Monitoring and managing marine resources of Laem Son National Park, Thailand

Following the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami EU-ASIA PRO ECO II B funded a project to help coastal stakeholders understand the effects of the tsunami, and to manage the changed environment by the assessment of the damage that was caused to marine resources. Involving partners from PML (UK), Natural History Museum (UK), Kasetsart University (Thailand) and Laem Son National park (Thailand) we contributed to the post tsunami resource impact assessment in Laem Son National Park and on associated livelihoods including the threats and likely future impacts to the area. The project aim was to determine threats to the integrity of the national park at a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and introduce a monitoring programme to record and analyse change in the environment and key resources. The objective was to reveal potential alternative livelihoods which might be adopted in the light of a changed resource base.

We helped develop and pilot a community based monitoring protocols for ecosystem, productivity and quality of life aspects, which was implemented in the school curriculum and with local fishermen/National Park staff.