Assessment of mangroves and fishers' livelihoods, perceptions and participation in Pak Phanang Bay, Thailand | |
| Author | Sirisuda Jumnongsong |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.AQ-13-01 |
| Subject(s) | Mangrove ecology--Thailand--Pak Phanang Bay Mangrove forests--Thailand--Pak Phanang Bay |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Mangrove ecosystems provide a variety of services to people living in coastal regions, in particular fishers whose livelihoods depend on healthy stocks of fish and other marine products. Fishers’ participation and their understanding about mangroves are a vital part of mangrove management. The overall objective of this study was to improve the management of three mangrove sites (10, 20, and 30 years old) in Pak Phanang Bay, Thailand by considering the current mangrove state, and fishers’ livelihoods, perceptions, and participation. Mangrove state (diversity, structure, and regeneration) was assessed using the Point-Centered Quarter Method (PCQM). An assessment of fishers’ livelihoods was conducted using Participatory Community Appraisal (PCA). Fishers’ perceptions of mangrove benefits, threats, and state, and their participation in mangrove management were investigated using a questionnaire. Ordinal logistic regression was used to analyze the factors contributing to differences in fishers’ perceptions and participation. The PCQM included five mangrove state parameters; (1) number of true mangrove species, (2) basal area of mature trees, (3) stem density of mature trees, (4) stem density of saplings, and (5) stem density of seedlings. These parameters were assessed to be medium to high for the oldest mangrove site and relatively high for the youngest mangrove site except for basal area of mature mangrove trees which was the lowest of the three sites. Four of the five parameters were low for the 20 year old mangrove site but there were a larger number of true mangrove species compared to the other two sites. The PCA results showed that in the three communities, men had a more dominant role with respect to activities outside the home, direct use of the mangrove ecosystem, participation in community activities, and decision making at the community level. Provisioning service (e.g., provision of food and timber) of the mangrove ecosystem was acknowledged as a service of high importance to their livelihoods by the majority of fishers (PCA results), regulating services (e.g., erosion and natural hazard regulations) was additionally perceived to be a highly important service that fishers had received from mangrove ecosystem (questionnaire results). Use of mangrove area for fishing and dam operation (human activities) and strong wind and wave (natural events) were perceived to be the highest threats to mangroves. Based on the ordinal logistic regression results, fishers’ perceptions of mangrove benefits, threats, and state differed by residence location. Mangrove-related training affected perceptions of benefit and state, and participation in mangrove management, while local group membership affected perceptions of threat. Monthly income was identified as an important factor for participation. The perception of benefit is more important for participation in mangrove management compared to the perception of threat and mangrove state. There were some inconsistencies between the perceptions of mangrove state and the field study results, thus, a participatory approach including mangrove monitoring by the villagers is recommended in order to improve perceptions and understanding of mangrove state. Information on the actual state of mangroves and knowledge particularly on mangrove ecosystem services should be disseminated to the community via mangrove-related training and local group activities to enhance participation in mangrove management. |
| Year | 2013 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management (AQ) |
| Chairperson(s) | Gallardo, Wenresti G. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Shivakoti, Ganesh P.;Dabbadie, Lionel;Ikejima, Kou |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Royal Thai Government Fellowship |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2013 |