Threat assessment and management prioritization for otters’ long-term conservation in coastal wetlands of southern Thailand

Conservation management of otters in coastal wetland of southern Thailand is still challenging. Currently, distribution data of two otter species in landscape level has already been available; however, to achieve effective management for long-term conservation, information in both human and wildlife dimensions are needed. This project has objectives to (1) assess threat toward otter survival in coastal wetlands in southern Thailand, and (2) identify management schemes and urgency of each area. Group interviews will be conducted in key districts of four provinces of southern Thailand to identify threats and their severities in each area. Interview data will then be digitized and interpolated to produce threat maps, which then will be overlaid with otter occupancy maps to identify management for each land. The result from this project will lead to effective landuse management planning of which both human and wildlife can gain benefit, that human can minimize their economic loss while wildlife can ensure their long-term survival.