NATURAL HERITAGE VALUE AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE LOWER SEGMENT OF THE MAE KLONG RIVER, SAMUT SONGKHRAM PROVINCE By Nuanpan Suravanichakit A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Program of Architectural Heritage Management and Tourism (International Program) Graduate School SILPAKORN UNIVERSITY 2009 NATURAL HERITAGE VALUE AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE LOWER SEGMENT OF THE MAE KLONG RIVER, SAMUT SONGKHRAM PROVINCE By Nuanpan Suravanichakit A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Program of Architectural Heritage Management and Tourism (International Program) Graduate School SILPAKORN UNIVERSITY 2009 The Graduate School, Silpakorn University has approved and accredited the Thesis title of “Natural Heritage Value and Sustainable Use of the Lower Segment of the Mae Klong River, Samut Songkhram Province” submitted by Ms. Nuanpan Suravanichakit as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Architectural Heritage Management and Tourism. ………………………………………………................. (Associate Professor Sirichai Chinatangkul, Ph.D.) Dean of Graduate School ..……../………………/……… The Thesis Advisor Corazon Catibog-Sinha, Ph.D. The Thesis Examination Committee …………………………………………………………… Chairman (Professor Emeritus Trungjai Buranasomphop, Ph.D.) ………………../………………………../………………. …………………………………………………………… Member (Assistant Professor Pibul Jinawath, Ph.D.) ………………../………………………../………………. …………………………………………………………… Member (Corazon Catibog-Sinha, Ph.D.) ………………../………………………../………………. 48056957 : MAJOR : ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT AND TOURISM KEYWORD : NATURAL HERITAGE VALUE/SUSTAINABLE USE/TOURISM NUANPAN SURAVANICHAKIT : NATURAL HERITAGE VALUE AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE LOWER SEGMENT OF THE MAE KLONG RIVER, SAMUT SONGKHRAM PROVINCE. THESIS ADVISOR : CORAZON CATIBOG- SINHA, Ph.D., 304 pp. Due to natural heritage degradation and unsustainable use of natural resources in Mae Klong within the province of Samut Songkhram are at present getting very serious. To solve and prevent such problem it is vitally essential for a “bottom-up” approach to the management and use of the Mae Klong River to have more participation in solving them. Therefore the four objectives of this dissertation were: (1) to determine the natural and cultural heritage values of the downstream section of the Mae Klong River, (2) to determine if the natural and cultural resources of the Mae Klong River are being used by the local communities sustainably, (3) to assess the environmental issues (natural, cultural, social, and political) of the Mae Klong River in the context of sustainable tourism, and (4) to provide recommendations for the successful management of the Mae Klong River for sustainable tourism. The secondary data were collected from published reports and articles from books and academic journals including oral history, traditional songs, and local stories about Mae Klong River, and government annual reports and technical publications. The primary data were gathered from all information collection from field observations and interviews. Each interview consists of four parts: 1) general Information of local communities; 2) the local communities and their uses of the natural resources of the River; 3) an awareness of the local communities who value the River toward the natural and cultural attributes proper management of the River; and 4) the management and environmental issues of Mae Klong. The local residents residing along or close to the River were found to be more knowledgeable and more aware of the natural resources of the River. The majority of the respondents has recognized the cultural value and associated symbolism of the Mae Klong River. Most of them are familiar with traditional Thai song that is linked to the River. However, only few of them appreciate the aesthetic value of the Mae Klong River due to the polluted state of the River. Most local residents are unaware and have little information about the history of the Mae Klong River but they have interest in seeing tourism development in the study area similar to Amphawa. More importantly, most of them have an interest in the sustainable use of natural resources in the Mae Klong River as well as the natural resource conservation and cooperation. The study explored that the management should provide more environmental training and seminars on river conservation to every community household because this will ensure the sustainability of natural resources in the Mae Klong River for the benefits of the present and future generations. Program of Architectural Heritage Management and Tourism Graduate School, Silpakorn University Academic Year 2009 Student’s signature ……………………………… Thesis Advisor’s signature ………………………………… c Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the possibility to complete this dissertation. To start with my list, I gratefully acknowledge the Department of Architecture, Silpakorn University, in enabling me to catch up professionally with the sphere of heritage management in the relevance of such heritage values, natural resources, tourism, significance, framework, awareness, assessment, conservation, and so forth. It takes sincere efforts from many people together to finish a work successfully. My case is no such exception. I have furthermore to thank the Executive Director of the Asian Scholarship Foundation, Dr. Lourdes G. Salvador and the consultant, Mrs. Vichitra Wongpiyanantakul who recommended and encouraged me to go ahead with my dissertation. I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Dr. Corazon Catibog-Sinha for the completion of this dissertation as well as guiding me in the right direction for the knowledge of sustainable tourism management and the process of doing the analysis. I would also like to express my deepest appreciation to the dissertation committee members, Professor Dr. Emeritus Trungjai Buranasomphop, and Assistant Professor Dr. Pibul Jinawath for truly valuable guidance on this dissertation. Particularly, Khun Thienrat Sakasuparerk and all collegues for the big helping hands and tremendous support for all administrative support. And I would like to extend special thanks to the respondents who helped answer the questionnaires as well as the nine community leaders of the Mae Klong Municipality. Surely, without them this dissertation would not be completed. More people have joined me in regard to the paper picturesquely. Special mention should be made of to Mr. Prasert Suravanichakit, and Mrs. Srirom Suravanichakit who are my beloved parents, and Mr. Tungkavit Sutheero who are very helpful for ground photographing and all snapshots plus experiences in relation to the study site. Specifically, I will always be very grateful to my grandparents and my aunt for the heritage land and house in Mae Klong. To my beloved parents, I will be forever grateful for the love, care, support, guidance, encouragement, the house to stay, and the refreshment during the field trips. d Table of Contents Page Abstract…………………………….………………………………………………….. c Acknowledgements…………………………….…………………………………….. d List of Figures…………………………….…………………………………………… k List of Tables…………………………….……………………………………………. m Chapter 1 Introduction and background information………………………………….. 1 Wetlands in Samut Songkhram Province……………………………... 2 Wetland biodiversity in Samut Songkhram Province………………… 3 Wetland habitat: Don Hoi Lot Mudflat/ Wetland………………….. 3 Community-based tourism……………………………………………… 3 Cultural heritage tourism………………………………………………... 4 Home-stay tourism……………………………………………………..... 4 Agro-tourism…………………………….………………………………... 5 Major natural heritage features………………………………………… 5 The Mae Klong River……………………………………………….. 5 Mangrove forests……………………………………………………. 6 Mangrove palm…………………………………………………….... 7 Tropical fruits………………………………………………………… 8 Short-bodied mackerel……………………………………………… 8 Seashell products (Molluscs)………………………………………. 9 Crustaceans………………………………………………………..... 10 Mudskippers…………………………………………………………. 10 Riverine lizard………………………………………………………... 11 Major cultural heritage features………………………………………… 11 Museums, old monasteries, and temples………………………… 11 Historical and cultural landmarks………………………………….. 11 Festivals, customs, and traditions…………………………………. 16 Definition of heritage…………………………………………………….. 17 Natural heritage………………………………………………………….. 17 Cultural heritage………………………………………………………..... 17 Changes in the use of the Mae Klong River………………………….. 18 Role of tourism in the sustainable use of the Mae Klong River…….. 20 Research hypotheses…………………………………………………… 20 Objectives of the research……………………………………………… 20 Research methodology…………………………………………………. 21 Primary data…………………………………………………………. 21 Secondary data……………………………………………………… 21 Field research and observation……………………………………. 21 Questionnaire survey and interviews……………………………… 22 Sampling-area and size…………………………………………….. 24 Research design…………………………………………………….. 26 e Chapter Page Analysis of data………………………………………………………….. 26 Structure of presentation………………………………………………... 27 Statement of problems………………………………………………….. 27 Scope and Limitation of the Study……………………………………... 28 Benefits of research……………………………………………………... 29 2 Description of the study area……………………………………………...... 30 Samut Songkhram Province (Mae Klong)…………………………….. 30 Samut Songkhram Municipality………………………………………… 32 Samut Songkhram man-made wetlands……………………............... 35 Mae Klong River Basin…………………………….……………………. 35 Mae Klong River (Maenam Mae Klong)……………………………….