Research Project for Empowering Chanthaburi and Trat’s Traditional Fishermen’s Networks Based on Principles of Sufficiency Economy and Folk Wisdom

Abstract

      This study aimed to strengthen of Chanthaburi and Trat’s traditional fishermen’s networks. Both Principles of Sufficiency Economy and folk wisdom. There were three objectives of this Study:   1) to compare causes and effects of coastal resource depletion between Chanthaburi and Trat provinces. 2) To study the guidelines to strengthen potential of Chanthaburi and Trat’s traditional fishermen’s role model networks. And 3) to study the ways in which both local administration offices and Chanthaburi’s traditional fishermen’s networks put their policies into practice. 

The results revealed that:

1) The causes of resource depletion of Chanthaburi and Trat provinces were not different.   The causes included 1) climate variability and ecological imbalance, 2) an increasing number of households, 3) an increasing amount of shrimp farming, 4) large areas of coastal erosion, 5) an increasing number of tourists, including 6) chemical contamination from orchards, resulting in 1) less amount of aquatic fauna, 2) less income among villagers, 3) mobility of working status (e.g. employers to employees), 4) less amount of mangrove forest area, 5) an increasing amount of contamination from garbage, and 6) worse water quality.

 2) The guidelines to strengthening fishermen’s networks. These included 1) enhancing a variety of activities among the fishermen’s networks, local universities, villagers, government and private sectors, 2) providing  a larger amount of subsidies from both central and local governments for local fishermen and networks activities, 3) proceeding of local fishermen should be in the form of networks   rather than in the form sole owners, 4) providing extra trainings about law and regulations of fishing gears and nets and 5) holding consistent and consociation meeting between local fishermen and networks.

 3) Local administration offices situated on or near the coastal areas should create policies and project to solve the problems of coastal resource depletion by themselves rather than only support the projects to solve the problems of coastal resource depletion by themselves rather than only support the projects of the outside organization. This could be the potential Solution that met the local’s needs.