Restoring paradise

Scientists utilise technology to heal damaged ecosystems, writes Wassayos Ngamkham

- Wassayos Ngamkham

When Tania Kanchanarak looks out over the turquoise waters of Koh Phangan, she sees more than a postcard-perfect paradise.

To her, the island is a home that needs healing — its marine ecosystem scarred by decades of neglect, ghost fishing nets and drifting plastic.

So the 32-year-old scientist, half-Thai and half-Swiss, decided to return to her birthplace and dedicate her life to restoring its seas — using drones and artificial intelligence.

“I grew up here. When I was a child, I used to see dolphins on the ferry from Phangan to Samui every time,” she recalls. “Now, I haven’t seen one for years.”

“Even sea turtles, once common, are gone. Recently, I heard about a turtle dying after being trapped in a discarded fishing net. It broke my heart. That was when I knew I had to do something.”

TOOL FOR THE OCEAN

That sense of loss became the seed for ARRI (Aerial Recon & Recovery Initiative), a marine conservation project she co-founded with a group of fellow scientists.

Combining environmental science with advanced technology, the team uses drones and AI mapping systems to locate, identify and remove “ghost gear” — abandoned or lost fishing equipment that drifts unseen beneath the waves, entangling marine life and damaging coral reefs.

Their work involves scanning the waters around Koh Phangan using drones equipped with high-resolution cameras. The captured images are processed by AI to pinpoint the exact GPS coordinates of underwater debris.

Through simulation modelling, the system predicts how ocean currents carry these nets, allowing the team to plan retrieval missions more efficiently.

“When we first started, the technology wasn’t very precise. The drones sometimes crashed into the sea because we flew too low,” Ms Tania said, laughing. “But after months of adjustments, we can now map debris locations accurately. It's a big step forward for marine conservation using tech.”