Marine conservation volunteer project in Thailand

Hello, my name is Melodie and I am fundraising to take part in a marine conservation volunteering project with Projects Abroad in Koh Tao, Thailand in July 2026.

In 2024, I had the privilege of diving in the reefs of Koh Samui where I was able to see the true effects of climate change and over-consumption leading to littered oceans and bleached coral. This experience led to me researching more into marine conservation, and discovered the charity Projects Abroad who have been volunteering in different communities and protecting ecosystems throughout the world for over 30 years.

The main focus of this project is to help restore and protect vulnerable coral reefs, while also creating new artificial reefs. This involves surveys, construction work, and planting coral fragments onto new nurseries underwater. Coral reefs require extensive maintenance to keep them clean and to reduce the invasion of invasive species. The Department of Marine & Coastal Resources have given Projects Abroad permission to transplant coral in surrounding areas of Koh Tao in order to rebuild impacted areas. I will be assisting marine biologists in research and the restoration of different corals and the different techniques suited for different species and areas.

On this volunteering project, myself and others will also help to clean local beaches of litter and improve ecosystems by building artificial reef structures and gathering underwater data. I will learn about different research methods to analyse water quality and coral health. The data collected will go to local officials in order to push for changes in government regulations regarding debris levels in the oceans. We will also plan dives to safely remove debris that are threatening coral reefs and other marine life.

Over the next year, I will be fundraising for myself to raise the amount required to take part. This is to cover the costs of the volunteer project, flights, accommodation and food. The first fundraising event I have organised is a 418ft abseil off of the national abseil center in August which is the largest abseil tower in the world!

Any donations to help me find the courage to actually climb over the edge will be gratefully received! I will update my page regularly with other fundraising events throughout the year. Thank you for taking the time to read this!