National State of Oceans and Coasts 2018: Blue Economy Growth THAILAND SINGAPORE National State of Oceans and Coasts 2018: Blue Economy Growth THAILAND National State of Oceans and Coasts 2018: Blue Economy Growth of Thailand July 2019 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes or to provide wider dissemination for public response, provided prior written permission is obtained from the PEMSEA Executive Director, acknowledgment of the source is made and no commercial usage or sale of the material occurs. PEMSEA would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale, any commercial purpose or any purpose other than those given above without a written agreement between PEMSEA and the requesting party. Published by Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA). Printed in Quezon City, Philippines PEMSEA and Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR, Thailand). 2019. National State of Oceans and Coasts 2018: Blue Economy Growth of Thailand. Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), Quezon City, Philippines. 270 p. ISBN 978-971-812-056-9 The activities described in this report were made possible with the generous support from our sponsoring organizations - the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of PEMSEA Country Partners and its other participating organizations. The designation employed and the presentation do not imply expression of opinion, whatsoever on the part of PEMSEA concerning the legal status of any country or territory, or its authority or concerning the delimitation of its boundaries. PEMSEA Resource Facility P.O. Box 2502, Quezon City 1165, Philippines Tel: (+632) 929-2992 Fax: (+632) 926-9712 Email: [email protected] www.pemsea.org NATIONAL STATE OF OCEANS AND COASTS 2018: BLUE ECONOMY GROWTH OF THAILAND i TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables v List of Figures vii Acronyms and Abbreviations ix FOREWORD xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY xv INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Concept and Rationale 2 1.2 Objectives 3 1.3 Caveats 4 PART 1: THE SEAS, PEOPLE AND ECONOMY OF THAILAND 5 2. The Seas and Socioeconomic Conditions 6 2.1 Location 6 2.2 Demographic Features 7 2.3 Economic Development 14 2.4 Social Development 17 2.4.1 Human Development Index (HDI) 17 2.4.2 Access to Water, Sanitation and Wastewater Management 20 2.4.3 Poverty 21 PART 2: HARNESSSING THE OCEANS 23 3. Ocean Economy 24 3.1 Ocean Economic Activities 25 3.2 Ecosystem Services 28 4. Fisheries and Aquaculture 30 4.1 Fishery Resources, Stock Assessment 30 4.2 Fisheries 33 4.3 Aquaculture and Mariculture 35 4.4 Demand for Fish and Exports/trade 38 4.5 Contribution to Food Security 40 4.5.1 Availability 40 4.5.2 Affordability 41 4.5.3 Quality and Safety 42 4.6 Contribution to Income and Livelihood 42 ii NATIONAL STATE OF OCEANS AND COASTS 2018: BLUE ECONOMY GROWTH OF THAILAND 4.7 Sustainability of Fisheries 43 4.8 Pressures and Threats 45 4.9 Examples of Good Practices 47 4.10 Supporting Policies and Plans for Sustainable Fisheries 48 5. Coastal and Marine Tourism 50 5.1 Major Marine and Coastal Tourist Sites 51 5.2 Marine Protected Area 52 5.3 Contribution to Income and Jobs 56 5.4 Major Issues Related to Tourism 58 5.5 Examples of Good Practices 59 5.5.1 Green Fins 59 5.5.2 Khung Kraben Bay Royal Development Study Centre 60 5.5.3 Bor Hin Farmstay, Amphor Sikao, Trang province 60 5.5.4 Low Carbon Destination Project in Koh Mak, Trat Province 60 5.6 Supporting policies 61 6. Shipping and Ports 64 6.1 Important Navigational Lanes 64 6.2 Ports 65 6.2.1 Bangkok Port 65 6.2.2 Laem Chabang Port 67 6.2.3 Map Ta Phut Industrial Port 68 6.3 Fishing Ports and Others 69 6.4 Marina and Recreational Ports 70 6.5 Pressures and Challenges 72 6.6 Examples of Good Practices 75 6.7 Supporting Policies and Plans 78 7. Other Ocean Economic Activities 82 7.1 Sea Salt Farm 82 7.2 Marine Insurance 82 7.3 Ship Building and Repairing 83 7.4 Energy 84 7.4.1 Exploration and Production of Offshore Oil and Gas 84 PART 3: DEVELOPMENTS IN BLUE ECONOMY 89 8. Drivers of Future Growth, Innovations, and Sustainability 90 8.1 Innovative and Sustainable Economic Activities 91 8.1.1 Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture 91 8.1.2 Sustainable Coastal and Marine Tourism 94 8.1.3 Green Port 95 NATIONAL STATE OF OCEANS AND COASTS 2018: BLUE ECONOMY GROWTH OF THAILAND iii 8.2 Emerging industries 96 8.2.1 Desalination 96 8.3.2 Alternative Energy: Wind Farm 97 8.3.3 Marine Biotechnology and Bioprospecting 98 8.4 Investment Opportunities 98 PART 4: STATE OF OCEAN HEALTH UNDERPINNING THE BLUE ECONOMY 103 9. Marine Environment 104 9.1 Oceanographic Features 104 9.2 Marine Water Quality 105 10. Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Biodiversity 108 10.1 Key Habitats 108 10.1.1 Mangroves 108 10.1.2 Coral Reefs 110 10.1.3 Seagrass 113 10.1.4 Beach Forest 114 10.1.5 Threats to Important Ecosystems 116 10.2 Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species 123 10.3 Large Marine Ecosystems 126 10.3.1 Gulf of Thailand 127 10.3.2 Bay of Bengal 128 10.3.3 Threats 128 10.3.4 Responses and Regional Collaboration 131 11. Risk and Threats 134 11.1 Human Activities and Environmental Damage 134 11.1.1 Threats to Ecosystems 137 11.1.2 Threats to Biological Resources and Biodiversity 139 11.1.3 Pollution 141 11.1.4 Coastal Erosion 143 11.2 Natural Hazards and Climate Change 144 PART 5: GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE SUPPORTING BLUE ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT 149 12. Institutional Arrangements and Governance 150 12.1 Policies, Legal and Regulatory Framework 150 12.1.1 National Plans 151 12.1.2 Legal and Regulatory Framework 152 12.1.3 Supporting Mechanisms 156 iv NATIONAL STATE OF OCEANS AND COASTS 2018: BLUE ECONOMY GROWTH OF THAILAND 12.1.4 Participating Mechanisms 157 12.1.5 Meeting International Commitments 158 12.2 Addressing Sustainable Development 165 12.2.1 Fisheries Management 165 12.2.2 Sustainable Tourism 165 12.4.3 Marine and Coastal Protected Area (MCPA) and Ecosystem Conservation 166 12.4.4 Integrated Coastal Management 168 12.4.5 Marine Pollution Reduction 172 12.2.6 Sub-regional Arrangement: Oil Spill Preparedness, Response and Cooperation in the Gulf of Thailand (GoT Programme) 175 PART 6: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 177 13. Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendations 178 13.1 State of Ocean Health 178 13.1.1 Coastal and Marine Ecosystems 178 13.1.2 Marine Water Quality 179 13.2 Ocean Economy 181 13.2.1 Fisheries and Aquaculture 181 13.2.2 Coastal and Marine Tourism 181 13.2.3 Ports and Shipping 182 13.2.4 Offshore Oil and Gas 182 13.3 Blue Economy Initiatives 182 13.4 Summary and Recommendations 183 13.4.1 National Policy and Strategy 184 13.4.2 Marine and Coastal Resources Development Activities 184 13.4.3 Management of Marine and Coastal Resources 185 13.4.4 Scientific Research and Studies 185 13.4.5 Research and Development 186 ANNEXES 191 Annex 1: Large Marine Ecosystems 192 Annex 2: NSOC Technical Working Group 208 References 214 NATIONAL STATE OF OCEANS AND COASTS 2018: BLUE ECONOMY GROWTH OF THAILAND v List of Tables Table 2.1: Population in 23 Coastal Provinces of Thailand 10 Table 2.2: GPP and Population in Main Coastal Provinces in 2011 and 2015 13 Table 2.3: Thailand’s HDI Trends 18 Table 2.4: Percentage of Students in Each Level of Education (2015) 19 Table 2.5: Volume of Eastewater Generated and Volume of Wastewater Treatment 21 Capacity by Region, 2015 Table 3.1: Ocean Economy: GPP of Marine Sectors in Coastal Provinces, 2007–2015 26 (at constant prices) Table 3.2: Employment in 23 Coastal Provinces in 2015 27 Table 3.3: Economic Value of Marine and Coastal Resources 29 Table 4.1: Maximum Sustainable Yields (MSY), Optimal and Current Fishing Effort and 32 Catches of Marine Fisheries Resources in Thai Waters Table 4.2: MSY, Maximum Allowable Harvest, Actual Harvest, and Current Fishing Effort 33 Table 4.3: The Availability of Seafood in Thailand in 2013 39 Table 4.4: Total Number of Registered Vessels in Thai Waters (as of October 2017) 43 Table 4.5: Number of Fishing Gears Equipped in Registered Commercial Vessels 44 Table 4.6: The Differences in 2016 Fishing Efforts in Thai Waters (Estimated for April 2016 to 44 March 2017) Compared to Optimal Fishing Efforts Estimated in 2015 Table 5.1: Major Marine Tourist Sites 51 Table 5.2: Marine National Parks in Thailand 52 Table 5.3: Important Marine Tourism Sites 54 Table 5.4: Employment in Tourism Industries during 2010-2015 57 Table 6.1: Facilities of Bangkok Port 66 Table 6.2: Port Performance Indicators 69 Table 6.3: Number of Ports by Type and Province 69 Table 6.4: Major Oil Spill in the Sea, Coastal Line and Ports 74 Table 7.1: The Number and Revenue of Ship Building and Repairing Enterprises 83 Table 7.2: Petroleum Facilities in 2015 in Gulf of Thailand 85 Table 8.1: Wind Energy Capacity (MW) in Coastal Provinces 97 Table 10.1: Distribution of Mangrove Forest in Thailand in 2014 108 Table 10.2: Distribution of Coral Reefs in Thailand in 2015 111 Table 10.3: Criteria for Assessment of Coral Reef Status 112 Table 10.4: Distribution of Seagrass in Thailand in 2015 113 Table 10.5: Status and Percentage Cover of Seagrass in 2012 and 2015 114 Table 10.6: Distribution of Beach Forests in Thailand in 2014 115 Table 10.7: Threatened Species in Thailand 123 Table 10.8: Thailand Red List Data: Marine Species (2003) 124 Table 11.1: Human Activities