The government compensation to the fishery sector, according to the data from DOF fisheries Rescue Coordination Centre as of 7 January 2005, was budgeted at 1 343 million baht (US$ 34.5 million), which is much lower than the total estimated damage (US$ 47.8 million) eligible for compensation to the victims in the sector. More assistance either from governments or other partners is required for tsunami-affected fisher folk and farmers to quickly restart income generation activities and restore their livelihood. Furthermore, medium-and long-term assistance for the rehabilitation of coastal village communities as well as sustainable and responsible natural resource management are necessary to built up disaster-resistant coastal communities.
As the needs of the victims are urgent, there is a need to provide emergency assistance through the provision of essential inputs and equipment to restore their fishery/aquaculture activities. Most fisher folk and aquafarmers prefer to go back to their fishing/aquaculture activities as soon as possible instead of relying on donations. Thus, it is important to assist the affected population in the restoration and enhancement of self-reliance through the resumption of fisheries activities. The emergency assistance should cover the areas that have been identified in the section “Emergency needs in six affected provinces”.
The major focus of medium/long-term assistance should be the rehabilitation of the damaged coastal resources the may affect the fishery and aquaculture sector. For example, the damaged coral reef and the changes on the sea bed may affect the wild caught marine animals as well as their broodstock for aquaculture breeding. There should be a series of long-term studies on the impact of the tsunami on economic fish species such as black tiger prawn broodstock, grouper seeds and broodstock, lobster seeds and adults, mantis shrimp, swimming crab, squid, etc. In addition, an artificial reef programme should be heavily promoted for quick recovery of marine life.
In this connection, there is a need for enhancing capacity for coastal and fisheries resource assessment and rehabilitation, including mapping of fisheries resources and developing disaster damage mitigation plan.
The development of marine finfish culture in the abandoned shrimp grow-out ponds should be encouraged in order to find an alternative for victims who may not want to work in the sea. Development of grouper hatcheries and nurseries are also needed to solve the problem of wild seeds shortages. A training programme on the application of artificial feed to replace fresh feed should be arranged.
With help from external donors, including the United Nations, a tsunami/earthquake warning system should be jointly established, not only through official channels such as the Office of Civil Defence, Department of Local Administration or through public media such as radio, TV and local voice systems, but also through a compulsory warning system installed on mobile phone and internet services. During this disaster, many fishers were able to escape and survive because they were warned through mobile phones by their relatives or friends living on the islands that the tsunami hit first.
During the emergency/short-term assistance phase, assistance should be focused on the provision of agricultural inputs to enable the affected farmers to resume crop production that is salinity tolerant together with appropriate soil amendments such as organic fertilizer and gypsum. For the livestock sector, the emergency assistance should be directed at the provision of animal feed and health control.
The main aim of the medium/long-term rehabilitation process will be to restore the production capacity of farmers and ensure food security in the region. Farmers should become active participants in the development of appropriate management systems and should become the main originators of technical solutions to their environmental problems. Any management option considered should be field-tested under farmers’ conditions.
The rehabilitation of salt-affected soils requires a combination of agronomic and management practices depending on a careful definition of the main production constraints and requirements. Therefore, an integrated management approach should be implemented. The main points to be considered are:
Zoning of land to identify and implement appropriate reclamation measures - zones should be determined by the level of salinity;
rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage infrastructure;
provision of technical assistance and inputs for medium- to long-term rehabilitation of affected lands;
possible modifications to cropping systems to suit the changed environments and taking into consideration the local agro-ecological conditions;
reclamation of biodiversity; and
training of extension workers and farmers to enable them to implement the above tasks.
Strengthening the existing mangrove forest reserves programme will be the most logical and practical option to carry out the rehabilitation programme. The Chief of Kantang District DOAE Office in Trang Province has requested technical assistance for mangrove forest management because the farmers in the area are now earning money from Nipa leaves and fruits. This offers a good example on how the local communities benefit from the sustainable utilization and conservation of mangrove resources.
Recognizing several institutional barriers, the mission recommends either to expand the scope of the existing mangrove forest reserves programme to an integrated coastal forest resource management programme by including other coastal forests, or to locate it as part of such an integrated programme. Wherever the local conditions allow, a joint forest management system with the local communities should be promoted as a viable option in a new integrated coastal forest resource management strategy.
Medium-and long-term rehabilitation assistance is required to improve environmental restoration, and increased awareness of the role of natural resource management both for natural hazard vulnerability reduction and for the protection of valuable coastal natural resources, including mangrove and other coastal forests. A Project Profile entitled “Responsive Assistance on the Rehabilitation of Natural Resources and Environmental Damages in the Affected Areas” (duration: 2 years) is shown in Annex 9.
For the sustainable restoration of the livelihoods of the affected coastal communities, medium- and long-term assistance in terms of capacity building at the institutional and grass roots levels, community-based sustainable natural resources management, and improving access to financial assets need to be addressed, in addition to the provision of production assets, such as fishing gears, infrastructure and seeds for re-stocking. Strengthening local community organizations, micro-finance, natural disaster insurance, training/education on community disaster prevention/mitigation and rehabilitation of tourism will be required in this context.
Such interventions could aim at facilitating participatory community-based fisheries and natural resource management and sustainable human development in coastal communities in tsunami-affected areas, through awareness building, organization and empowerment of communities, promotion of alternative income generating activities, facilitating improved access to credit schemes as well as social and extension services, and strengthening linkages between community organizations and local government institutions and administration.
The primary purpose of the intervention would be to empower local community-level organizations and fishers’ organizations to manage their natural resources in a sustainable manner, to plan, implement and monitor development activities to address their concerns and needs and to gain better access to services. The Programme would be participatory in nature, in close collaboration with existing local NGOs, beginning with identification of needs, determination of solution options, planning, and implementation through to monitoring and evaluation.
