Final Report of Work Package 1: Multidisciplinary Situation Appraisal of Mangrove Ecosystems in Thailand Project full title: “Mangrove ecosystems, communities and conflict: developing knowledge-based approaches to reconcile multiple demands” Contract Number: FP6-003697 Reporting and Fieldwork by: Varunthat Dulyapurk Wara Taparhudee Ruangvit Yoonpundh Sirisuda Jumnongsong Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand Version: September 2, 2007 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to express our gratitude to all those who provided us the possibility to complete the Report of Work Package I: Multidisciplinary Situation Appraisal of Mangrove Ecosystems in Thailand. We would like to thank our advisory board which provided very useful suggestions and vivid encouragement to motivate us into the right direction. Also, for our local assistant team, we have to thank all of them for their valuable efforts and great helps. The complete name list of these most valuable resource persons are specially presented as follows: The Project Advisory Board • Associate Professor Prawit Suraniranat – Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University • Mr. Viroj Teratanatorn - Mangrove Research and Development Division, Department of Marine and Coastal Resource (DMCR) The Local Assistant Team • Mr. Somchai Kao Ian - Head of the Pak Phanang River Basin Development Station • Mr. SaNgaim Tamrarieng – Officer of the Pak Phanang River Basin Development Station • Mr. Amorn Mosikamas – Head of the Mangrove Research and Development Station No. 15 , DMCR • Mr. Suwit Rattanamanee - Director of the Protected Areas Regional Office No. 5, National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department • Mr. Sawetrachat Bunming – Officer of the Protected Areas Regional Office No. 5, National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department We would like to thank the representatives of the local people as well as the community leaders in the three communities, (1) Ban Kong Khong, Pak Phanang Fang Tawan Ok Subdistrict, Pak Phanang District, (2) Ban Pak Nam Pak Phaya, Ta Sak Subdistrict, Mueang District and (3) Ban Talad Has, Pak Phun Subdistrict, Mueang District. This package will never be completed without their participation. Mangrove Ecosystem and Community Livelihoods in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, KU, WP-1, EC-FP6-003697 iii ABSTRACT The Nakhon Si Thammarat Province from the southern part of Thailand has been selected due to their highest priority and score provided by expert evidence. The 3 communities have been selected to represent different characteristics of the mangrove ecosystem; (1) Ban Kong Khong, Pak Phanang Fang Tawan Ok Subdistrict, Pak Phanang District to represent a community with healthy and old mangrove forest, (2) Ban Pak Nam Pak Phaya, Ta Sak Subdistrict, Mueang District to represent a community with new mangrove plantation areas from abandoned shrimp ponds and (3) Ban Talad Has, Pak Phun Subdistrict, Mueang District to represent a community with new mangrove area from a new sedimentation area, respectively. The ecosystem health and function (Section 4), including biogeochemical, hydrological and ecological aspects, had been presented based on reviews of published information and data. The livelihoods of the poor people, goods and services (Section 5) had been analysed based on the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and Gender Analysis Framework. In general, compared among three communities, Ban Kong Khong had been indicated as the lowest access score to all important assets. The ranking importance of mangrove goods and services section, for all three communities, had indicated the high level of their income and livelihood dependence on their mangrove system via direct uses of mangrove wood for household use, a prevention of coastal erosion and indirect use benefits from their fishing activities, respectively. For the mapping flows of goods supporting communities, main targeted species such as, mud crap ( Scylla serrata ), banana shrimp ( Penaeus merguiensis )/ Indian white shrimp ( Penaeus indicus ) and sesarmid crab ( Sesarma eumolpe ), for all three communities had been selected for their common harvested species. These fishing products generally passed through their varieties of marketing channels (e.g. middlemen in/outside the communities, local/provincial markets and exported goods to other countries). The cause ranking of impacts to mangrove forest and mangrove aquatic resources can be categorized into two main causes; natural causes (e.g., erosion and severe storm problems) and human uses (e.g., cutting and waste water discharged). For the trend line of natural resource quantity, economy, social relation, conflicts in different periods, all communities perceived that their economic status has been worsen from the Cabinet Resolution in 1989. Their fishing activities can be adapted throughout the year depending on the weather condition and peak or off-peak fishing seasons. The community’s assets maps had been created by all participants and included in the report for each community. Most participants from all communities perceived that a male partner is generally more dominant in productive role compared to a female one. The needs of land ownership, termination of illegal fishing activities and increase in mangrove plantation area had been ranked with a high priority for Ban Kong Khong, Ban Pak Nam Pak Phaya and Ban Talad Has, respectively. The institution and stakeholder analysis (Section 6) had included the summary of main mangrove related organizations, reviews on policies and laws related to mangrove and the Venn diagram analyzing stakeholder for Thailand Mangrove project. Mangrove Ecosystem and Community Livelihoods in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, KU, WP-1, EC-FP6-003697 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Title Page No. Title page i Acknowledgement ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv Lists of figures vi Lists of tables vii 1 Introduction 1 2 Mangrove forest in Thailand 2 3 Selection of project sites 5 3.1 Criteria to select project site 5 3.2 MANGROVE Project sites 5 4 Ecosystem health and function 7 4.1 Biogeochemical function 7 4.1.1 Chemical transport into mangrove ecosystem 7 4.1.2 Chemical Mass Balance of mangrove ecosystem 7 4.2 Hydrological function 7 4.2.1 Seasons and monsoons 7 4.2.2 Precipitation 8 4.3 Ecological 8 4.3.1 Plants in mangrove ecosystem 8 4.3.2 Animals in mangrove ecosystem 9 5 Livelihoods of the poor people, goods, and services 10 5.1 Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and Gender Analysis 10 Framework 5.2 Assessment of livelihoods, goods and services 11 5.2.1 Assessment of community’s assets 12 5.2.2 Assessment of roles of mangrove ecosystem 16 providing goods and services in livelihoods of poor people 5.2.2.1 Ranking importance of mangrove goods 16 and services 5.2.2.2 Mapping flows of goods supporting 18 communities 5.2.3 Assessment of vulnerability context of each 22 community 5.2.3.1 Ranking the causes of impacts to 22 mangrove forest and mangrove aquatic resources Mangrove Ecosystem and Community Livelihoods in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, KU, WP-1, EC-FP6-003697 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT.) Section Title Page No. 5.2.3.2 Trend line of natural resource quantity, 23 economy, social relation, conflicts in different periods 5.2.3.3 Seasonal calendar of activities related 25 to mangrove ecosystem 5.2.4 Assessment of specific gender issues 26 5.2.4.1 Mapping of community’s assets 27 5.2.4.2 Perceptions of people about roles, 31 responsibilities, power and decision- making 5.2.4.3 Ranking the needs and priorities 32 6 Institutional and stakeholder analysis 34 6.1 Main organizations for mangrove forest management in 34 Thailand 6.2 Policies and laws related to mangrove forest management 34 in Thailand 6.3 Stakeholder analysis for MANGROVE Project in 36 Thailand References 39 Mangrove Ecosystem and Community Livelihoods in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, KU, WP-1, EC-FP6-003697 vi LISTS OF FIGURES Figure Title Page No. No. 2.1 Trend in mangrove forest area extent (1960 – 2000) 2 2.2 Distribution of mangrove forest of Thailand in 2004 4 3.1 Location of MANGROVE Project sites 6 5.1 Sustainable Livelihoods Framework 10 5.2 PCA events conducted in the 3 communities 12 5.3 The asset pentagon 12 5.4 Different shaped pentagons – changes in access to assets in 15 study sites 5.5 Representative presenting the result of male group about 16 ranking importance of mangrove’s goods and services 5.6 Mud crab flow diagram in study sites 19 5.7 Banana shrimp/Indian white shrimp flow diagram in study 20 sites 5.8 Sesarmid crab flow diagram in study sites 21 5.9 Vulnerability context 22 5.10 Asset map developed by female participants in Ban 28 KongKhong, PakPhanang FangTawanOk Subdistrict, PakPhanang District 5.11 Asset map developed by male participants in Ban 28 KongKhong, PakPhanang FangTawanOk Subdistrict, PakPhanang District 5.12 Asset map developed by female participants in Ban Pak Nam 29 Pak Phaya, Ta Sak Subdistrict, Mueang District 5.13 Asset map developed by male participants in Ban Pak Nam 29 Pak Phaya, Ta Sak Subdistrict, Mueang District 5.14 Asset map developed by female participants in Ban Talad 30 Has, Pak Phun Subdistrict, Mueang District 5.15 Asset map developed by male participants in Ban Talad Has, 30 Pak Phun Subdistrict, Mueang District 6.1 Vien diagram showing relationship of stakeholders of 37 MANGROVE Project in Thailand Mangrove Ecosystem and Community Livelihoods in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, KU, WP-1, EC-FP6-003697 vii LISTS OF TABLES Table No. Title Page No. 2.1 The extent of existing mangrove