The New Experience of Sub-district Administrative Organization in Coastal Resource Management: the Case of Chumphon Province, Thailand

Abstract

The Thai government promulgated the Sub-district administrative organization (Ao.Bo.To) Act in 1994, which legally made Ao.Bo.To. a local government organization. The Pakklong Ao.Bo.To. in Chumphon Province was established in 1997 with its council taking up two main responsibilities. One is to develop the community and to manage budget and financial support by itself; the other is to adopt the community development and coastal resource management project formulated by the central government and the higher level offices. Considering its function in the community development plan, the council placed the infrastructure development as the first priority of the activity plan. But it placed the environment and resource management activity on the fifth priority. It was estimated that 72% of council memers had good understanding on the rationale and positive perception on the locally based coastal resource management project. However, the members only participated occasionally in the main six activities of the based coastal resource management project. The project was rated as excellent by 73% of the council members, good 18% and poor 9%. The Ao.Bo,To, council was regarded as a leading body to take function in the coastal resource management project. The council purposes its future plan to implement the coastal resource management project. The council purposes its future plan to implement the coastal resource management project after the project terminated in December, 2006. It focuses on local people and community development work on one hand; emphasizes extension work to disseminate information concerned community development and coastal resource management on the other.