1. Background

Rapid development of shrimp aquaculture has brought substantial economic benefits to Thailand over the past decades, but is also blamed for widespread negative environmental and social impacts.  Vast areas of mangrove - traditionally used by local people for fisheries, timber production and non-timber forest products - have been converted to shrimp aquaculture ponds. Unsustainable environmental practices, including reliance on high nutrient, chemical and bio-chemical inputs, severely degrades land quality and after only 5 to 10 years use, shrimp aquaculture ponds are abandoned and investors establish new ponds in other mangrove areas. 

2. Main Objectives and Activities

Through a multi-stakeholder approach, this project aims to establishment of a sustainable development model to restore and sustainable management of mangrove forests, affording conservation of coastal marine natural resources and supporting the livelihoods of local populations through using innovative pro-poor financial mechanisms.

The activities carried out by this project includes restoring degraded and destroyed coastal natural resources areas through promoting natural regeneration and manual planting, capacity building, community empowerment. The project will help establish co-management mechanisms for restored mangrove forest, mobilise the shared aims by introducing a co-management mechanism for restored areas. It is widely recognised that national and regional level coastal resource restoration practitioners require increased access to technical restoration information, livelihood models and co-management mechanisms.

3. Linkage to Biodiversity Conservation

Intensive shrimp farming and un-control development causes the loss of highly biodiverse coastal ecosystem, and leaves behind extensive areas of degraded land which cannot support life forms and provide no benefits to the local communities.

4. Expected Outcomes

Through the success of this project, the effective mangrove restoration methods will be demonstrated. Approximately 40 ha of degraded mangrove will be recovered within the Ban Don Bay. Where appropriate and desired, supplementary livelihoods will be developed for local communities with an innovative financial mechanism applied. Experiences and lesson learnt will be promoted through dissemination of project documentation.  and organization of national and international workshop.

Further information, please contact:

Mr. Jirapong Jeewarongkakul,

Project Manager at: jirapong_j@hotmail.com