By Kathy Ragless
For the villagers around the Sikou Gulf on the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand, destruction of the environment is an urgent problem.
A non-government organisation, the Yad Fon Association, has been working with the fishing villages around the gulf for six years, strengthening community organisation.
The villagers of this region are well aware of the importance of conserving natural resources. The depletion of marine life in coastal waters has had a drastic effect on their lifestyle. In the past, villagers netted 20 to 40 kilograms of fish a day; now they can hope to net only eight to 10 kilograms.
Six breeds of fish are thought to be virtually extinct, and villagers rely heavily of squid and crab catches.
"In the old days, fish were plentiful. We didn't need to have big fishing tools or to go far from the coast. Just with simple fishhooks we could catch more than 20 kilos of fish close to land", recalls Pa Boo Nuaknic, an Islamic leader of Laem Makham village.
The depletion of marine life in the area has led to serious debt problems, because villagers have been forced to buy motors so they can go into deeper waters.
The destruction of coastal mangroves, sea grass and coral reefs has had a destructive effect on marine life.
The mangroves are a breeding ground for fish, their roots prevent soil erosion, and mangroves screen out toxic wastes that would otherwise pass from land to sea.
In the calm shallows, the sea grass acts as a home for shellfish, crabs and sea cucumbers. It is a place for marine life to lay eggs and protect their young. Furthermore, it also protects the mangrove forest by preventing the washing away of sand and flooding of mangrove areas.
Further out to sea, the coastal reef breaks the strength of the tide and provides food and shelter for many small animals.
Destruction
For the casual visitor to the areas around the Sikou Gulf, the first evidence of environmental destruction is the inevitable charcoal factory on the shore. These smoky black caverns transform the local mangrove forest into lumps of charcoal.
Tracts of forest are granted to the industry through government concessions, but a lot of illegal logging occurs unchallenged by the authorities. In the last 25 years, half the Thai coast's 3200 square kilometres of mangrove forest have gone.
Prawn farming — actively encouraged by the government — also vironmental damage. In the late 1980s, prawn farming expanded a great deal and there are now 100,000 rais (about 160 sq km) of these farms in southern Thailand.
The prawn ponds need regular fresh water, and waste water is drained back into the sea, pushing up the salt content and polluting the area with chemicals. Large areas of mangrove forest are destroyed to make way for these ponds.
Commercial fishing trawlers also damage the ecosystem. Although it is illegal for trawlers to operate within three kilometres of the coast, the law is not enforced. The dragnets of the trawlers deplete marine life, and small-scale fishermen are left with nothing.
"Whenever I see dragnets in the gulf, I know I'll have to wait for a week to be able to catch anything", said fisherman Sanguang Kumamou of Hua Hin village.
The trawlers also destroy the villagers' nets and damage the coral reefs and sea grass. The people of Laem Makham have witnessed the disappearance of many marine creatures since a large area of sea grass near the village was destroyed by dragnets.
One species endangered is the dugong. One of the few marine mammals to be found in Thai seas, it now faces extinction from the destruction of the sea grass, which it feeds on.
Manually operated pushnets — usually owned by businessmen who hire local labour to haul them in — also damage the sea grass.
The villagers see their way of life undermined by the trawlers. "We were afraid that one day the sea would have no fish left if the dragnets continue to exploit the sea unhindered", said Pa Boo.
Resistance
One reaction was to place logs wrapped in barbed wire on the seabed to destroy the dragnets and discourage the trawlers from fishing near the coast.
The villagers of Lam Sai, Laem Makham and Pak Klong, together with a high school conservation club, installed 20 signs proclaiming sea grass areas "sea grass conservation zones". However, many of the signs were dragged away a few weeks later.
Villagers also try to negotiate with dragnet boats. This has often proved successful.
With the encouragement of the Yad Fon Association, the Thai World Wildlife Fund has become involved in saving the sea grass and helping villagers to replant some areas, also drawing the provincial government into the project.
In late 1991, 120 village leaders participated in two three-day meetings to discuss the importance of the sea grass and methods of protecting it. Villagers shared their experiences, discussed the role of sea grass in the coastal ecosystem and how they should deal with trespassing trawlers. They also took sea grass samples and documented local names for different species and their edible qualities.
Similarly, steps are being taken to protect the mangrove forests. Two years ago, villagers at Ban Thung Laemsai, with assistance from the Yad Fon Association, started to reforest about 80 sq km of mangrove. This scheme has proved successful and has started to spread to neighbouring villages.
Pressure is being put on authorities to enforce the existing laws to preserve large areas of mangrove. Negotiations have also occurred between the charcoal factories and villagers in an attempt to stop illegal logging.
High consciousness
The villagers have developed a high consciousness of conservation. Until several years ago, villagers around the gulf collected sea turtles eggs along the beach each year. These turtles are becoming scarce along the Andaman coast, and after discussion with the Yad Fon Association, the villagers of Laemsai, Laem Makham and Pak Klong now protect eggs laid on the beach.
While the majority of villagers around the Sikou Gulf make their living through fishing, some engage in agriculture. The Yad Fon Association encourages villagers to diversify and plant local fruits to reduce their reliance on outside markets and increase trade between villages.
A busload of villagers visited an orchard in a neighbouring province last year to learn about alternative methods of agriculture. In an earlier experiment, villagers of Laem Makham built fish baskets to breed their own fish and are continuing to do so.
Such initiatives strengthen the village community. Similarly, a women's craft group at Hua Hin that makes and sells handicrafts from natural materials gives the villagers a sense of solidarity. Purchasing petrol as a group in Laem Makham has also been unifying.
Tourism
Community organisation is an essential part of giving villagers the confidence to protect their coastal resources. Furthermore, the tourist industry is extending down the western coast from Phuket and Krabi, which makes it even more important for villagers to be organised and aware of their rights.
Already, the fishing village on nearby Muk Island was forced out of existence after a tourist resort was built. For the majority of villagers, who do not possess title deeds, tourism is a real threat.
In Lamsai village, inland areas have been bought up by land speculators, despite the law stating that the foothills are public land. As a result, the villagers are squeezed in on the shore, unable to expand inland.
One initiative by a Yad Fon field worker, in conjunction with villagers from Laem Makham, Lamsai and Pak Klong, is an alternative tourist resort, where tourists learn about the coastal environment and fisheries. The villagers are supported not only by the Yad Fon Association, but also by a range of people from local students, teachers and nurses to professionals around Thailand.
This movement has the potential to prevent the Andaman coast being ruined through uncontrolled exploitation and to put the management of the coastal resources into the hands of those who have the most to lose from environmental destruction — the villagers themselves.