Scientific and Technical Symposium on Sustainable Mangrove Ecosystem Management
22-25 November, 2008

The Symposium

180 mangrove experts, NGOs, local communities and government representatives from 13 countries gathered in Ranong, Thailand to look back at 25 years of pioneering and innovative research from the region on how we can combine scientific knowledge with traditional ecological tacit knowledge to protect and sustainably manage our mangroves.

The Scientific and Technical Symposium on Sustainable Mangrove Ecosystem Management was co-hosted and organized by the Department of Marine & Coastal Resources (DMCR ), Thailand and Mangroves for the Future (MFF) Secretariat, in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), cenTER (University of Aarhus), Good Governance for Social Development and the Environmental Institute (GSEI), International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME), Thailand Environment Institute (TEI ), and Wetlands International (WI).

The Symposium addressed the sustainable management issues affecting mangrove ecosystems throughout the Indian Ocean Region, and how local communities can be better informed and involved in sustainable mangrove management as a way to protect their traditional livelihoods.

The objective of the Symposium was to improve the ability and national capacity of Thailand and the other MFF focal and dialogue countries; to share information and experiences on how to apply knowledge more effectively to support management in a way that is both sustainable and beneficial to local people. This encompasses knowledge derived both through scientific research, and from traditional/local knowledge.

The Programme

Presentation of Papers
The Symposium featured contributed papers in sessions dealing with: a) Country experiences in mangrove ecosystem management and the application of scientific and local knowledge; b) involving local communities in sustainable management, including NGO experiences - both before and after the tsunami; c) using the Ranong Mangrove Ecosystem as a case study of sustainable management; and d) future research and management needs, including climate change and other emerging issues.

Workshops
Two parallel workshops were held during the afternoon of the first day:

1: “Using Local Knowledge to Better Support Mangrove Ecosystem Management – experiences & opportunities in southern Thailand” – Organised by TEI and GSEI

2: “Using Scientific Knowledge to better support Mangrove Ecosystem Management – experiences & opportunities from the Asian Region”.

Discussions on the two workshops followed in plenary on the morning of the second day.

Working Groups
During the last day of the Symposium participants were split into several working groups. Each group will discussed a subject area and key issues under the following themes:

1. Valuing mangrove ecosystems to support sustainable management
2. Mangrove ecotourism – potential and constraints
3. Post tsunami and other disaster preparedness issues
4. Transboundary Protected Areas involving mangrove ecosystems
5. ”Reef to Ridge” management approaches
6. Communications and Knowledge Management

Outcomes and recommendations were presented on the final day in plenary followed by discussions.

The Venue

The Symposium was held at the Tinidee Hotel (formerly Ranong Princess Hotel) on 22-25 November/ Tinadee Hotel is a business and health spa hotel located in the center of commercial district of Ranong.
The Area

Ranong is famous for its natural hot springs and mineralwater, as well as beautiful tourist attractions such as nature reserves and parks. The seaport town on the West Coast of Thailand, 568 km South of Bangkok on the border with the Union of Myanmar is heavily dependent on Burmese labour to support fishing and agricultural sectors, which are the mainstay of the local economy, along with trading and tourism.
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Ranong is a coastal province and undoubtely is one of the most beautiful provinces in Thailand, as well as the wettest. November, however, is the start of the cool and dry "winter" season. Lush forest cover spectacular mountains occupy 86 % of the total land area of Ranong Province, while the coastal plain forms 14 % of the land area and is protected by the largest remaining area of mangrove forest in Thailand.

Field Visits

A field trip was arranged for participants during the Symposium in the Ranong area. Symposium participants traveled by boat down Klong Ngao and visited former tin-mining area and mixed forest plantation site before continuing to Had Sai Khao to see the “giant mangroves.”

Participants also had a chance to see mangrove-based livelihood activities (push-net fishing, shrimp-paste making, oyster collecting, cage aquaculture) while visiting Koh Lao (Lao Island) inhabited by a traditional Thai Muslim fishing community and a neighbouring Moken village.
After returning to the Mangrove Research Center participants visited the famous hot springs of Ranong in a forest reserve area before returning to the hotel.

Post Symposium fieldtrip

There were two options for the post-symposium field trip: Option 1 focused on the Livelihoods and Community Participation in Coastal Resource Management. This option showcased conservation activities mainly driven by community-based tourism. The second part of this option will be a visit to a post-tsunami intervention which illustrates sustainable livelihood approaches.

Option 2 focused on Conservation Research and climate change indicators, with special emphasis on conservation organizations which have adopted eco-tourism to support conservation objectives. The second part of this option was a visit Ranong Coastal Resource Research Station which uses community environmental monitoring tools, such as involving coastal communities in data collection and monitoring of local climate change indicators.

During the post-symposium field trip, participants got a chance to see how different types of stakeholders are implementing conservation and management initiatives in coastal ecosystems. This included work conducted by academic institutions such as Kesetsart University, as well as community-based organizations (CBOs) that have developed partnerships with various government non-governmental institutions. The field trip highlighted different aspects of the ecosystem approach where conservation, management and livelihoods play a key role.