“BlueQuest”: A Tourism and Marine Conservation
Application Developed by Young Conservationist “Narida Charanachitta”
Inviting Everyone to Turn Travel into a Force for Nature and Environmental Conservation
Driven by the belief that marine conservation should not be the responsibility of only a select group of people, but something that everyone can take part in, “Claire – Narida Charanachitta”, a 17-year-old Thai youth, who has been actively involved in marine conservation for more than seven years has played a role in advancing sustainability issues on both national and international stages, has initiated the development of BlueQuest. The application is designed to connect tourism with participation in marine resource conservation, transforming every journey into an accessible starting point for conservation that everyone can take part in.
Recognising that the sea is one of the destinations many people regularly choose to visit to relax and create new experiences, there are often moments during a journey when people encounter small things that can affect the natural environment – whether it is rubbish along the beach, marine animals in need of assistance, or environmental issues taking place in the area. While people may want to help, what is often missing is a channel through which such information can be passed on to relevant authorities.
Through her years of experience working with wide range of sectors – including conducting field studies and monitoring marine environmental issues, communicating to raise public awareness, and bringing the perspectives of Thai youth to discussions on international platforms, including forums under the framework of the United Nations, both in Thailand and overseas – Claire has come to recognize these challenges which raises an important question: why do so many people who want to help protect nature still lack a tool that enables them to participate easily and continuously in their everyday lives?
This question led to the development of BlueQuest, an application designed to connect tourists, local residents who live and work near the sea, businesses and relevant government organisations, enabling them to conveniently participate in monitoring and caring for the marine environment. Users can report information encountered during their travels or in their everyday lives, while the application also integrates tourism information, maps, news and essential tourist information to help users plan their journeys, all within a single application.
BlueQuest is therefore more than simply a tourism application. It is a tool designed to transform “seeing something” into “taking action”, by giving users the opportunity to report a wide range of marine environmental incidents. These include sightings of injured, stranded or entangled marine animals (Marine Life Sightings); rubbish and pollution found along beaches, in mangrove forests and in the sea (Pollution); issues or suggestions relating to tourist destinations (Tourist Spot); and illegal activities that affect marine resources (Illegal Activity). In this way, BlueQuest connects travel experiences with participation in marine conservation, allowing users to easily and systematically share problems encountered during their journeys.
One of BlueQuest’s key strengths is its simple and accessible design, making it suitable for everyone – whether tourists, local residents, people who work near the sea, or school and university students. The application is available in four languages: Thai, English, Chinese and Russian. Users do not need any specialised environmental knowledge. Simply download the application, register, enable location services, select the Report menu, take a photograph or upload an image, specify the location, add details and submit the information to the system immediately. This makes it easier for everyone to take part in caring for the sea, in line with BlueQuest’s goal of making nature conservation and environmental protection simple and accessible to all.
To ensure that the information collected can be put to practical use, every report submitted through the BlueQuest application undergoes a verification process by system administrators to assess its completeness and accuracy and reduce duplication before being forwarded to the relevant authorities or organisations according to the type of incident. During the initial phase of operation, the system aims to conduct a preliminary review within approximately 24 hours. Users can also track the progress of their reports through the My Reports and Notifications menus, from the verification and information confirmation stages through to the forwarding of reports to the relevant authorities.
Another notable feature is that, in addition to its environmental incident reporting system, BlueQuest also brings together tourism information designed to enhance the travel experience. This includes information on tourist attractions, maps, weather conditions, sunrise and sunset times, as well as high and low tide times, allowing users to plan marine activities more appropriately and safely. The application also covers tourist destinations across a wide range of regions, encouraging every journey to become both an opportunity to discover new experiences and a form of sustainable travel that creates a deeper connection with the surrounding natural environment.
BlueQuest does not serve as a replacement for government authorities or specialised organisations. Instead, it acts as an intermediary for collecting, verifying and forwarding validated information, therefore, supporting coordination and helping environmental issues occurring in local areas become more visible. Most importantly, information that has already been recorded and stored can also be used as a database by government agencies and relevant organisations for future applications and further benefit.
Protecting the sea may begin with someone who sets out on a journey, notices something, and chooses not to simply let it pass. And perhaps the best journeys are not only those in which we discover new places, but those in which we leave something good behind.
The BlueQuest application is now available for download on iOS via the App Store and Android via Google Play Store. Join BlueQuest in turning every journey into a small force for caring for the sea, creating value for the environment and creating beautiful memories for yourself, while helping to preserve a healthy and thriving natural environment for generations of travellers to come.
