| Regional Workshop on Rehabilitation of
Fisheries and Aquaculture
in Coastal Communities of Tsunami Affected Countries in Asia
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| Bangkok, Thailand |
| 28 February to 1 March 2005 |
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| The massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami waves that
originated off the west coast of northern Sumatra have caused
extensive loss of lives and damage to coastal communities throughout
the southern Bay of Bengal, especially in northern Sumatra, the
western coast of Sri Lanka, southern India, the Maldives, the Andaman
Nicobar Islands, northern Malaysia, southern Thailand and southern
Myanmar as well as the Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya.
Damage includes loss of whole villages, homes, fishing and aquaculture
infrastructure (including port and post-harvest facilities), fishing
vessels and gear, aquaculture facilities (including ponds, cages,
hatcheries and brood stock) and markets, as well as other livelihood
assets. The scale of the damage to coastal areas will stretch the
abilities of local services to provide the necessary support to impacted
communities and households over the coming year or more.
As an initial coordination step, the regional fishery bodies in the
region banded together and formed a consortium to Restore Shattered
Livelihoods in Tsunami-devastated Nations (CONSRN). This consists of
the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP); Network of
Aquaculture Centers in Asia and the Pacific (NACA); South East Asia
Fisheries Development Centers (SEAFDEC); Bay of Bengal Programme –
Inter-Governmental Organization (BOBP-IGO); and the WorldFish Centre
(WorldFish), working together with other non-government and government
partners.
As we move away from immediate emergency relief, partners of this
consortium are working together to develop an over-arching Programme
Framework that covers the relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation
in the mid- to long-term. Many other agencies and Departments within
agencies are also developing Programme Frameworks. However, in most
cases these are being developed in isolation with little contact with
the impacted countries. There is an urgent need to consult with the
countries to ensure that the Programmes meet their needs.
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| The immediate objective of the workshop was to
consult with impacted countries to guide the development of a
regional strategy and Programme Framework for rehabilitation,
based on regional perspectives and country dimensions.
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| The workshop focused on impacted coastal communities whose main
livelihood activities were related to fisheries and aquaculture. Under
a livelihood framework this includes consideration of natural, human,
financial, social and physical assets, as well as of the processes,
institutions, originations, policies and legislation that shape
livelihoods. This was approached from a fishery/aquaculture
perspective that focused on fishing/aquaculture activities and
the natural resource base on which they depend. In particular, the
workshop examined overall policy directions on which reconstruction
and rehabilitation will be based, i.e. it addressed the question
"what are we trying to build (or re-build) and then, how and with what?" |
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| Representatives from India, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand, as well as
international/regional non-governmental organizations and
interested donors. |
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| Opening statement
by He Changchui,
Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative
for Asia and the Pacific. |
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| The workshop provided a basic Regional Strategic Framework as a
basis for sound project formulation and targeting of potential donors.
The primary output was a Framework Programme with clear objectives
and identified strategies tailored to meet regional and country needs. |
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Derek Staples
Senior Fisheries Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
E-mail: FAO-RAP@fao.org
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