Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
LIFE BELOW WATER 14 Resources • “Building Resilience to Climate Change Impacts in Coastal Southeast Asia (BCR),” by Angela Jöhl, International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2013 •7 Greens via the Tourism Authority of Thailand www.7greens.tourism thailand.org 42 BALANCED MANAGEMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES The Sufficiency Economy Philosophy is helping Thailand stem the tide of excessive exploitation of its marine ecosystems and coastal resources for economic purposes. By encouraging moderation, prudent decision-making and stakeholder engagement, Thailand is seeing a new mindset developing in this area of key concern. Recognizing that practices such as shrimp farming, the destruction of mangroves, overfishing, and development and encroachment by the tourism industry are putting the future of Thailand’s majestic seas and coasts at risk, a new, more balanced approach in line with the principles of SEP is taking hold in the private sector, and at both the community and national levels. For fishermen, this can mean abandoning the use of harmful bottom-trawling nets that damage coral and scoop up everything in their path. In the US$64-billion a year tourism industry, the notion of “reasonableness” implicit in SEP might require enforcing a cap on the number of annual visitors to Thailand’s 22 national marine parks, or preventing the construction of tourism-related infrastructure in pristine areas. At the village level, successful conservation efforts often manifest in the community taking ownership of initiatives such as the protection and rehabilitation of mangroves, or the development of eco-friendly aquaculture systems. Regarding energy resources, increased dialogue between the many stakeholders is also helping to create a more sincere balance between Thailand’s economic needs and the concerns of local communities who also depend on the local environment for their livelihoods. By using the principles of SEP through the promotion of conservation and environmental protection, Thailand’s “Life Under Water” is proving to be rich enough to satisfy all interests. OUR PROGRESS Small communities are increasingly taking responsibility for stewardship of the ecosystems they depend on. Over the years, the spirit of unity inspired by SEP has helped bring together an array of like-minded talent focused on protecting and rehabilitating the country’s marine resources. Founded in 1981, the Kung Krabaen Bay Royal Development Study Center has had notable success in restoring mangroves, promoting eco-tourism, improving livelihoods, and increasing the output of local fisheries and shrimp farms. In the late 1990s, with the support of Princess Sirindhorn, a group of forward-thinkers on Koh Talu island launched an innovative coral replantation project that became a watershed in marine conservation. Using PVC pipes as a breeding ground for coral reef fragments, the group has successfully transplanted around 40,000 corals to seabeds over the past 20 years. More recently, Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Science successfully completed its tests in 2014 to breed and release corals with a markedly high survival rate of 40 to 50 percent over the first two years. Small communities are also increasingly taking responsibility for stewardship of the ecosystems they depend on. In Trat province, the Ban Pred Nai Community Forestry Group banded together to preserve nearby mangroves by patrolling, expelling harmful businesses, constructing artificial reefs, establishing a no-fishing buffer within three kilometers of the shore and implementing a moratorium on crab harvesting at peak breeding periods. In other coastal areas, community-run crab banks have been lauded for their efforts to conserve the declining crab population, often rallying behind the sufficiency-based maxim: “Stop catching a hundred – wait for a million.” 43 Life below water: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development Achievements Ask any small-scale fishermen in Thailand’s coastal provinces about their seas and they will speak in unison of how their sources of livelihoods has improved, thanks to the nationwide-ban on commercial trawlers. The ban has been in effect for the past two years as part of the government’s attempts to battle overfishing, to increase fish stocks and to gear the country toward sustainable fishing. Thailand is extremely rich in marine biodiversity; it is home to roughly 25% of the world’s fish species. The world will also benefit when Thailand’s marine ecosystem returns to its former health. To restore marine ecology, the new Fisheries Law bans environmentally-destructive fishing equipment and ensures effective legal implementation by involving locals in the monitoring of violators. 82 This bottom-up approach for sustainable use of marine resources informed by SEP principles also characterise Thailand’s efforts to stop coastal erosion and to rehabilitate the mangroves and coral reefs. Both involve simple technology that follows the workings of nature. The focus is on multi-sector cooperation, especially the locals’ ownership of conservation efforts. The regeneration of mangroves and coral reefs significantly contributes to an increase in fish stocks and other marine life. Such clear proof has deepened the locals’ commitment to sustainable use of their seas. Challenges Widespread coral bleaching from global warming still poses a major threat to marine life and ecology, not only in Thailand but around the world. The problem is compounded by industrial and plastic waste which requires stricter preventative laws and effective legal enforcement. Like in many countries, efforts to impose sustainable use of marine resources face competing interests from the business and industrial sectors. The tourism industry needs a paradigm shift to strike a balance between business and the environment. The industries and pro-industry state agencies need to go beyond short-term financial gains. Better conservation efforts also call for better interagency coordination and more budgetary support for research on Thai seas. Real change demands value change. This is where sufficiency thinking comes in. Sufficiency thinking is mainly about value change, as it calls for moderation, care for the environment, affordable technology and inclusive decisionmaking. Its bottom-up approach is in sync with local demands for administrative decentralisation to protect marine resources. Among the efforts in line with SEP for sustainable use of the oceans and the seas are: FISHERIES REFORM Enacted in 2015, the new Fisheries Law is part of the reform of the fisheries sector to ensure sustainable use of the seas and marine resources. The law increases penalties for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and limits the number of fishing vessels to prevent overfishing. The new law also overhauls fisheries management to establish traceability systems and prevent forced labour and other forms of exploitation in the fisheries sector. 83 ACT Short for Organic Agriculture Certification Thailand, ACT gives certification to seafood that meets its criteria on safe, sustainable and socially responsible catches. To be certified, the fishing method must not be environmentally destructive. The catches must be packed in ice without any use of chemicals. The seafood must also meet traceability requirements. MANGROVE REHABILITATION Ban Pred Nai is a model village in mangrove reforestation. It has inspired coastal villages nationwide to rehabilitate their mangrove forests, the habitats of young marine lives. Situated in the eastern part of Thailand, Ban Pred Nai suffered from the destruction of their mangroves by commercial prawn farms. The same thing happened across the country during the prawn farm boom in the 80s. They encroached on the mangroves, polluted the seas with toxic wastewater, made quick money, and left when the areas were decimated. The depletion of fish stocks and other marine life plunged the villagers into hardship, triggering their joint efforts to rehabilitate the mangroves and set up community rules on sustainable use. As an incentive, members of mangrove conservation groups receive low-interest loans and welfare benefits from the community savings fund. Nearby communities later joined Ban Pred Nai. The network now covers the whole of Trat and nearby provinces. Ban Pred Nai has become a learning centre, spreading the mangrove rehabilitation movement to other parts of the country. 84 MANGROVE FORESTS STUDY CENTERS Mangrove biodiversity demands knowledge about mangrove species and rehabilitation techniques to suit different varieties and geographical topographies. This is what the mangrove study centres are doing in various parts of the country to serve the locals’ mangrove rehabilitation efforts. Initiated by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, these centres are: • Community Mangrove Forest Development Project at Singhanakorn district, Songkhla province • Mangrove Forest Study Project at Yaring district, Pattani province • Mangrove Restoration Feasibility Study Project at Nong Chik district, Pattani province • Research and Development Project at Laem Pak Bia Cape, Petchaburi province • Royal Development Study Centre at Huay Sai, Petchaburi province • Royal Development Study Centre at Kung Krabaen Bay, Chanthaburi province • Pak Nam Pranburi Development Project, Prachuab Khiri Khan province 85 86 CORAL REEF TRANSPLANT The transplant technique is simple. Coral fragments are attached to window-sized frames made from easily available PVC water pipes which are safe and recyclable. Then the frames are put in the seabed. Once the corals grow back, the fish and other marine life return. Developed by a professor at the Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University, the transplant technique uses SEP principles on appropriate technology following nature’s way and community participation. The transplant team has transplanted more than 40,000 corals around islands in the eastern part of Thailand. THAI SEA WATCH ASSOCIATION Based in Songkla, this outspoken marine conservation association works closely with fishing communities in the southern part of Thailand to fight against bottom trawling which annihilates the seabed and wipes clean the seas. Its campaigns over the years have raised consumer awareness against destructive fishing and brought about legal amendments to better protect the seas. One of the main campaign messages is the need for sustainable use of the seas through moderation and appropriate technology. Apart from fighting overfishing, the association and small-scale fishermen network are active in regenerating crab populations through community crab banks. Under this scheme in line with SEP principles on bottom-up initiatives and appropriate technology, fishermen donate pregnant crabs to the crab bank and release baby crabs back into sea later. Learning from the network’s success, coastal villages in other provinces now have their own crab banks. The association also uses social media to link small-scale fishermen and their organic catch with city consumers to campaign for sustainable fishing and to increase the fisher folks’ income. 87