“Living in a Changing Climate” is a joint production of two IUCN and CARE/Raks Thai projects working on Building Coastal Resilience to Climate Change in Coastal Southeast Asia, both supported by the EU. In the last few months, both projects have made steady advances on the ground, in a number of provinces in Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. IUCN World Conservation Congress held once every four years - this time on Jeju island in South Korea with 10,000 participants, provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase some of this work to a global audience.

A BCR “Conservation Café” shared experience in a small group round-table setting, while SDF’s Jonathan Shott, was a key resource person who shared experience of conducting Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments in Chanthaburi and Trat Provinces during a day-long Conservation Campus on Disaster Risk Reduction.

In conjunction with these activities at WCC Jeju, “Coastal Resilience Evaluation for Adaptation Through Empowerment” (CREATE) was launched. Vice-Minister Tuyen of MONRE Viet Nam also spoke eloquently on coastal resilience in Viet Nam at a special event at the “Blue Planet Pavilion”

The agreement of an MoU between IUCN and Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) was also marked by an MoU signing ceremony and Press Conference at Jeju. Under this MoU IUCN and TPBS will collaborate to increase awareness and understanding of climate change issues and adaptation activities through training programmes, TV programming and special events.

You can learn more about these events, and lots of other activities in the rest of this E-News. I am sure you will enjoy it!

Robert Mather
Head of Southeast Asia Group
IUCN
 

Thai PBS joins hands with IUCN to promote environmental protection

March 7, 2013 - Mr. Somchai Suwanban, Director General of Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) and Mr. Anothai Udomsilp, Director of Academic Institute of Public Media welcomed Ms. Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General, and representatives of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at Thai PBS Headquarters on Viphavadi Rangsit Road to discuss on collaborative projects to promote nature and environment conservation. > Read
 

Mai Root and Bang Chan Villagers Welcome IUCN Director General

From 5-6 March 2013, IUCN Director General, Julia Marton-Lefèvre, came to visit Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF) and IUCN’s joint project field sites, where coastal communities are responding to both climate and human induced change. As soon as the IUCN delegates arrived, they were welcomed with big smiles. The tour started with the Mai Root villagers proudly showing their visitors around their community crab banks. > Read

"A New Leader" - the fruitful results of the BCR CC project
Experiences and thoughts of Ms Lek, the village head of Bangkrabeau Village
At Bangkrabeu Village, Ms Lek, one of the few women who became a village head, plays an important role in the Building coastal resilience to reduce climate change impact (BCR CC) project. She served as a resource person to implement the Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (CVCA) process > Read

 

Restoring Mangroves for Mud Crab Conservation
Strengthening alternative livelihoods at Klongyang Sub-district, Krabi province, Thailand
The Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis Report clearly indicated that seasonal variability has been increasing and that the monsoonal winds and waves have grown much stronger. Those changes are significantly impacting the livelihoods of coastal communities, > Read

Seaweed Plantation and Post Harvest Processing
Community Based Adaptation Strategies in Southern Sulawesi, Indonesia
After conducting the BCR CC Program Design Workshop on Community Based Adaptation in June 2012 involving the local governments from 4 districts in Southern Sulawesi > Read

Village Vision Mapping in Wajo District, South Sulawesi
Wajo is one of four districts where CARE International Indonesia is implementing the “Building coastal resilience to reduce climate change impact” (BCR CC) project, which is funded by the EC. According to the Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment which was conducted in Wajo in 2012, Wajo is very vulnerable to floods, tidal waves, storms > Read

 

Coastal defense: New thinking needed

A major risk with the current obsession with climate change adaptation is in fact maladaptation: expensive solutions to problems that may never emerge or which themselves create new problems (the famous law of unintended consequences). This is evident in Vietnam where in 2009 the prime minister approved a plan to build concrete sea dikes (replacing the existing dirt dikes), at a cost of US$3 million per kilometer, along the entire coastline. > 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 > Read

Zoning to adapt

Sustainable Coastal Management is one of the key mechanisms to ensure a better chance for Kampot and its people to cope with impacts from both climate and non-climate factors.> Read

Koh Kong Province residents discuss mangrove ecosystem protection strategies

IUCN Cambodia conducted a half-day workshop on 13 November 2012 about local ecosystem protection to prevent adverse changes in local beach and river erosion and sedimentation. Thirteen participants from agencies of the line departments, local authorities, and Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary discussed community-based solutions to support livelihoods during the workshop at the Peam Krasop community meeting hall. > Read

 

Livelihoods threatened in Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia by migration of a sandy barrier beach
The Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary is home to several small communes, where livelihoods rely on the natural resources of the surrounding mangrove forest. Residents of Old Peam Krasop village are highly dependent on green mussel cultivation, fishing and aquaculture, visible in a wide channel leading to the sea. The village has existed since 1964, currently with around 25 households accommodating 70 people. > Read

 

Protecting Wetlands is Protecting Sources of Water

Koh Kong, Cambodia, 23 and 24 February - More than 500 people gathered to celebrate the World Wetlands’ Day in Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary (PKWS) in Koh Kong, which is home to the largest mangrove forests in Cambodia. > Read

Climate change impact from women’s perspective
Nowadays political, economic, social, and environmental uncertainty strongly impact lives of people in Thailand. Climate variation is one of the factors, which specifically affects those whose livelihoods depend on marine and coastal resources such as coastal fishing communities. > Read
 

Ecosystems are transboundary

In early 2013, two bordering provinces of Thailand and Cambodia discussed possible transboundary collaboration. A group of 34 representatives from communities, academy, local government offices in Trat, as well as a team of the Sustainable Development Foundation and IUCN, travelled to Koh Kong, Cambodia to meet with H.E. Say Socheat, Deputy Governor of Koh Kong province, and other officials > Read

BCR CC project empowers vulnerable people and teaches the project
staff some lessons
An interview with Ms Surirat Kochawat, Senior Field Coordinator, BCR CC project. > Read