Thailand's endangered 'sea cows' are washing ashore - pointing to a crisis in our seas

The Andaman Coast has one of the largest concentration of dugong in the world, so why are numbers falling dramatically and what can they tell us about a biodiversity warning cry? Don't get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThailand's Andaman Coast is home to one of the largest dugong populations in the world, with 273 of the plump marine mammals, sometimes called sea cows, estimated to be living there as of 2022. In recent years, though, more and more dead or stranded dugongs have been washing ashore. Now the Andaman Coast population may have fallen by more than half, experts say.In late November, I travelled to Phuket, following in the footsteps of film-makers Mailee Osten-Tan and Nick Axelrod, who have been investigating Thailand's dugong crisis over the past year for a new Guardian documentary.The fate of the planet's coastlines depends on how fast Antarctica's ice sheets melt. We don't know what's coming'Every time I look at one, I smile!': how axolotls took over the worldLabour's warm homes plan is all carrot and no stick for UK households Continue reading...