Presently, in Southeast Asia there are huge areas of abandoned shrimp ponds that could be returned to mangroves by restoring the natural hydrology. This project demonstrates the Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR) methodology, which ensures that disturbed hydrology is corrected first.
Both Wetlands International and the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) are well aware of the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach with full community involvement in the entire process is required to ensure sustainability.
Also if human and animal grazing pressures on mangroves are too high then these too must be reduced and this often involves assisting people with supplementary livelihood options.
Healthy & bio-diverse
The project output is a healthy, bio-diverse, restored mangrove with an empowered community that can act as a catalyst for other mangrove communities. This EMR demonstration site will be used as a field training site for future EMR training workshops which will help ensure a higher rate of success amongst those wishing to restore mangroves.
Learn more on EMR:
Key Activities of the EMR Project in Krabi
Phase I: Oct. 2007-December 2008
• Consultations and information collection with all stakeholders including communities, government agencies, NGOs and shrimp farm owners
• Community capacity building (field study trip to Koh Yao Noi)
• EMR training (Six Step Method) for community, NGOs & Mangrove Management Unit
• Field site study, hydrological reference site study
• Production of Ecological Mangrove Restoration plan
• Implementation work – debris clearance, site grading, channel dredging etc
• Supplementary livelihood development programmes
• Krabi estuary network development
Phase II: Monitoring and evaluation (January-September 2009)
• Site work M&E and correction of channels where necessary
• Supplementary livelihood follow-up
• Livestock exclusion fencing maintenance
• Using the BTC site conduct study tours for other villages. Encourage BTC-CG to lead restoration efforts in the other villages using their work as a model
• Provide further technical assistance where necessary
• Monitoring, evaluation, time lapse photography of restoration sites
Phase III: On-going maintenance at Ban Taling Chan (Oct. 2009-Dec 2012)
• Replication and up scaling EMR to other sites
• Livestock exclusion fencing
• Monitoring, evaluation, time lapse photography
• Channel maintenance (removing silt from channels that become blocked. Removing volunteer mangroves growing in the middle of a channel)
Note: This a 5 year project, but only Phase I and Phase II (2 years) will be covered by this proposal.
Contact Info
Wetlands International-Thailand Programme
P.O. Box 95, Kor Hong Post Office
A. Hat Yai, Songkhla Province 90112
THAILAND
Tel/Fax: +66-74-429307