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International Sustainableforests Development Studies Institute Expedition Field Course

Culture and Ecology of the Andaman: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves (Ecology/Geography)

Springoceans Semester, 2014

Instructors: Dr. Mark Ritchie, Angkarin Pimpaeng, Hannah Joseph Course Overview rivers Coastal communities are on the front line of the ecological impacts of marine resource depletion, the crashing of global fish stocks and climate change. This course examines islands, oceans, reefs and mangroves, and the human communities that depend on fishing and related activities. This course focuses on coastal and marine ecosystems and relationships between local communities and natural resources as well as the impacts of outside forces, including development related to fishing, tourism development and globalization.

The field course will be in two distinct locations. For our study of islands and reefs, we will be in the Adang Archipelago National Marine Park in the Andaman Sea, Southwest Thailand. The area is remarkable for its diversity of marine life. It is a breeding ground essential to the conservation of the biodiversity of Southeast Asian seas and for the sustainability of regional fisheries. For the last century, the Adang Archipelago has also been a home of the Urak Lawoi, a formerly semi-nomadic group dependent on the sea. The case represents a complex situation — multiple and often conflicting resource demands in a marine protected area, rapidly changing ways of life for the Urak Lawoi, and significant changes in their relationships with natural resources.

The second study site will be the coastal fishing community of Baan Jao Mai, Trang. This community is remarkable for its work on mangrove and sea grass conservation, and the close links they have to small scale fishing. The community is also distinct in that it is primarily a Muslim community, with cultural practices different from the Buddhist Thai majority. This area, composed of extensive mangroves,beaches, reefs, rubber plantations, and islands, is under increasing pressure from the expansion of shrimp farms and commercial fishing.

Objective

Learning experientially about reefs, mangroves, tropical islands and human and ecological communities, students will understand the value, uniqueness, and fragility of coastal marine ecological systems and cultures, as well as the importance of their conservation. Through field-based learning the students will examine the relationship between various stakeholders and the ecology of the region. By the end of the course, students will understand the interaction of human and ecological communities (reefs, mangroves and sea grasses) in coastal areas.

Learning Outcomes

Students on the course will demonstrate competency in the following: • Understanding of the key issues concerning the sustainability of coastal environments and cultures • Understanding the biological processes within marine ecosystems with particular knowledge of significant fish, reef, mangrove and seagrass ecology • Understanding of local knowledge related to fish and fishing as well as the links between coastal culture and marine resource utilization • Understanding of the social dynamics related to marine ecology, island resource conservation and development (e.g. ethnic culture, tourism, commercial fishing, national park conservation) • Ability to successfully carry out the essential technical skills related to the study of marine ecology, including sea kayaking and skin-diving • Geographic field survey methods, especially as related to marine ecology and island environments • Comparative field marine biology survey methods for coral reefs, mangroves and sea grasses • Sociological survey methods, including competency in surveys of stakeholders in the islands (e.g. resort owners, tourists, park officials, and local fishermen)

Culture and Ecology of the Andaman: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves 1 • Understanding the economic, social and cultural adaptations within the coastal environment and in relation to non- local forces • Proficiency with the tools of field research including marine/island navigation • Ability to identify significant reef and mangrove species, including vertebrates, invertebrates, corals (hard and soft), and plants

OCEANS: Communities and conservation

A distinctive part of this course is a comparative case study of two very different cultural and ecological places, both linked by the ocean and marine environment. While sharing many common characteristics, we will be examining each of the case studies through a specific lens to better understand the issues related to each context.

The Coastal Section of the course will focus specifically on “Community Resource Management,” with a study of the fishing community of Baan Jao Mai on the coast near Trang. Here our emphasis will be on understanding how the community manages, conserves and shapes the environment within which it is embedded, by managing resources such as mangroves, fishing areas, sea grasses and other resources to benefit and sustain the community. The coastal environment of Trang is very much shaped by the human communities that have lived there for generations, subsisting on small scale fishing, and currently dealing with the complex political ecology of a marine coastal area. The primary focus is the human community embedded within a specific ecosystem.

The Island Section of the course will focus on “Conservation Ecology” in the Adang Archipelago, a Marine Protected area and National Park, as well as traditional home to the Urak Lawoi people. The Adang Archipelago is also host to fishing trawlers, tourists, national park officials, and a complex coral reef and island ecosystem. The focus on this section of the course is understanding the ecology of the archipelago, the various user groups and what can be done to conserve the reefs and fishing resources. Competition by various stakeholders for the resource (both for extraction and conservation) are significant, and we will be examining the ecology of the archipelago and strategies to use the resource sustainably while maintaining ecological integrity. The primary focus is the ecosystem with various user groups impacting and using the ecological resources.

Grading and Assessment

Participation and Expedition Skills!!!!10 % !Participation in this class means doing the reading, participating in discussions, and being an active member of the course. This is not limited to the time in the formal classroom or during seminar! Participation means being engaged in active learning by talking with villagers, asking questions, getting “into” the field activities and work, and playing an active role in the host families and communities of which we will be a part. Expedition skills entail: being competent working together in a group, demonstrating technical skills, appropriately managing risk, sharing the leadership, being an active follower, as well as being able to safely travel and learn in the varied environments where the course takes place. Additionally, during this course, you will each have the opportunity to lead your peers for activity blocks as a designated leader. At the beginning of the course, each student will sign up for leadership blocks. Leadership at ISDSI means making timely, appropriate actions that guide and support your group to set and achieve realistic goals. Great leaders create an environment that inspires individuals and groups to achieve their full potential. As designated leaders, students will join the EFC Instructor Team in facilitating and managing the given activities.

Field Guide!!!!!!!20 % ! Each student needs to complete an Oceans Activity Field Guide that contains student activities focusing on the flora and fauna encountered, ecological activities conducted, and sociological activities conducted during the course. Blank field guides will be handed out as a separate book at the beginning of each course and should be filled in as directed and as you conduct these guided activities. In addition to the field guide (provided), you need to take legible, well organized classroom and field notes in your Field Notebook. This is an important skill you will learn on the course, and field notes should be taken for both ecological and sociological information. You need to record in a consistent way what you are observing each day through descriptive observations, and demonstrate that you are able to process and understand your experience by interpretative analysis. You should also use your field notebook to take notes during lectures, meetings, symposia, etc., and you will write your reflections, essays, and final exam in the field notebook.

Culture and Ecology of the Andaman: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves 2 Reflections !!!!!!!20 % ! Five times throughout the course, students should think and write two pages in their field notebook !about a !significant connection made between culture, ecology and the focus of the course in a Reflection. Re-read your !observations and interpretations from the day in your field notebook, fill in details, ask further questions, then write a !short reflection about something that made a significant impact on your thinking about a particular connection or !idea. This is not a journal or diary entry, but rather an academic exercise that allows you to succinctly record your !integration of academic and experiential information about a particular topic. Be sure to use the citation guide for !citing academic and field information.

The Ocean of Life: Presentations!!!!! 5% A key text for this course is The Ocean of Life, by Callum Roberts. You are expected to read this book during the course. In the field, we will have student-led discussions about the book. In groups of 2-3, you will select one chapter of interest that was not discussed during seminar week, and lead a discussion about the given section. You should have in-depth knowledge of your section with a presentation lasting 10-15 minutes and the ability to facilitate a student discussion.

Essay 1: Foundational Essay!!!!!!10% !Due at 5PM the end of class on Friday of Seminar week, this essay will integrate the theories and concepts studied during the first week. Students should focus on a specific aspect of the material they find interesting, challenging, or new, and should consider the issue in the broader context of oceans and marine resources when answering the question. 5 hand-written pages in your course notebook. Please include a title at the top of the first page and cite all academic information.

Mid-course essay !!!!!!!15% !Reflecting on your time in the field, write an essay exploring the link between the human and natural systems in the area you have been studying. Questions should explore issues such as the human impact on ecosystems, how those ecosystems shape human cultures and systems, access to resources and resource conflict, the current state of the ecosystem and human efforts to conserve and/or use the resource, etc. Choose one key issue and explore it in depth. You need to refer both to your readings and your field experiences, integrating them to better understand the issue you are writing about. (6 pages) Due at the mid-course seminar. Please include title at the top of the first page.

Final Exam!!!!!!!!20% ! At the end of the field portion of the course, you will take a comprehensive exam covering all academic material, readings, and field instruction covered in class. This will be an in-class, hand-written exam at 9AM on Thursday of the final week at ISDSI. You will have two hours to answer 4 questions in your field notebooks. Eight questions will be provided for you (4 ecology based, and 4 culturally based), and you must answer 4 questions (2 from each of the ecology based and culturally based question banks).

A note on essays in the field journals: The essays, and your journal in general, need to be legible and neatly presented. It is VERY important that the instructor can read it with no difficulty within the constraint of time and environment during the EFC. If the instructor can’t read it, it will not get graded! Please DO NOT write in pencil (it will smudge) and use waterproof ink i your journal.

CITATIONS !Citing your sources gives credit to the published and unwritten (verbal, observed, experienced) sources that contribute to your writing. Just as you normally cite written sources in research papers, it is especially important in field-based course to acknowledge the people who have contributed to your learning and formulation of new ideas. Using field citations also allows you and your readers to easily trace your ideas back to their origins in specific field experiences, and to locate them in your field notes in the future. This is an essential skill to develop in taking and properly using field notes in every academic discipline. ! ! Citations for Essays: ! Essays are to have in-text citations of written and unwritten sources, and a works cited page. Works cited does not count towards page requirements. ! Citations for Reflections: ! Reflections are to have in-text citations of both written and unwritten sources. No works cited page is necessary.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS

In order for a course like this to be a success, it requires the full participation of all members of the course. While it is true in any context, given what we are studying, the phrase “you get out what you put in” is especially relevant – learning about sustainability in this context will be an interactive on-going learning process. Please show your fellow students the courtesy of only contributing to discussions if you have read the material.

Culture and Ecology of the Andaman: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves 3 During class and in the field, students are expected to ask questions during guest lectures, field activities and other learning opportunities. Active learning—asking questions, taking notes, exploring new ideas and concepts, talking with local people— are all required to do well in this course. During the EFC, students are also expected to follow these guidelines:

• Attendance and active participation in the expedition and field activities are required. • Students are expected to demonstrate leadership and teamwork. • Students are expected to manage their time well. You should have completed the reading assignments before class meetings and turn in assignments on their due dates. You will be traveling in the hot and humid environment of Southern Thailand, moving to another island and setting up a new campsite every few days, helping cook, and immersing yourself in the beautiful environment of a tropical island and underwater world. It will be impossible to complete the required assignments if you do not pay attention and manage your time wisely. For all your field projects, you should start early. Do not wait till the last night! • You need to take legible, well organized field notes. Please make sure that you take particularly good care of your field journal in the wet and humid environment.

Schedule and reading list A note on the reading: There is a significant amount of reading during the first week. The course will require you re-read the first week’s material later on—you cannot expect to absorb all of the reading the first week, but will have to revisit it to dig deeper into the material later on. You will need to work to understand new concepts and ideas, and develop the skills of comprehending written material on a deep level. The first week’s reading will be your reference material and source of ideas for following weeks.

The emphasis during week 1 is context and theory. The emphasis during weeks 2-4 is more on applying theory to the reality of the biological and sociological systems that you will be a part of. The majority of your “text” for the course during weeks 2-4 includes the ocean, shores, islands, tourist spots, and communities that you will be studying. Rather than mediated through reading a prepared text, you will be involved directly in learning the subject matter. This will be challenging, as direct learning is more difficult—there is no author who has pre-formatted or organized the material for you. Part of what you will be learning in this course is how to collect and analyze information yourself. ! SEMINAR: Context and Issues in Coastal and Marine Sustainability

During the first week, seminar is 1:00-4:00 M-Th and 9-12 on Friday. Please be prompt.

Monday!Ecosystem and Environment Overview 1PM-3PM:!Seminar with Ajaan Mark 3PM-4PM:!Ecology Part 1

Jamail, Dahr, “World’s Oceans in Peril”, Aljazeera.net, Nov 18, 2011. Levinton, Jeffrey, Marine Biology: Function, Biodiversity, Ecology, Oxford University Press, New York, 2001 !Chapter 3: Ecological and Evolutionary Principles Piprell, Collin and Boyd, Ashley J. Thailand’s Coral Reefs: Nature Under Threat, White Lotus, Bangkok, 1995, pp. 14-40 (excluding photo pages) Karen L. McKee, “Mangrove Ecosystems: Definitions, Distribution, Zonation, Forest Structure, Trophic Structure, and Ecological Significance.” In Mangrove Ecology: A Manual for a Field Course, I.C. Feller and M. Sitnik, editors, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. DC, 1996 Thomas J. Smith III, “Mangrove Forest Structures.” In Mangrove Ecology: A Manual for a Field Course, I.C. Feller and M. Sitnik, editors, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. DC, 1996 Roberts, Callum, The Ocean of Life, New York: Penguin Group, 2012: Chapters 2 & 3

Tuesday!Threats to Marine Ecosystems--Global Warming 1PM-3PM:!Seminar with Ajaan Mark 3PM-5PM:!Snorkel skills at 700 year stadium

Gilman, Eric L., et al. "Threats to mangroves from climate change and adaptation options: a review." Aquatic !Botany 89.2 (2008): 237-250. Mora, Camilo, et al. "The projected timing of climate departure from recent variability." Nature 502.7470 (2013): !183-187. Harvey, Fiona, “Rate of Ocean Acidification Due to Carbon Emissions is at Highest for 300m Years”, The !Guardian, October 3, 2013. Kleypas, Joan and Yates, Kimberly, “Coral Reefs and Ocean Acidification,” Oceanography, Vol. 22, No4, pp !108-117, December 2009. “Pacific Ocean waters absorbing heat 15 times faster over past 60 years than in past 10,000.” Phys.Org, October !!31, 2013.

Culture and Ecology of the Andaman: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves 4 Roberts, Callum, The Ocean of Life, New York: Penguin Group, 2012. Ch: 5-7, 18

Wednesday!Threats to Marine Ecosystems--Regional and Local Challenges 1PM-2PM:!Seminar with Ajaan Mark 2PM-3PM!Ecology Part 2 3PM-4PM:!Intro to Field

Bradbury, Roger, “A World Without Coral Reefs”, New York Times, July 13, 2012. Jackson, Jeremy BC, et al. "Historical overfishing and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems." science 293.5530 (2001): !!629-637. Fabricius, Katharina E. "Effects of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis." Marine !pollution bulletin 50.2 (2005): 125-146. Ateweberhan, Mebrahtu, et al. "Climate change impacts on coral reefs: Synergies with local effects, possibilities for !acclimation, and management implications." Marine pollution bulletin 74.2 (2013): 526-539. Worm, Boris, et al. "Rebuilding global fisheries." Science 325.5940 (2009): 578-58 Roberts, Callum, The Ocean of Life, New York: Penguin Group, 2012: Ch. 4, Ch. 8

Thursday!Resource Management 1PM-3PM !Seminar with Ajaan Mark 3PM-4PM!MPA Presentation

Ostrom, Elinor. "A general framework for analyzing sustainability of social-ecological systems." Science 325.5939 !(2009): 419-422. Allison, Edward H. "Big laws, small catches: global ocean governance and the fisheries crisis." Journal of !International Development 13.7 (2001): 933-950. Pitcher, Tony J., and William WL Cheung. "Fisheries: Hope or despair?."Marine pollution bulletin 74.2 (2013): !506-516. Roberts, Callum, The Ocean of Life, New York: Penguin Group, 2012: Ch. 19

Friday!!Context: Southern Thailand 9AM-12PM: !Final Seminar 12PM-1PM:!Lunch 1PM-3PM: !Watch Chasing Ice

Bajunid, Omar Farouk, “Islam, Nationalism and the Thai State,” in Dynamic Diversity in Southern Thailand, Wattana Sugunnasil, ed., Silkworm Books, 2005 Dorairajoo, Saroja. "Peaceful Thai, Violent Malay (-Muslim): A Case Study of the “Problematic” Muslim citizens of Southern Thailand." The Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies 27.2 (2009): 61-83. McCargo, Duncan. “Thaksin and the Resurgence of Violence in the Thai South.” Rethinking Thailand’s Southern Violence. Ed. Duncan McCargo. NUS Press 2007, 35-68. Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). Sold to the Sea – Human Trafficking in Thailand’s Fishing. 2013. International Labour Office (ILO). Caught at Sea: Forced Labour and Trafficking in Fisheries. 2013: 3-22.

Field Reading

Lipe (Read before Lipe module) UNESCO, Bridging the Gap between the Rights and Needs of Indigenous Communities and the Management of Protected Areas: Case studies from Thailand, pp 30-45, 2007. Arunotai, Narumon Hinshiranan, We, the Sea People, Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute, pp. 45-67. *Bennet, Nathan James, Philip Dearden. “Why local people do not support conservation: Community perceptions of marine protected area livelihood impacts, governance and management in Thailand.” Marine Policy 44 (2014): (107-116).

Before Midcourse Seminar: Roberts, Callum, The Ocean of Life, New York: Penguin Group, 2012: Ch: 1, 9-15.

Baan Jao Mai (Read before Baan Jao Mai module) Prasertcharoensuk, Ravadee, et al. "Time for a Sea Change: a Study of the Effectiveness of Biodiversity Conservation Measures and Marine Protected Areas Along Southern Thailand’s Andaman Sea Coastline." (2010). *Bennet, Nathan James, Philip Dearden, Ana Maria Peredo. “Vulnerability to multiple stressors in coastal communities: a study of the Andaman coast of Thailand.” Climate and Development 2014: (1-18).

Before Final Seminar: Roberts, Callum, The Ocean of Life, New York: Penguin Group, 2012: Ch 16-17, 20-22.

Culture and Ecology of the Andaman: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves 5 *These articles will be passed out and discussed as a group while on course.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Activities in this module will be scheduled based on tides, ocean conditions, weather, and waves. Activities may change date, be modified, or be cancelled based on Field Instructors’ assessment of the risk in any given conditions.

Island Section 27 Apr, Su!Travel Day: Chiang Mai to Koh Lipe. ! As an independent group, students will travel to Hat Yai via a direct flight from Chaing Mai. Students will then take a van or minibus to the port town of Pak Barra followed by a speedboat ride (1.5-3 hours) to the island of Lipe where students will meet the instructor team.

!In the afternoon, students will meet with Pi Jaeng and other members of the Urak Lawoi, the Urak Lawoi owner of the Sanom Beach Guesthouse on Lipe. They can discuss the history of the Urak Lawoi in the archipelago, their livelihood, and their thoughts about park management and tourism development in the area. This meeting will also provide a chance to discuss the rapid change in the area with an older generation.

28 Apr, M! Survey of Lipe. Orientation to Paddle skills.

!In the morning, students will conduct a brief survey of tourist development on Koh Lipe in order to better understand the management scope, scale, and strategy of the Adang National Park. Observations and findings will be recorded in the AFG. ! !In the afternoon, ISDSI instructors will conduct an introduction to kayaking skills and safety expectations.

29 Apr, Tu!Paddle to Chao Lay Village on Koh Adang. Meet with Chao Lay villagers. Camp at village.!

!Students will paddle from Sanom Beach Resort to the Chao Lay village on the east side of Koh Adang. After following the coast around Lipe (direction around Lipe will depend on currents and weather), students cross the channel to Koh Adang.

!In the evening, students will have the opportunity to meet with a group of Urak Lawoi villagers who live on Koh Adang. They can discuss their livelihood and lifestyle as a separate group from the Chao Lay living on Koh Lipe.

30 Apr, W!Paddle to Adang National Park. Meet with National Park. Paddle back to camp.

!Students will paddle south along the coast of Koh Adang to the National Park headquarters, change clothes, then meet with a representative from the National Park. Depending on time and weather, there may be opportunity to snorkel at the reef off of the National Park before paddling back to the Chao Lay village.

1 May, Th!Paddle from Chao Lay village to Hat Ratcha on Koh Rawi. Camp at Hat Ratcha. ! ! Students will begin a long paddle early in the morning and paddle north and then west along the coast of Koh Adang before crossing the channel to Koh Rawi.

2 May, F!Reef day #1.

! In the evening, students will sit down with our two local instructors, Pi Tain and Pi Khan, to discuss the impacts of the National Park and tourism development from their perspective. The line of questions should focus on both the benefits and downfalls of National Park Management and tourism development. Through this discussion students will deepen their understanding of the effectiveness of various Park initiatives to conserve or exploit specific areas or resources.

3 May, Sa!Reef Day #2.

! Reef Day Activities will include the following four studies, plus at least one biodiversity study. The dates and sites of activities will depend on weather and tides. Kayaking to some of the sites is possible depending on weather and tides. ! ! ! !Transect study, Hat Jalakay.

Culture and Ecology of the Andaman: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves 6 ! A short paddle will take the group to Hat Jalakay for a transect study. The transect will allow students to focus on different biotic and abiotic factors (substrate, vertebrates, and invertebrates) within the reef ecosystem. The transect study lets students gather a specific set of data that will provide a representation of the type and quantity of organisms and substrate in the reef as a whole.

! Zonation study, Hat Sai Khao or Koh Yang. ! A short paddle to the snorkeling site, Hat Sai Khao, will give students time to observe their surroundings and become more familiar with the wind, waves, and tides. Students will conduct a zonation study, by examining the organisms that live and thrive in different zones from the high tide line to the shelf. The zonation study will provide a better picture of which types of organisms you are likely to find in any given zone.

4 May, Su!Paddle to Hat Rua Bpai for Mangrove to Reef study. Paddle to Adang NP.

! This study will take place at Hat Rua Bpai, on the southwest side of Koh Adang. Starting from the mangrove, we will observe the transition from mangroves to reefs. This study will provide a visual connection of the importance of the neighboring ecosystems as well as a chance to observe a unique mangrove in the archipelago.This study will need to be done at or near high tide.

!Students will continue to paddle to the Adang National Park headquarters, where they will spend the night.

5 May, M !Meeting with Khun Khomsak at Mountain Resort. Mid Course Seminar with Ajaan Mark.

! In the morning students will have the opportunity to meet with Khun Komsak, businessman, resort-owner, and commercial fisherman. The focus of inquiry will center on the history of commercial fishing, marine-resource extraction, and tourism development in the archipelago, with specific attention paid to the definition of commercial vs. subsistence fishing.

! Students will join Ajaan Mark for mid-course seminar. !Students will clean and pack gear and spend the night at the Park Headquarters on Adang before departing for Baan Jao Mai the following day.

Coastal Section 6 May, Tu!Travel Day Lipe to Baan Jao Mai. ! ! Students will take a speed boat from Lipe to Pak Barra. From there, the group will travel several hours by van to the Baan Jao Mai in Trang, Thailand.

!Ban Jao Mai is a small Muslim fishing village on the shore of the Andaman Sea. For generations, the community in Baan Jao Mai has relied heavily on the mangrove and near-shore environment for food, housing materials, and more recently commercial marine-life harvesting. In recent years, the mangrove surrounding Baan Jao Mai has fallen under the management of the Hat Jao Mai National Park. Since this jurisdictional change, members of the community have been protesting and struggling to maintain their access to the mangrove and their traditional ways of life.

!The group will arrive in Baan Jao Mai the evening where everyone will have a communal dinner before students meet their host families and spend the remainder of the evening with them.

7 May, W!Mangrove Activity 1 : Mangrove use and conservation. Community Meeting. ! ! This day students will learn about the variety of local human uses of the Baan Jao Mai mangrove from two primary informants. For half the day students will go to the mangrove with “Ma”, a mangrove expert and one of the leaders of the Baan Jao Mai Community. During the other half of the day, students will explore the mangrove with Bang Hed, a local mangrove expert, and leader of the mangrove conservation movement in Jao Mai Village.

!With both of the informants, students will learn about their personal connection, use pattern, and history of the mangrove. By focusing on community-based management, students will explore ways in which this management strategy succeeds and fails to achieve its desired results. Students will also seek to identify and understand any differences in gender roles or use-patterns pertinent to mangrove use and conservation.

!In the evening, students will meet with the villagers of Baan Jao Mai to learn about the history of the village, livelihoods of the villagers, current issues, and any other topics of interest.

8 May, Th !Coastal Activity Day #1. National Park Meeting. ! !Students will meet with the Haat Jao Mai National Park to learn about the history and current issues of park management in the area.

Culture and Ecology of the Andaman: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves 7 9 May, F !Mangrove Activity: Paddle and snorkel. ! ! Mangrove paddle and snorkel: As a group, students will travel via long tail about 8 kilometers north of Baan Jao Mai to the mouth of a river leading into the mangrove. From the mouth of the river, you will kayak through the mangroves back to Baan Jao Mai. This will be a full day of kayaking, snorkeling, and conducting research in the mangrove. ! 10 May, Sa !Baan Jao Mai Village Family Day. Fishing. ! !Students will spend the day with their families, then join the group for a lesson in traditional fishing methods of the Baan Jao Mai community.

11 May, Su!Coastal Activity Day #2 !! 12 May, M !Coastal Activity Day #3

Coastal Activity Days will include the five following activities. The dates and sites of activities will depend on weather and tides.

Mudflat: Students will visit the mudflat across from the Baan Jao Mai pier during low tide. Students will conduct a survey of the surprisingly large variety of organisms present on the mudflat. Seagrass: This day will be spent learning about a variety of different uses of land on and near the coast. At low tide, students will visit the seagrass beds north of Baan Jao Mai. The focus will be conducting surveys of seagrass species and Dugong feeding trails. Tam Marrakot: Students will have the opportunity to visit Tham Morakot, a cave and tourist destination on Koh Muk. By exploring the cave, students will have the opportunity to view “ecotourism” in Trang Province as well as a unique limestone karst habitat. Koh Kradang (snorkel intro) If time and weather allows, the group will also visit Koh Kradang or another reef snorkeling site to make connections between mangrove and reef ecosystems.

13 May, Tu !Islam and the community. !This day students will explore local religion, customs, and tradition by discussing these topics with the village Imman. After the discussion, students will make rot’dii and southern-thai curry with some of the host moms. In the evening, the group will host the community for dinner, songs and dancing.

14 May, W !Travel Day: Baan Jao Mai to Chiang Mai ! Students will take a van to Krabi followed by a direct flight to Chiang Mai.

15 May, Th!Final Seminar @ ISDSI. Final Exam. ! Final seminar at ISDSI 9-10 AM, Final exam 10AM-12PM. ! 16 May, F!Thai Language Final Exam. Return all ISDSI gear.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IN THE READER

Coastal Glossary in Thai and English Ecosystem Glossary Beaufort Wind Scale Kayak Diagram Snorkeling and Skin Diving Guide Safety Briefing Leadership Activity Guide Beach Bathroom Procedures!

Culture and Ecology of the Andaman: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves 8