Khun Nisakorn Kositratna
Director-General
Department of Marine and Coastal Resources,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:  On behalf of the World Bank, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all today to the launch of the 2006 Thailand Environment Monitor. This is the sixth of this series, and we are most grateful for the close collaboration that we have enjoyed with the Royal Thai Government in the development of this and previous Monitors.  As many of you know, the Environment Monitor is a diagnostic report by the World Bank, prepared in cooperation with many Thai government agencies. It tracks key environmental challenges inThailand and provides recommendations on how to address each challenge.  This monitor is another important achievement of our fruitful partnership with the Royal Thai Government, in particular with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. We have also collaborated closely with donor, civil society and NGO partners working to protect the environment. We are especially grateful for the valuable individual input that many of you here have provided.  As you all know, Thailand ’s marine and coastal resources are abundant and unique. Twenty-three of 76 Thai provinces are located along the nearly 3,000-kilometer-long coastline. Relatively shallow waters, a level sea floor, high influx of nutrients, and fresh water from rivers are some of the characteristics of this unique and rich coastline.  On the Andaman Sea side, Thailand is blessed with abundant coral reefs, dense mangrove forests, karst limestone islands, and pristine beaches with deep oceanic waters. All of these features have made southern Thailand one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.  These marine and coastal resources also play important roles in Thailand ’s fisheries, trade, and local livelihoods. They also provide specialized benefits to the coastal areas, such as stabilizing shorelines, and providing a breeding and nursery ground for aquatic species, including commercially important fish.  But these unique resources have come increasingly under threat from urban and industrial development, and tourism. The loss and degradation of the country’s marine and coastal resources is not only an environmental issue, but also an issue with significant economic implications.  Recognizing these facts, the Thai Government and civil society have been taking actions to address the loss and degradation of marine and coastal resources, especially in the area of mangrove rehabilitation and marine park management. Key national policies have been developed. But, effective implementation has been undercut by the complexity of the challenge as well as by natural process, overlapping laws, insufficient coordination among agencies, and limited resources.  The Government has demonstrated its intent to improve management of these resources by establishing the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR). A draft Marine and Coastal Resources Management Act, if passed into law, will provide a firm legal basis for the implementation of integrated management with the active participation of local communities.  While there has been significant development on many fronts, real progress on the complex and large scale coastal issues requires common understanding and increased cooperation among key stakeholders.  During the development of this Monitor, we have witnessed the strength of partnership between various stakeholders to address the coastal erosion in Samut Prakarn Province. This partnership has brought the central and local governments, members of the local communities, many academics, and representatives of a research institute together in a series of consultations. And, actions have been taken to put the agreed solutions into practice.  This is a great example for us all that, with common understanding and constructive cooperation among key stakeholders, on-the-ground action can be taken to address environmental challenges. We emphasize this in the Monitor we launch today. And I am pleased that many of the participants in this initiative have joined us today. You will hear more about their experiences and the lessons they learned as we proceed with our program.  This Environment Monitor underlines that strong leadership from the government and cooperation amongst the many important stakeholders are vital. Only working together can we reverse currents trends, so that these resources will continue to provide for the local communities and the national economy.  Our report presents specific challenges to encourage commitment and spur action from all interested parties. We need to: -         reduce coastal erosion; -         establish sustainable fisheries; -         increase oversight of development activities; -         increase public participation; and -         establish integrated management.  This is a formidable agenda, but a necessary one if we are to protect and continue to enjoy Thailand ’s considerable wealth in coastal and marine resources. As we gather here today to launch the latest Environment Monitor, I welcome each of you, together with your agencies and organizations, to contribute to this important endeavor.  Thank you.   |
RSS