MAP Asia’s Collaboration with DMCR Helps Build New Opportunities
Some signs of encouraging progress and program success are
now more evident, emerging from the challenging work of the MAP Asia office inThailand
There seems to be some positive cracks in some corners of the Department of
Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) towards favorable viewing of the Community-Based
Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR) approach. MAP has been promoting CBEMR
as a best foot forward when attempting mangrove restoration. Progress has been
hampered, however, by several factors, and chief among these is the complex
land tenure issues making it extremely difficult to secure available sites to
implement restoration. With an estimated over 400,000 ha of abandoned shrimp
farms worldwide, which were mangroves, one would think access to these defunct
sites, which now sit idle and unproductive, would be a given.
now more evident, emerging from the challenging work of the MAP Asia office in
There seems to be some positive cracks in some corners of the Department of
Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) towards favorable viewing of the Community-Based
Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR) approach. MAP has been promoting CBEMR
as a best foot forward when attempting mangrove restoration. Progress has been
hampered, however, by several factors, and chief among these is the complex
land tenure issues making it extremely difficult to secure available sites to
implement restoration. With an estimated over 400,000 ha of abandoned shrimp
farms worldwide, which were mangroves, one would think access to these defunct
sites, which now sit idle and unproductive, would be a given.
Nevertheless, private landowners and those with lease
contracts are not willing to allow restoration for fear of losing their land
titles to government regulation if the sites are returned to their previous natural
state as functional mangrove wetlands. In essence, they would rather see these
abandoned sites remain unproductive and disused gambling on a rival of a
profitable shrimp industry or speculating on oil palm demand than to see them returned
back to productive mangroves. This lack of access to these abandoned shrimp
farms and other degraded mangrove forest sites has been difficult for MAP staff
and volunteers, knowing that these same lands could be so much more productive
and beneficial for local communities and wildlife, including wild fisheries, if
allowed to be rehabilitated to even a semblance of their former status. Though
we at MAP know it will take more time for a full transformation of those government
officials making the decisions, the recent signs of progress at the provincial
level inKrabi Province
and MAP Asia staff are keen to fan the embers that now glow warmer beneath the
feet of local government officials.
contracts are not willing to allow restoration for fear of losing their land
titles to government regulation if the sites are returned to their previous natural
state as functional mangrove wetlands. In essence, they would rather see these
abandoned sites remain unproductive and disused gambling on a rival of a
profitable shrimp industry or speculating on oil palm demand than to see them returned
back to productive mangroves. This lack of access to these abandoned shrimp
farms and other degraded mangrove forest sites has been difficult for MAP staff
and volunteers, knowing that these same lands could be so much more productive
and beneficial for local communities and wildlife, including wild fisheries, if
allowed to be rehabilitated to even a semblance of their former status. Though
we at MAP know it will take more time for a full transformation of those government
officials making the decisions, the recent signs of progress at the provincial
level in
and MAP Asia staff are keen to fan the embers that now glow warmer beneath the
feet of local government officials.
In mid-May, the MAP
Asia staff had a meeting with the director of DMCR Regional Office #2 in Krabi
who has been open and fairly supportive of MAP’s CBEMR method. MAP Thailand
Program Coordinator Ning Enright has had many meetings and calls with him over
the past year, and seems to have won him over through persistent effort to
locate sites for our small- scale CBEMR demonstration projects. MAP Asia staff
also invited DMCR to MAP’s Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Environment
(EPIC) inception workshop and field trip in December, visiting MAP Asia’s
proposed EPIC site onKlang
Island
DMCR staff members then attended a recent CBEMR training in Krabi following the
inception workshop.
Asia staff had a meeting with the director of DMCR Regional Office #2 in Krabi
who has been open and fairly supportive of MAP’s CBEMR method. MAP Thailand
Program Coordinator Ning Enright has had many meetings and calls with him over
the past year, and seems to have won him over through persistent effort to
locate sites for our small- scale CBEMR demonstration projects. MAP Asia staff
also invited DMCR to MAP’s Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Environment
(EPIC) inception workshop and field trip in December, visiting MAP Asia’s
proposed EPIC site on
DMCR staff members then attended a recent CBEMR training in Krabi following the
inception workshop.
According to MAP Asia Coordinator Jim Enright, “On the
inception field trip we stopped to show DMCR staff and others an abandoned
shrimp pond which we had leaned that the Land Development Department (LDD) was
going to assist the owner to convert it to an oil palm plantation under their
present aggressive program of oil palm expansion. Last week, the DMCR chief
told us he then made a comment to LDD that they need to check first on the
status of abandoned ponds before engaging ‘owners’ to convert ponds to oil palm
or other economic plants under their assistance program…”
inception field trip we stopped to show DMCR staff and others an abandoned
shrimp pond which we had leaned that the Land Development Department (LDD) was
going to assist the owner to convert it to an oil palm plantation under their
present aggressive program of oil palm expansion. Last week, the DMCR chief
told us he then made a comment to LDD that they need to check first on the
status of abandoned ponds before engaging ‘owners’ to convert ponds to oil palm
or other economic plants under their assistance program…”
“The day before we
had a positive meeting with the community Imam, who is the owner and with his
extended family of this particular abandoned shrimp pond site. He is now
interested in joining our CBEMR project under EPIC to restore the site back to
mangroves with a mud-crab component. Again, a direct economic return through pond-based
livelihoods seems to be the incentive needed to win pond holders over to
restoration.”
had a positive meeting with the community Imam, who is the owner and with his
extended family of this particular abandoned shrimp pond site. He is now
interested in joining our CBEMR project under EPIC to restore the site back to
mangroves with a mud-crab component. Again, a direct economic return through pond-based
livelihoods seems to be the incentive needed to win pond holders over to
restoration.”
At last week’s
meeting MAP Asia staff also heard from the head of Mangrove Extension and
Development Division that their office is now planting at least 5 mangrove
species per site and appear now to be possibly moving away from straight row,
single species planting. Obviously, it is key to find the right people in DMCR,
like Director of Regional Office #2, and work with them…..
meeting MAP Asia staff also heard from the head of Mangrove Extension and
Development Division that their office is now planting at least 5 mangrove
species per site and appear now to be possibly moving away from straight row,
single species planting. Obviously, it is key to find the right people in DMCR,
like Director of Regional Office #2, and work with them…..
We’ve not had such good fortune in finding sympathetic DMCR
officers here in Trang.
officers here in Trang.
EPIC Project Website Page: http://www.epicproject.net/?page_id=15
By: Alfredo Quarto, MAP Executive Director