Laem Phak Bia (Royal Project), Phetchaburi
Laem Phak Bia is a Royal Project in Phetchaburi Province. The aim is to treat wastewater and solid waste before returning the water to the sea where mangrove forest has also been regenerated. The shoreline can be accessed via elevated duckboards which traverse the mud. Annotated noticeboards along the way help identify the different species of crab. The wetlands are also in the top ten in Thailand for birdwatching. A side-project is linked to the cultivation of sea lettuce and sea grape in tanks, while outside, salt is produced naturally by evaporating seawater in basins. On this particular trip thousands of microscopic crab larvae were released into the sea, also part of the project’s conservation aims.
Sea grape being cultivated in tanks. It looks like fish-roe and in some places is referred to as 'Green Caviar'. It is associated with long life in Japan and sometimes referred to as 'longevity seaweed'.
