WP01: Background o f Deployment o f the ICRM
B A C K G R O U N D O F D E P L O Y M E N T O F T H E IC R M P R O JE C T S IN S O U T H E A ST A S IA N C O U N T R IE S A N D TH E R E G IO N A L SE M IN A R
Seiichi Etoh
Training D epartm ent, Southeast A sian Fisheries D evelopm ent C enter (SEA FD EC /TD ) I. Deploymentof the IC R M projects in the S E A F D E C membercountries
In Thailand, the deterioration o f livelihood in coastal fishing com m unities as a result o f the over-exploitation o f fishery resources and the degradation o f coastal environm ents has led the governm ent to introduce the concept o f com m unity-based fisheries m anagem ent (C B FM ) w ithin the fram ew ork o f coastal fisheries developm ent and m anagem ent. A n o th e r im p o rtan t facto r b ein g co n sid ered is the p ressu re on the governm ent to decentralize and devolve adm inistrative authority to local actors. A successful exam ple o f this being the jo in t D O F and B ay o f B engal Project (B O B P) Phangnga B ay project set up in 1996.
Another exam ple w as the 1989 D O F Fishing R ights Pilot Project (FR PP) in B ang Saphan and B ang Saphan N oi D istrict. F o llo w in g these su ccesses, the D O F decided to start a new coastal fisheries managem ent project in C hum phon Province as an integrated com ponent o f the com prehensive developm ent project im plem ented b y th e R oyal P roject C ouncil in early 2000.
M eantime, SEA FD EC had im plem ented the regionalization o f the C ode o f C onduct for R esponsible Fisheries under the four m ajor them es; i.e. responsible fishing operations, aquaculture developm ent, fisheries post-harvest, and fisheries m anagem ent. U nder the A S E A N -SE A FD EC Fisheries C onsultative Group (FCG ) schem e, T hailand took charge as the lead country fo r the SEA FD EC m em ber countries and the Training D epartm ent as the lead SEA FD E C D epartm ent for the activities under the dom ain o f fisheries m anagem ent.
Under this schem e, it w as decided in 2001 that the T raining D epartm ent (TD) w ould collaborate w ith the DOF in im plem enting a coastal resource m anagem ent program , and an existing project proposal for Chum phon w as reform ulated as a jo in t initiative for a period o f five years. T hailand w as designated as the lead country for the SEA FD E C M em bers and TD as the lead im plem enting SEA FD E C D epartm ent.
It was further agreed that the know ledge and experience gained through the project operation w ould be dissem inated to other m em ber countries through the SEA FD E C inform ation and technology transfer mechanism.
Thus, the project on “L ocally B ased C oastal R esources M anagem ent in P athew D istrict (LB C R M - PD)” com m enced in N ovem ber 2001 in C hum phon w ith the overall project objectives of: (1) establishing sustainable coastal resources m anagem ent at the local level; (2) rehabilitating the coastal fishery resources;
and (3) alleviating poverty in coastal fishing com m unities.
The project had produced tangible im pact as acknow ledged by the M em bers at the 4 th SEA FD EC FC G M eeting in M yanm ar in M arch 2002 and at the 25th SEA FD EC Program Com m ittee M eeting in Singapore in O ctober 2002. D uring the latter m eeting, it w as pointed out that it w as tim e to im part the technologies, including the experience and know ledge gained, to other m em ber countries. Thus, the C om m ittee M em ber for M alaysia offered Langkaw i as a p ilo t site for the im plem entation o f a sim ilar approach on a cost- sharing basis. Subsequently, SEA FD EC/TD m issions to Langkawi w ere m ounted to look into the possibility o f setting up a sim ilar coastal fishery resources m anagem ent and developm ent project. Eventually, the second project on “L ocally B ased C oastal R esources M anagem ent - Pulau Langkaw i (L B C R M -P L )”
took o ff in A ugust 2003 for a period o f four years.
These tw o projects w ere later reform ulated to fit into the new thrust o f the Japanese T rust F und IV Program , w hich com m enced in 2004. T his new program on “C apacity B uilding o f H um an R esources and Participation in Integrated C oastal R esources M anagem ent” placed m ore em phasis on the com ponent o f hum an resources developm ent (H R D ) in each project. Thus, the projects’ titles w ere changed to Integrated C oastal R esources M anagem ent in P ath ew D istrict (IC R M -P D ) and In tegrated C oastal R esources
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Regional Sem inar on Integrated Coastal Resources M anagement in Southeast Asia
M anagem ent in Langkaw i (IC R M -PL), respectively, to take into consideration the thrust o f the new program and these com prise the second phase o f the project.
M eanw hile, further recom m endations w ere p u t forw ard at the SEA FD E C Program C om m ittee m eetings in 2003 and 2004 specifying that experiences and know ledge gained through these project operations should be transferred to other SEA FD EC m em ber countries under the collaborative project m echanism . To this end, B runei D arussalam , Indonesia, C am bodia and M yanm ar expressed their intensions to initiate sim ilar projects in their respective countries. A m ong these countries, it w as envisaged that the 3rd project w ould take place in C am bodia taking into account the geographical advantage and the prioritized need o f a C B R M approach in the country. The prelim inary site survey w as carried out in June 2004 to inspect the proposed site and to collect relevant data and inform ation with regards to responsible com m unity fisheries.
B ased on the findings and observations from the survey, a tentative w ork-plan w as subm itted to the 27th PC M eeting held in D ecem ber 2004 and w as endorsed. Thus, steps w ere then taken to pu t the project forw ard for the initiation o f its actual activity in 2005. Eventually, the project com m enced its operation on
11 N ovem ber 2005 for three-year tenure.
A s scheduled, the p roject in C hum phon, the IC R M -PD w as term inated in D ecem ber 2006. The projects in Langkaw i, the IC R M -PL and in Sihanoukville, the IC R M -SV w ill be term inated in D ecem ber 2007 and 2008, respectively.
Timeframe of the Program Implementation
No. Component Year
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Component 1 Project 1: Thailand
- LBCFM-PD: 1st Phase(JTF-1) - ICRM-PD: 2nd Phase (JTF-4)
2
Component 2 Project 2: Malaysia
- LBCRM-PL: 1st Phase (JTF-1) - ICRM-PL: 2nd Phase (JTF-4)
3
Component 2 Project 3: Cambodia - ICRM-SV (JTF-4)
II. R
egionalS
eminaronI
ntegratedC
oastalR
esourcesM
anagementinS
outheastA
sia In the w ake o f the com pletion o f the project IC R M -PD in D ecem ber 2006, it w as proposed that a regional sem inar be organized to prim arily review the project outcom es w ith participants com ing from SEA FD EC m em ber countries. T he detailed description and background o f the sem inar are indicated in the Prospectus o f the R egional Seminar.1. Objectives of the Regional Seminar
The objectives o f the R egional Sem inar are:• To report the achievem ent and outcom e o f the project during its 5-year im plem entation and review its progress in line w ith the original p roject concept
• To verify the im pacts o f the concept to the beneficiaries, from the p ro ject’s activities in term s o f quantity as w ell as quality considering both facets o f com m unity developm ent as w ell as sustainable fishery resources m anagem ent
• To discuss its resultant rationale and im plication in the dissem ination o f the project concept to other SEA FD EC m em ber countries under com ponent 2
• To identify the n ecessary follow -up actions to be u n d ertak en b y D O F T hailand and other collaborating local agencies
2. Envisaged outcomes
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WP01: Background o f Deployment o f the ICRM
The expected outcom es o f the R egional Sem inar are:
• All data and inform ation collected and analyzed during the project im plem entation are docum ented and presented
• The project activities are thoroughly review ed and its im pacts to the beneficiaries verified
• T hrough discussions, follow -up actions o f the project to be undertaken by D O F T hailand and other local agencies are recom m ended
• D escription o f the tw o other on-going activities in M alaysia and C am bodia is m ade and the rationale in im plem enting sim ilar project approach is discussed, and som e recom m endations m ay be derived for the possible reorientation o f the projects
• The seminar offers opportunities for m em ber countries other than Thailand, M alaysia and Cam bodia to consider the applicability o f C B R M concept w ith its project approach in th eir respective countries
• In a sense, the sem inar also serves as overall m id-term p rogram evaluation and review.
3. T a rg e t G ro u p s o f th e R e g io n a l S e m in a r The sem inar has tw o target groups o f participants:
3.1 Foreign participants
There are tw o groups in this category: representatives from the m em ber countries and representatives from the IC R M -PL and IC R M -S V projects. The form er participants are expected to be engaged in com m unity-based fishery resources m anagem ent field in their countries. T hey are expected to p lay an im portant role in this sem inar by participating in the discussions reflecting their view s and experiences in their respective countries. T hey are also expected to bring back in essence the outcom es o f the sem inar to their countries and m ake best use o f them in their decision m aking in the deploym ent o f sim ilar approach.
The latter participants w ill p resen t th eir respective project approaches and the progress m ade although the projects are still currently on-going. T hey are expected to benefit from the sem inar by reflecting on the recom m endations, suggestions and outcom es and applying these in their future project im plem entation and approach.
3.2 Domestic participants
The executive agencies involved in the IC R M -PD are the D O F T hailand and SEA FD E C /TD under the collaborative p roject operational schem e. In addition, a num ber o f local adm inistrative authorities have been involved in the project operation as supporting agencies since its inception; e.g. Provincial O ffices including the Provincial C ooperative Prom otion O ffice and D istrict O ffice and the Ao.B o.To. M oreover, the m ost important role w as played by the Pakklong Fisherm en’s Group (PFG) as the upperm ost beneficiary in this project. R epresentatives from these agencies and groups are expected to present their activities to the sem inar and review the im pacts that the project had given to the com m unity and the coastal fishery r e s o u r c e s m a n a g e m e n t s y s te m . T o g e th e r w ith th e v ie w s fro m th e f o re ig n p a r tic ip a n ts , th e recom m endations from this group o f dom estic participants w ill be reflected in the p ro ject’s follow -up stage.
In term s o f the sustainability o f the project activity, this occasion is vital for PFG in particular, as they are the end party concerned in this self-regulatory fishery resources m anagem ent regim e. A s seen in the follow ing chart, the m anagerial responsibility in the fishery resources m anagem ent activity should be shifted from D O F and the local adm inistrative agencies to PFG tow ard the end o f the follow -up stage.
B y all m eans, the D O F has to continue its involvem ent in this activity as a m onitoring and supporting agency.
4 . C o n te n ts o f th e R e g io n a l S e m in a r
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Regional Seminar on Integrated Coastal Resources Management in Southeast Asia
Involvement and initiative in activities
A s dealt at length in the Prospectus o f the R egional Sem inar and in the A nnotated A genda, the Sem inar is prim arily designed to m onitor the extent o f each activ ity ’s achievem ent through presentation and discussion from various angles in order that future proper orientation in the project follow -up stage w ould be derived. Further, based on lessons learned and experiences gained through the project operation o f IC R M -PD , tw o sim ilar projects, i.e. the IC R M -PL and IC R M -SV w ere started in 2003 in M alaysia and in 2005 in C am bodia, respectively. The regional collaboration involved w ill be described and its im pact discussed tow ards further dissem ination o f the IC R M concept and approaches to other m em ber countries.
C o u n try papers d escrib in g the cu rren t approaches on c o m m u n ity -b ased coastal fishery resources m anagem ent w ill be presented by representatives from the m em ber countries except Thailand, M alaysia and C am bodia. These are intended to fam iliarize the other participants on the current status o f CB FR M and the approaches adopted in each country. The participants w ill deliberate on the appropriate IC R M approaches and applications from the approaches that vary from country to country based on ideas expressed in the country papers.
The field trip to inspect various activities in the project site in Pathew D istrict is also included in the sem inar agenda. A lthough the project operation under the collaborative regim e w ith DO F T hailand and SEA FD E C /TD has been term inated, the m ain activities have been ongoing at the follow -up stage by D O F T hailand and other local adm inistrative authorities and also b y the P akklong F isherm en’s Group, w hich has increased its pivotal role in the planning and im plem entation o f the project.
In the last session o f the seminar, conclusions, suggestions and recom m endations w ill be finalized for the follow -up stage o f IC R M -PD as w ell as for the future developm ent in the dom ain o f coastal fishery resources m anagem ent approach in Southeast Asia. Particularly for the latter, these w ill include some selected issues related to SE A FD E C /T D ’s involvem ent in the deploym ent o f such projects as a
modus operandi
at the regional scale and prospects for future developm ent.5. Acknowledgement
Taking advantage o f this occasion, on b e h a lf o f all the project sta ff o f IC R M -PD , w e w ould like to extend our sincere appreciation to the D O F T hailand including C M D E C , F isheries T echnological D evelopm ent Division, Chum phon Fisheries Provincial Office, Enforcem ent U nit and A quaculture Center, C hum phon P rovincial A dm in istratio n O ffice including P athew D istrict A dm in istratio n O ffice and C ooperative P rom otion O ffice, the C hum phon M arine and C oastal R esources R esearch C enter and SEA FD EC /TD . Special thanks are offered to the G overnm ent o f Japan and the R oyal Project in Thailand for the financial support to the project. A lso, w e are thankful to the Pakklong Sub-district A dm inistrative O rganization (A o.Bo.To) for their contributions in kind, cash and loans for the p roject activities. Finally, w e have to specifically state that the actors playing the m ain roles in the project operation are the fishers,
including fish-women by all means,
in the P akklong Sub-district. T heir self-m otivation tow ards the realization o f the C B R M concept and total com m unity developm ent is notew orthy, to w hich w e extend a special appreciation. We w ish the new ly b o m fisherm en’s group, the PFG all success and prosperity in the future.42
