Mr. Sakanan Plathong
Lecturer, Director of Marine Science Learning Center
Prince of Songkla University
I am a lecturer at the Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Head of Coral Reef and Benthos Research Unit, the Director for Marine Science Learning Center and the President for the Marine Science of Thailand. During the last 30 years, my experiences have been mostly on many aspects of marine environment from taxonomy, ecology to management including Benthos identification, Marine Environment Impact Assessment, coral reef, Seagrass and Mangrove Management and marine national park management. I was a project leader for the management planning for marine national parks in Thailand and the management planning and the preparation of the nomination statement for the Andaman Sea Nature Reserves to be a World heritage area. For East Asian Sea regional marine issues, I was a project consultant for UNEP-COBSEA, PEMSEA, BOBLME, IUCN, IOC-WESTPAC and Thailand-China program.
Relevant Publications Written:
- Satumanatpan S, Chuenwongarun K, Piyawongnarat T, Plathong S and Zhang Z (2025) Pathways in marine spatial planning: a systematic review of drivers and enabling conditions in the Asia-Pacific. Front. Mar. Sci. 12:1659088
- Shen. J., Guo, Z., Zhang, Z., Plathong, S., Jantharakhantee, C., Ma, J., Ning, H., and Qi, Y., 2025. Remote Sensing Shoreline Extraction Method Based on an Optimized DeepLabV3+ Model: A Case Study of Koh Lan Island, Thailand. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2025, 13, 665.
- Guo, Z., Qiao, Y, Umprasoet, W., Sun, Y., Plathong, S., Jantharakhantee, C., Zheng, Q., and Zhang, Z., 2024. Integrating issue-oriented solution of marine spatial planning (MSP): A case study of Koh Sichang in Thailand. Ocean and Coastal Management. 258: 107381.
- Zhang, Z., Plathong, S., Sun, Y., Guo, Z., Munnoy, T., Maa, L., Jantharakhantee, C., and Tanboot, L., 2022. An issue-oriented framework for Marine Spatial Planning—A case study of Koh Lan, Thailand. Regional Studies in Marine Science. 53: 102458.
- Zhang, Z., Plathong, S., Sun, Y., Guo, Z., Munnoy, T., Maa, L., Jantharakhantee, C., and Tanboot, L., 2020. Analysis of the island tourism environment based on tourists' perception—A case study of Koh Lan, Thailand. Ocean and Coastal Management. 197: 105326.
- Satumanatpan, S., Moore P. and Plathong, S. 2018. Governance challenges for the sustainability of marine and coastal resources. In: Thailand: Environmental Resources and Related Political and Social Issues. NOVA publishers. USA. pp. 219-239.
Research programs conducted/being conducted:
2025 | Project leader: Marine Spatial Planning Initiative in Lanta island, Krabi province, Thailand. Support by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. |
2025 | Project leader: Marine Spatial Planning Initiative in Chonburi Province, Thailand. Support by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. |
2023 | Project leader: Marine Spatial Planning Initiative in Phang-Nga Bay, Southern Thailand. Support by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. |
2022 | Project leader: Management Plan for Mu Ko Libong Wildlife Non-Hunting Area. Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation support by IUCN. |
2022 | Project leader: A feasibility study on marine protected area management improvement in Trang Sea, especially Mu Ko Libong Wildlife Non - Hunting Area and Hat Chao Mai National Park, Thailand. Support by IUCN. |
Training programs conducted/being conducted:
2024 | National MSP Technical Expert – Thailand for Supporting the global implementation of international marine/maritime spatial planning guidelines (MSPglobal 2.0). IOC-UNESCO/ WESTPAC | |
2023 | Lecturer: Applications of Marine Spatial Planning within the context of solving, assessing and monitoring coastal problems and contributing to the Integrated coastal Management. In IOI Training Course - Regional Ocean Governance Framework, Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its Related Instruments in the Southeast Asian Seas and the Indian Ocean. |
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2016-2025 | Course director: Marine Spatial Planning Training Courses. Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. |
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- Integrated Coastal Management (ICM)
- Coastal Use Zoning (CUZ)
- Habitat Protection, Restoration and Management
- Marine Spatial Planning (MSP)
- Project Development and Management
- Biophysical surveys/ baseline assessments
- Facilitation and Training
- Research
- Community Organizing / Stakeholder Engagement
- Marine National Park Management Plan
- Coastal Erosion Management
- Environmental Monitoring