with the construction of a small warehouse.
In May 2022, “Moken Ocean Guardians” was established as the first Moken-owned Community Enterprise to support the development of plastic collection activity on the islands and coastal area of Khuraburi.
Project leaders: Lena Blumiller-Klathale, Juri and Hook Klathale
Website: https://www.mokenislands.com/
