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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume IV - 2012 73  Songkram, Samut Sakorn, Surat Thani and Nakorn Si Thammarat. However, man- grove habitat in the country has increased in the last few years according to the latest survey conducted in 2004 by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Mangrove area increased to approximately 1,460,622 rai or 233,700 ha, the area recorded in 1996 was only 1,047,381 rai or 167,580 ha. There is hope that mangrove forest area will increase in the future. With close participation among all stakeholders including government agencies, the private sector, non-government agencies and local communities, mangrove habitat area can increase through important activities like rehabilitation and conservation. Shrimp ponds Resettlement area Figure 16: Clearing of mangrove forests for shrimp farming and resettlement area. Future Directions and Sustainable Mangrove Management Mangrove forests of the Kingdom of Thailand cover an area of approximately 1.5 million rai or 240,000 ha along the coastlines of the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Covering such an extensive area, these precious ecosystems and their resources will have to be sustainably managed. The holistic management approach should be implemented to achieve economic, social and ecological balance. Three main activities should be implemented in order to facilitate this aim, mangrove rehabilitation, protection and sustainable resource utilization. Sanit Aksornkoae