Students explore mangrove forests and ocean life through new interactive nature trail signboards and a Virtual Reality Diving Library at the UNESCO Ranong Biosphere Reserve

The sound of snapping shrimp marking their mangrove territories and the scuttle of fiddler crabs underfoot kicked off an unusual science lesson in Ranong on 3 November 2025. Students, teachers, and community members followed a nature trail at the Ranong Mangrove Research Center equipped with new Augmented Reality (AR) signboards that enabled them to learn not from textbooks, but directly from the landscape itself.

The trail markers, launched by the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN Coordination in Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok) together with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) and supported by Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., the parent company of UNIQLO, are part of UNESCO's regional Sustaining Our Oceans initiative. It combines on-site environmental learning with digital innovation to deepen young people's understanding of marine ecosystems and inspire stewardship of Southeast Asia's coastal heritage.

Stretching two kilometres through the mangrove forest at the UNESCO Ranong Biosphere Reserve , it features 20 interactive signboards, most of which come alive with AR animation when viewed through a smartphone. They reveal how tides shift with the moon, how mangroves nurture marine life, and how "living fossils" link Ranong's coastline to the ancient past. Educators can also access a FieldLab Toolkit, a resource designed for teachers and students that promotes field discussions with local fishers and mangrove conservation groups.

'Our ocean is essential to all life, yet more than 80 percent of it remains unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored,' said Rika Yorozu, Education Programme Specialist at UNESCO Bangkok. 'By bringing immersive learning and local community involvement into the classroom, we offer students a vivid way to experience both the beauty and the fragility of the ocean-beyond what textbooks can provide.'