Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Bang Pakong River Wetland, Thailand Bampen Chaiyarak, Gun Tattiyakul, Naruemol Karnsunthad Mekong WET: Building Resilience of Wetlands in the Lower Mekong Region Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Bang Pakong River Wetland, Thailand Bampen Chaiyarak, Gun Tattiyakul, Naruemol Karnsunthad The designation of geographical entities in this report, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. Special acknowledgement to the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety for supporting Mekong WET. Published by: IUCN Asia Regional Office (ARO), Bangkok, Thailand Copyright: © 2019 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Chaiyarak,B., Tattiyakul, G. and Karnsunthad, N. (2019). Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Bang Pakong River Wetland, Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand: IUCN. X + 73pp. Photo credits: All photo credits belong to the main authors of this report, unless otherwise stated. Layout by: IUCN Asia Regional Office Available from: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Asia Regional Office 63 Sukhumvit Soi 39 Klongtan – Nua, Wattana 10110 Bangkok, Thailand Tel +66 2 662 4029 Fax +66 2 662 4387 Email address: [email protected] www.iucn.org/resources/publications CONTENTS Acronyms .............................................................................................................................8 ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 9 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... x10 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 12 2 Situation analysis ........................................................................................................... 14 2.1 Location and site description ................................................................................... 14 2.2 Current and historic climate ..................................................................................... 16 2.3 Hydrological characteristics ..................................................................................... 18 2.4 Wetland habitats and biodiversity ............................................................................ 18 2.5 Land use in the river basin ....................................................................................... 21 2.6 Drivers of change .................................................................................................... 23 2.7 Conservation and zoning ......................................................................................... 24 3 Community and wetland livelihoods ................................................................................ 27 3.1 Community and population ...................................................................................... 27 3.2 Key livelihood activities ............................................................................................ 27 3.3 Use of wetland resources ........................................................................................ 31 3.4 Land tenure and land-use rights .............................................................................. 31 3.5 Governance ............................................................................................................. 32 3.6 Stakeholder analysis ................................................................................................ 33 3.7 Gender and vulnerable groups ................................................................................ 33 3.8 Perceived threats to wetland habitats and livelihoods .............................................. 34 4 Climate projections for the site ....................................................................................... 36 4.1 Climate change profile for Thailand ......................................................................... 36 4.2 Climate change in Bang Pakong River Basin ........................................................... 36 4.3 Implications for Bang Pakong River Wetland. .......................................................... 39 5 Results of vulnerability assessment ................................................................................ 39 5.1 Habitat vulnerability ................................................................................................. 39 5.1.1 Baseline and threats ...................................................................................... 39 5.1.2 Climate change vulnerability .......................................................................... 42 5.1.3 Overall vulnerability........................................................................................ 41 5.2 Livelihood vulnerability ............................................................................................. 45 5.2.1 Resource dependency ................................................................................... 45 5.2.2 Climate change impacts ................................................................................. 54 5.2.3 Current and future coping .............................................................................. 55 5.3 Species vulnerability ................................................................................................ 58 6 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 61 6.1 Summary of vulnerabilities ....................................................................................... 61 6.2 Adaptation planning ................................................................................................. 63 Annex I: VA Team Members ............................................................................................... 66 Annex II: Ramsar Sites in Thailand ..................................................................................... 68 Annex III: Wetland Management Policy In Thailand ............................................................ 69 Annex IV: Wetlands Conservation Measures ...................................................................... 70 Annex V: Resource priority ranking by women and men in Bang Pakong River Wetland .... 72 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 73 7 ACRONYMS BMUB German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety EEC Eastern Economic Corridor EIA Environmental Impact Assessment GAP Good Agricultural Practice GPP Gross Provincial Product ha Hectare HAII Hydro and Agri Informatics Institute IBBRI Indo-Burma Ramsar Regional Initiative ICEM International Centre for Environmental Management IKI International Climate Initiative IPCC International Panel on Climate Change IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature km Kilometre m Metre NSBSAP National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan ONEP Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning PBS Public Broadcasting Service TDRI Thailand Science Development and Research Institute THB Thai Baht UNFCC United Nations Framework on Climate Change VA Vulnerability Assessment 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The climate change vulnerability assessment of the Bang Pakong River Wetland was conducted as a component of the project “Mekong WET: Building Resilience of Wetlands in the Lower Mekong Region” (2017-2020), led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It provides an invaluable resource for future planning and we would like to acknowledge the people and organizations that have contributed to this assessment. We would especially like to thank the members of the assessment team for their input and commitment: Mr. Petch Manopawitr (IUCN, Thailand Program), Dr. Surachit Wangsothorn (Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research), Patchara Paisawasut (The Upper Gulf of Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Centre), Parinya Leelahanon (Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), Asst. Prof. Dr. Prateep Duengkae(Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University), Dr. Sansanee Chooweaw (Wetland University Network); Dr. Nonn Panitvong (Siamensis.org); Dr. Chavalit Witthayanon, Mr. Dom Pratumthong (Museum of Natural History National Science Museum); Ms. Kitima Khunthong (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University); Paiboon Sophonsuwapap (Faculty of Fine Arts, Burapha