Climate Chang Adaptation MFF WI project

Highlighting climate change adaptation actions Reversing Environmental Damage Through Community Focused Sustainable Livelihoods in Ban Don Bay, Surat Thani Province, Southern Thailand Project Grantee and Partners: Wetlands International-Thailand Office, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, The Ban Don Bay Conservation Network

Project Background Over the years, Surat Thani, the project site, has loss over 90% of its mangrove forest due to land conversion for shrimp aquaculture. For the local population this has led to loss of resource access, loss of traditional livelihoods, unemployment and marginalisation. In the early 1990s, most of the shrimp farmers abandoned the shrimp ponds as a result of disease problems, declining production levels and a government resolution that ruled out any legal basis for shrimp farming in the mangrove area. But gradually the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in Thailand, is introducing a participatory process for mangrove restoration with written agreements to rehabilitate the abandoned shrimp farms.

Wetlands International – Thailand Office, in close Collaboration with the Mangrove Resource Development Station of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the Ban Don Bay Conservation Network, the Surat Thani Provincial Administrative Organization, Wetlands Research Center of Prince of Songkla University and the Global Environment Center (GEC) propose to develop a model plan for the restoration of large areas of degraded mangrove and abandoned shrimp ponds using the most cost effective and state of the art methodology – Hydrologic Restoration in comparison with the normal manual restoration by applying the innovative financial mechanism; bio-right approach to improve local livelihoods.

Content prepared by MFF Thailand Programme with support Oliver Abrenilla, UNEP Seconded Consultant/Photo and layout: Sriaram S.

Climate change adaptation considerations The project site has the potential to be impacted by various natural factors which may be exacerbated through climate change – in particular, coastal storms and surges and heavy rainfall and floods. But, storms and floods during the project period may actually enhance the work of the project in re-establishing tidal channels and flows in the abandoned shrimp ponds. In the longer term the project is expected to contribute largely to disaster risk reduction in the area as it:

•Re-establishes natural buffer zones in coastal areas which will prevent erosion, salt water intrusion and will protect against storms and other expected extreme weather events; and •Enhances the empowerment of local communities through: •awareness raising and capacity building •diversification of their livelihoods and sources of income

What is the bio-rights approach?

Contact person: Dr. Noparat Bumrungrak (b_nr@yahoo.com) Wetlands International-Thailand Office E 205, Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University Hat Yai campus, Hat Yai district, Songkhla Province 90112 Thailand Tel: +66-74-429307 Fax: +66-74-409307

The ‘bio-rights’ approach promotes a strategic partnership where local communities receive (upon signing a contract) small financial capital to start small scale environment friendly income generating activities. In return, these communities will engage themselves for two years to protect, promote wise use and restore a specific area of mangrove forests.

Produced by MFF secretariat with financial support of NORAD and SIDA