Dear Readers,

Welcome to another packed issue of “Living in a Changing Climate” I am sure that like me, you will continue to be impressed with the diversity of activities being undertaken with communities along the coastlines of Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Indonesia, and the results and achievements being generated. But it is not just the breadth of activities that is impressive but also in many cases their depth as well. Take the example of the recently completed sea-grass surveys in Kampot. For many years we have heard simply that this is the largest sea-grass meadow in Southeast Asia – and have had very little additional information. We felt sure that such a significant sea-grass area as this must be incredibly important to the local economy and of vital significance for coastal resilience – but we had no idea of the true extent and status of the sea-grass, the benefits it provides to local communities and the threats it is facing. So we decided to find out. You can read about the sea-grass survey methodology training workshop conducted in Kampot, and an interview with the IUCN sea-grass team members Aey and Louis, in this issue. Right now they are analyzing the data of the nearly 500 person-days survey effort, and we hope to bring you the results in the next issue. The sea-grass work in turn is just one step of information gathering and analysis on the road towards coastal spatial planning and zoning of the entire Kampot coastline – for which the Provincial Government of Kampot has requested the assistance of the BCR project, and has already established a Provincial Task Force. So we continue step by step, following the road-map to resilience. Enjoy your reading!

Robert Mather
Head of Southeast Asia Group
IUCN
 

Training in Participatory Seagrass Survey Techniques

Kampot province: From 6-10 May 2013, a training on participatory seagrass survey techniques was organized by IUCN, funded by the EU, through IUCN’s Building Coastal Resilience (BCR) project. It aimed to build capacity of participants on seagrass survey techniques and environmental and developmental issues related to the seagrass. > Read

National Seminar “Community Empowering and Strengthening Communities for Climate Change Adaptation”

On 4 April 2013, Raks Thai Foundation and partners from national and international NGOs as well as governmental agencies held a national conference on climate change adaptation at Maritime Hotel, Krabi. The main objectives of the meeting were 1) to exchange different perspectives of relevant sectors towards policy development and planning to enhance coastal community capacity for climate change adaptation > Read

Building artificial reefs in the Andaman Sea: practical incentives for the Thai government to invest in climate change adaptation

During the national seminar on climate change adaptation governmental representatives from different ministries took the chance to get a picture of the climate change impact in a coastal community. On 3 April 2013 Raks Thai Foundation organized a field visit to Khoa Kharm sub-district in Krabi Province. > Read

Adapting to climate change: Seaweed processing in North Luwu District

North Luwu is one of the Indonesian districts located in the Bone Gulf region where the “Building Coastal resilience to reduce climate change impact” (BCR CC program) is implemented. Unexpected weather and more and more extreme climate events exacerbate income generation from the primary economic sector. Diversification of income sources is one climate change adaptation strategy. CARE supports women in North Luwu in gaining skills for seaweed processing. > Read

Global climate change with local impact: Improving livelihood security in coastal areas

Climate change creates additional obstacles to ending poverty and achieving social justice, especially in the vulnerable coastal regions of developing countries. Extreme weather events such as rising temperatures, increasing uncertainty of rainfall, more frequent floods and severe cyclones and droughts all have a significant impact on the livelihood security of the poor. > Read

IUCN and SDF brought Thai PBS team to learn about climate change at the community level

BANGKOK — A group of producers, news reporters, production teams, academic researchers and trainers pertaining to the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) rendezvoused to East Thailand and Coastal Cambodia to learn about villagers’ climate change related problems on 22-26 April. > Read

Upcoming research on fishing net use: Developments in Chanthaburi Province

The four-year Building Coastal Resilience (BCR) project, that started in 2011, aims to build capacity of local governments and people in eight coastal provinces across Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam. As part of this project, Chanthaburi Province in Thailand has been selected to reduce its vulnerability to climate change. In Thailand, the partners for the project are the Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF) and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. > Read

The impact of fishery law reforms on local communities: BCR progress in Trat Province

As part of the Building Coastal Resilience Resilience (BCR) project, Trat Province in Thailand has been selected for strengthening local ability and piloting adaptation plans and activities to reduce vulnerability to climate change. The four-year BCR project, which started in 2011, aims to build capacity of local governments and people in eight coastal provinces across Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam to plan for, and adapt to, future climate risks. In Thailand > Read

The near-shore fishery challenge in Soc Trang

Soc Trang Province has recognized that the near-shore fishery and mangroves is suffering from a loss of species diversity, and this is increasing the vulnerability of coastal communities, who are heavily dependent on mangrove and marine resources, to climate change. The province has implemented numerous programs and regulations to protect and conserve its heavily exploited near-shore fishery. > Read

Soc Trang community prepares to adapt to climate change

The Mekong Delta is one of the parts of the world projected to be most impacted by sea level rise. And within the Delta, the coastal districts of Soc Trang Province are considered particularly vulnerable because of the very flat topography. Local people are already observing higher high tides and stronger wave action that break the unconsolidated earth dike that protects them from the sea. The EU-funded project Building Coastal Resilience (BCR) is working in Mo O, a small village in Trung Binh Commune to build local capacity to address this threat. > Read

Andrew Wyatt teams up with BCR and drives Coastal Forum 2013 preparation

Andrew Wyatt is an Australian national with over fifteen years of research and project management experience in the Mekong Region. He has a PhD in Geography from the University of Sydney. He has held a number of advisory positions with government and non-government agencies in Vietnam and Cambodia. Presently, he is the Mekong Delta Programme Manager at IUCN Viet Nam. As he manages programmes in relation to the Delta, he is also a focal point for the Building Coastal Resilience (BCR) project in Viet Nam. Andrew will tell us, for the first time, about the upcoming BCR Coastal Forum which will be held in Viet Nam during 15-18 October. > Read

Insights of Jaroon Plaiduang, Raks Thai Foundation field officer

Jaroon Plaiduang is 26 years old and works as a field officer with Raks Thai Foundation. He was born into a family who lives along the coastal area in Nakorn Sri Thammarat. Not only there is he witnessing climate change which slowly affects the way of life of the villagers. > Read

Talk to the seagrass surveyors

From May to June 2013, Ms Petchrung Sukpong and Mr Louis Bourne were part of the IUCN team surveying seagrass in Kampot province, Cambodia. Together, they conducted fieldwork and compiled results, with the support of their team representing Department of Environment and Department of Fisheries Administration on the field and IUCN colleagues. > Read