LOCALLY BASED COASTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN PULAU LANKGAWI (LBCRM-PL) PROJECT

Abstract

The deterioration of livelihood in coastal fishing communities as a result of the over-exploitation of fishery resources and the degradation of coastal environments has led the Thai government to introduce the concept of community-based fisheries management (CBFM) within the framework of coastal fisheries development and coastal fisheries management. Another important factor being the pressure to decentralize and devolve administrative authority to local actors- a successful example of this being the joint DOF and Bay of Bengal Project (BOBP) Phannga Bay project, set up in 1996. Another example was the 1989 DOF Fishing Rights Pilot Project (FRPP) in Bang Saphan and Bang SaphanNoi District. Following these successes the DOF decided to start a new coastal fisheries management project in Chumpon Province as an integrated component of the comprehensive development project implemented by the Royal Project Council. Under the Fisheries Consultative Group's (FCG) scheme adopted by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC, it was decided in 2001 that the Training Department TD) would collaborate with the DOF to implement a coastal resource management program, and an existing project proposal in Chumpon was reformulated as a joint initiative with a duration of five years. Thailand was posited in the project as the lead country among SEAFDEC Members and was