Gender Assessment in Coastal Resources Management Coastal Erosion and Mangrove Forest Degradation in Trat's Coastal Communities
Gender Assessment in Coastal Resources
Management
Coastal Erosion
and Mangrove Forest Degradation
in Trat’s Coastal
Communities
Reported by
Gender and Development Research Institute
April 2024
Gender Assessment in Coastal Resources
Management
Coastal Erosion
and Mangrove Forest Degradation
in Trat’s Coastal
Communities
Table of Contents 2
Acknowledgments 3
Executive Summary 4
Introduction 9
Objective of the Study 9
Methodology 9
Report Structure 12
Background 13
Findings
Section 1: Demographic and Socioeconomic Status
of Households of Coastal Communities Affected by Coastal Erosion and Mangrove
Forest Degradation in Trat Province. 19
Section
2: Enabling environment and institutional settings for gender mainstreaming 28
Section
3: Perception of fishers and gender roles in coastal households 33
Section
4: Gender and Economic Opportunities 35
Section
5: Political participation, decision-making, and leadership 40
Section
6: Gender and Conservation 43
Section
7: Recommendations for closing gaps 49
Acknowledgments
The report, Gender Assessment in Coastal Resources Management, Coastal Erosion, and Mangrove Forest Degradation in Trat’s Coastal Communities, was made possible by primary funding from the World Bank, Thailand. The study collected data from 45 participants, 31 women and 14 men, representing nine coastal-affected communities. They dedicated their time, shared rich information through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and a brief survey, and facilitated field visits for the study team. Their frank exchange of views and sharing of experiences in all the conversations are particularly commendable, given the solid information and valuable recommendations for closing the gender gap and solving Trat’s coastal and marine degradation.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Thai Women’s Network 77 and the Community Organization of Trat People, which assisted in identifying coastal communities affected by mangrove degradation and erosion, provided meeting room facilities, invited participants for focus-group discussions, and arranged for prominent leaders of the groups to serve as key informants for in-depth interviews on short notice. We want to thank Ms. Siriwan Butrat, the president of the two organizations, who was praised for her effective coordination and for providing the study team with constructive and valuable comments on the overall insights.
We thank Dr. Angkana Asawakulkrai for her quantitative and gender expertise, which ensured the clear articulation of the report's findings from the survey and focus group discussions. We also thank Pamornrat Tansanguanwong, Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank in Thailand, for providing technical guidance and input on the study's design and key strategic points. We are grateful to the members of the Gender and Development Research Institute (GDRI) Research Assistants team, Manassanan Koetwon, Phatcharee Rangketgarn, and Laksanan Chomduang, and to the back-office team of the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women (APSW) for their hard work and support throughout the production of this report, which was completed in a short period.
Lead Researcher and Author:
Ruengrawee Pichaikul
Gender and Development
Research Institute (GDRI)
Association for the
Promotion of the Status of Women (APSW)
501/1 Dechatungka Rd.,
Donmuang, Bangkok, 10210 Thailand
Email: ruengrawee2499@gmail.com,
ruengrawee@apsw.thailand.org
Executive Summary
This
report on Gender Assessment in Coastal Resources Management: Coastal Erosion
and Mangrove Forests Degradation was the second phase following the Gender
Assessment of Small-scale Fisheries in the Upper Songkhla Lake. The Gender
Development Research Institute (GDRI) conducted a gender assessment in the
coastal areas of Trat Province, eastern Thailand, which have been severely
affected by coastal erosion and the decline of mangrove forests. The assessment
aims to identify key gender dimensions, issues, and needs in the affected areas
related to coastal erosion, mangrove forests, and coastal resource management.
Consequently, recommendations for closing gender gaps inform the improvement of
gender-responsive policies.
Trat Background Information: Trat is approximately 178.19 kilometers long along the coast, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, and is characterized by dense mangrove forests that provide habitat and food for aquatic and other rare animals. Trat’s rich ecosystem supports the cultivation of fruit, palm oil, rice, and rubber. It is also a base for the production, sale, and export of fruits, fisheries, aquaculture, and health and community tourism. Over the years, Trat has experienced coastal erosion, degradation of the preserved mangrove forest, and declines in marine resources. As for natural causes, climate change, particularly rising sea levels, stronger winds, and waves hitting the shore, has intensified, altering the landscape of beaches, shores, and coastal lines.
Target Area of Study and Respondents: The field study was conducted from 24 to 27 February
2024 and covered nine sub-districts in Trat Province, employing mixed-methods
data collection. A total of 45 participants were included. Thirty-seven people
(25 women, 12 men) participated in FGD sessions; eight (6 women, 2 men)
participated in in-depth interviews; and a mini survey was administered to 36
FGD participants.
Findings on Gender Gaps: The proportion of respondents was higher among women than among men, at a 3:1 ratio. Therefore, the critical gender gaps and recommendations presented across all seven sections place greater weight on data from FGDs and in-depth interviews than on data from the mini survey.
The study identified a gender equality enabler that emerged during data collection and could facilitate gender mainstreaming. The two local organic women's and mixed-gender associations are growing strongly. A few good community self-reliance economic development role models, such as Ban Yai Mom Community Enterprise and Safety and Wellness Community Tourism of Ban Namchiao, should be replicated. Another premise is increasing support and recognition of women’s value from male partners and high-ranking government officials.
Gender Gaps and Recommendations for Closing Gaps: The findings align with the gender dimension specified in the Social Sustainability Framework, which comprises three key dimensions: recognition, representation, and distribution. The study also reveals the underlying causes of gender inequality in these three dimensions.
1. There is an unrecognition of the value of women’s gender roles, in which women face triple burdens daily, including productive, reproductive, and community participation. The women’s socioeconomic gap and the debt burden were imposed on women due to household financial responsibility.
1. The underrepresentation of women in formal leadership and decision-making structures as equal beneficiary stakeholders stems from the gender stereotype perception and cultural norms that are attributed to male dominance.
2. The undermining to translate inclusive gender-sensitive conceptions and language in the national legal and policy frameworks, such as Blue Economy, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), signed treaties like the Convention on Biological Diversity, SDG, and other gender-aware relevant to serve as guidelines for interventions at the regional and local government agencies, contributing to unfair distribution of resources for women.
Institutional, Cultural, and Governance Gender Gaps: Critical
barriers include women's underrepresentation (at 16-19%) in formal politics and
in Local Fisher Organizations (LFO), to women's equal access to government
resources, marine and coastal resources, and the available resources. The absence of gender-disaggregated data in
fishery- and conservation-related government agencies, and the lack of enablers
such as CGEO and GFP, hinders efforts to promote gender equality for women in
coastal communities. Traditional gender stereotype division
of labor demands women to play multiple roles in production for
livelihood incomes and reproduction, including household chores, household finances,
and other community activities, contributing to timelessness for women or the
so-called Gender and Time Poverty. Coupled with the debt burden and demanding
household responsibilities, it contributes to physical exhaustion and mental
stress.
Recommendation for closing institutional, cultural, and governance gender gaps: Strategic steps promoting gender mainstreaming in marine and coastal management and conservation:
1) Develop
gender-sensitive and gender-disaggregated guidelines in line with gender
conceptions and language in the national legal and policy frameworks for the
regional and local government agencies' policies and planning in managing,
distributing, and conserving marine and coastal resources. Gender equality frameworks within the Blue
Economy and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), signed treaties such as the
Convention on Biological Diversity, SDG Goals 5 and 14, and other
gender-relevant issues should be considered and implemented through internal
and cross-ministerial collaboration.
2) A
gender quota and gender-responsive budgeting stipulated in the Constitution
(Chapters 27 and 71) should be adopted for all decision-making and planning
bodies regarding the use and management of marine and coastal resources. At least 30% of women's involvement or seats
should be a minimum measure.
3) Training
on leadership, business management, online communication, science, and
technology, and providing women with grants to start alternative economic
initiatives and networking building.
4) Reducing
women's household burdens to give them more free time to participate in
conservation design on plans, implementation, and monitoring through
gender-sensitive recognition of caregiving/unpaid value training for male
counterparts.
Socioeconomic and
Economic Opportunities Gaps: The study finds that
women in coastal communities perform fisheries and agricultural occupations
equally, supplemented by general hired labor. The depletion of coastal and
marine resources is one of the most significant causes of women’s higher debt
obligations than men. Some women participants reported switching between
primary and supplemental jobs, which is quite common, and some needed more than
two or three jobs to survive. In the fisheries sector, fewer women are members
and leaders of the LFO, which limits opportunities to access DOF and DMCR
funds. Women’s fishery-related productive value lies in post-harvest
activities, including peeling, cleaning, seafood processing, and selling, which
are not fully recognized. In the agricultural sector, women’s responsibilities
are intensified in watering, picking ripe fruit, processing food, and selling.
Women tend to manage the adverse effects of drought on a routine basis. At the
same time, men try to find solutions to saltwater intrusion, drought and
flooding, water storage, cutting trees, and transporting products. Both genders
are equally exposed to chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Women depend more on
natural resources than men to secure livelihoods and incomes, mainly when they
collect invertebrates, small fish and crabs, traditional herbs, honey, and
mangrove palm leaves, and when they run eco-tourism in the nearby mangrove forest.
Women also benefit from beaches and shorelines, as they run shops selling
products for tourist recreation. The degradation of mangrove forests causes
women to face greater economic and livelihood hardship.
Women’s Empowerment Funds
primarily benefit women who are registered and part of the women’s network,
leaving out women who are uninformed about the funds' benefits or whose needs
do not align with the WEF’s promoting theme.
Recommendations for
Closing Economic Opportunities Gaps:
1) Restoration
of mangrove forests and coastal resources to increase the catchment of small
fish and crabs, invertebrates, honey, and various traditional herbs for
consumption and sale. Resources such as palm leaves, sea, and rare animals
could increase the volume of eco-tourism. Women’s Empowerment Funds need to
refine their regulations to support more community enterprises, women-led
economic models, and green economic activities.
2) Improve
agricultural practices and alternative livelihood options in coastal
communities. These efforts should include increasing women's adoption of
diversified crops and introducing new alternative agriculture that can grow in
salt soil.
3) Engagement
of both women and men in addressing drought and floods, water storage
technology, freshwater distribution, desalination, and the registration of
Community Protected Mangrove Forests.
4) Review the laws and policies to resolve
conflicts over the distribution of marine resources between small-scale
fisheries and commercial fisheries. For example, participants suggested
expanding the small-scale fishery area into a deep-sea zone beyond the
3-kilometer border in response to reduced marine resources for small-scale
fisheries due to climate-related temperature change.
Mangrove
forest degradation and coastal erosion affect vulnerable
families and communities, hindering economic access. Different roles and
responsibilities lead to distinct knowledge and actions; women are highly aware
of rising sea levels that erode their housing and affect the safety of family
members and food sources. Men tend to be mindful of the overall shortage of
marine and coastal resources, impacted by climate change, including CO2
emissions and ecosystem degradation, or find solutions to break the sea wave
and rise and understand the concept of the Blue Economy.
Recommendation for
closing vulnerability gaps:
1) Government
responsible agencies should continue lifting and repairing houses, or, in the
worst case, relocating people, especially vulnerable families with older
adults, children, and the sick, to inland areas to be safe from sea-level rise,
flooding, and erosion.
2) Resolve
housing built within the government’s protected area and cancel or reduce
coastal housing taxation to an affordable level. This would increase the
community's sense of belonging and help conserve the protected areas.
3) Seek
consultation with both men and women in affected communities when designing and
building all types of erosion control, such as seawater breakers, to prevent
unexpected results, such as sand sediment moving to block the sailing channels
of small boats going in and out to the sea.
4) Identifying
the most vulnerable groups with intersectional disadvantages, such as female
elders, single mothers, and families with dependent members, requires urgent
assistance.
Leadership and
Participation Gaps
Women’s representation is
high in organic and informal structures that address women’s livelihood and
economic concerns, conservation, and participation in community forums to
resolve various issues. Women account for 50% of tourism experts on the Provincial
Marine and Coastal Resources Committee, but their representation is relatively
low, with only 16-19% of elected councilors and only 7% of executive chief
positions in formal local politics.
Recommendation for
closing leadership and participation gaps:
1) Committee
or Community dialogue on marine and coastal resource management must engage a
critical number of women, at least 30%, to enable women to identify viable,
alternative, and sustainable livelihood and income-generating options that meet
the needs of both women and men.
2) Identify
and develop leadership capacity among female community members interested in
becoming champions and leaders within existing systems. Recruitment can begin
with an active women’s network, such as the Thai Women's Network of 77.
3) Promote
micro-credit, entrepreneurial, and digital literacy skills for women in coastal
communities. Specifically, WEF can redesign revolving-fund schemes to better
address the needs of women in the fisheries, agriculture, and ecotourism
sectors.
4) Strengthening
access to climate change information, both adaptation and mitigation, and to
scientific technologies such as solar energy for women in coastal communities,
so they can use them to increase marine and mangrove forest products for
consumption and sales.
The recommendation for
the implementation of Trat’s Blue Economy:
Government agencies
responsible for promoting a Blue Economy should pay more attention and include
concerns and recommendations from local people, including both women and men,
to solve long-term, durable problems. The study suggests freshwater storage in
an Underground Water Bank, studies of alternative fruit options, economic
agriculture for saline soil, and studies of re-shoreline techniques to curb
seawater flooding. All levels of government should conduct gender assessments
with local residents in affected communities before construction to mitigate
the impacts of sea waves and rising sea levels and to reduce unwanted impacts,
such as changes to the seascape and coastal scape.
Gender
Assessment in Coastal Resources Management
Coastal
Erosion and Mangrove Forest Degradation
Objective of Study
The
objective of this Gender Assessment in Coastal Resources Management: Coastal
Erosion and Mangrove Forest Degradation is to better understand gender gaps and
conduct gender analyses among small fishing households and communities in the
coastal areas of Trat province. This study will form the basis for a gender
strategy and subsequent recommendations, which could influence and improve
gender-responsive policies and the implementation of fishery institutions. Your
work in this area can truly make a difference.
Methodology
The gender assessment was conducted from 24 to 27 February 2024 using a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative data collection. The methods included four approaches: focus-group discussion (FGD), a mini-survey administered to FGD participants, and an observation trip to affected localities. Each approach was designed to gather sex-disaggregated data on the socioeconomic structure, gender roles, responsibilities, and division of labor within the household; access to knowledge and information; access to and control over resources; power dynamics and decision-making within family households; the gendered impacts of coastal erosion and the reduction of mangrove forests; and other gender issues in conservation.
Target Area of Study and Respondents:
The targeted areas cover nine sub-districts across the three districts of Trat province, where villagers’ occupations depend mainly on mangrove forests and coastal and marine resources. These occupations include small-scale fishing, farming, rubber tapping, orchards, trades, and sales. The selected nine sub-districts are Laemngob, Laemklad, Huangnamkhao, Aoyai, Namchiao, Nernsai, Nongsano, Nongkhansong, and Mairut.
Target
Respondents: in Focus-Group Discussion and In-depth Interview:
Profile of
participants who contributed to the study:
|
Characteristics
of target areas |
Women |
Men |
In-depth-interview |
Affected
area |
|
|
Women |
Men |
||||
|
Coastal erosion |
14 |
8 |
2 |
1 |
1. Mueang Trat District 1.3
Noen Sai Tambon 2. Laem Ngop District 2.2 Nam Chiao Tambon 3. Khlong Yai
District |
|
Mangrove depletion |
11 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1. Mueang Trat District 1.3 Huang Nam Khao
Tambon |
|
Experts in the network |
|
|
3 |
- |
|
|
Total
participants/areas |
25 |
12 |
6 |
2 |
3 District
9 Tambon (Tambon is the general term of Sub-district) |
Data
Collection from FGD:
The
first and foremost approach is Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The focus group
format is a three-hour, semi-structured discussion guided by a set of questions
and issues. Based on the targeted areas and the study’s objectives, the focus
group discussions comprised four sessions to ensure representation. Each focus
group discussion welcomed 8-10 participants.
The characteristics of participants of the four sessions of Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were as follows:
Session 1: Mixed gender of
villagers living in the affected target area from land erosion and mangrove
forests
Session 2: Mixed gender of local
leaders residing in the affected communities caused by coastal erosion and
mangrove forest depletion
Session 3: All female participants
from the areas affected by coastal erosion
Session 4: All female participants
from the areas affected by mangrove forest depletion
There
were 37 attendees, 25 women and 12 men, across all four sessions. The mini
survey was administered after each focus group discussion, and 36 responses
were received. One attendee did not participate in the survey. Throughout the
focus group discussions and interviews, observations on gender perspectives
were informally noted and recorded.
Data
Collection from In-depth Interview:
Six
female and two male local leaders from various groups were selected for their
knowledge, understanding, and experience with coastal erosion and the decline
of mangrove forests. Active leaders from government coastal management and
fisheries-related offices and executive members of the Women’s Empowerment Fund
were interviewed in depth. The interviews gathered more detailed information on
issues stemming from coastal erosion and mangrove forest loss, as well as their
opinions and feedback on policies, local plans, and interventions in the
affected areas.
Data
Collection from Mini Survey:
The
third approach, a mini-survey, was also designed as a supplementary approach to
collect data that might not be discussed during the focus group sessions. The
survey aimed to collect socioeconomic data from FGD participants, including
gender roles and responsibilities, household labor division, access to
knowledge and information, control over resources, problems related to coastal
erosion and mangrove forests, and marine conservation and management. The survey
was also intended to capture quantitative aspects that might not be present
during the discussions, such as individual and family income and expenses.
Data
Collection from Observation:
Finally,
as a complementary approach, an observational investigation is included to
provide additional information, as behaviors and interactions among the
participants, male and female, can offer glimpses of social norms, contexts,
and power dynamics. These observations would be helpful for gender assessment
and analysis.
***It is important to note that the quantitative section of the
study uses a mini survey to capture the socioeconomic profiles of the focus
group participants. Accordingly, the survey was designed to collect private
data that would not be discussed during the FGD, such as land ownership,
income, and expenses, to provide useful information for further analysis and
targeted recommendations. It is crucial, however, to note that the data set
from this survey should be used only as an additional source of information for
the FGD participants. The dataset should not be treated as aggregated data or
used for generalization or prediction.
Guided Questions
for FGD and In-Depth Interview:
The designed
guided questions were used in all FGD sessions; however, during discussions,
the moderator allowed participants to share concerns that critically affected
their lives and that they wanted to recommend for mitigation.
1) In daily life, what benefits do men, women, and communities receive from
resources in the sea, coast, beaches, and mangrove forests? Please also
differentiate between women and men.
2) Compare the past ten years to now; what resources in the sea, coast, beaches, and
mangrove forests have changed? What has increased, and what has decreased?
3)
What
factors do men and women think cause changes to marine and coastal resources?
4)
What
are the different impacts affecting men, women, families, and communities due
to changing seas and coasts? And what are the continuing effects?
5)
To
whom or agencies (such as local administrative organizations, municipalities,
or government agencies) do you seek assistance to resolve the negative impact on
you, your family, and your community? What roles do women and men play in
solving problems? What matters, and what were the results?
6)
Each
day's activities are divided into four sections: morning, afternoon, evening,
and night. What tasks do women and men have to do separately, and what tasks do
they help each other with? How long does it take to do each activity? (Activity
profile)
7)
What
are the advantages and disadvantages of women and men in leadership and
decision-making regarding the utilization and management of marine and coastal
resources? What roles do women or men excel at?
The guidelines for
in-depth interviews enabled informants to discuss their roles and
responsibilities, observations on the current gender dynamics in relation to
coastal erosion and mangrove degradation, successes and challenges in their
work, and recommendations for structural policy change.
Report
Structure and Data Visualization Presentation:
The report is
structured into seven sections, each focusing on different gender dynamics in
small-scale fisheries and coastal communities.
These sections are as follows:
1) Socioeconomic
status of fishing and coastal households: This section examines the
socioeconomic conditions of fishing and coastal households, including their
income and livelihoods.
2) Enabling
environment and institution settings for gender mainstreaming: This section
explores the existing institutional frameworks and policies that support gender
mainstreaming in the fisheries and marine and coastal resources management sectors.
3) Gender
perceptions and norms among fishers: This section delves into the prevailing
gender perceptions and norms within the fishing and coastal communities,
shedding light on the roles, responsibilities, and expectations placed on men
and women against the gender division of labor in the fisheries
and coastal households.
4) Gender
and economic opportunities: This section investigates the gender disparities in
accessing economic opportunities for coastal populations, such as employment,
entrepreneurship, and market participation.
5) Gender,
voice, and agencies: This section examines the extent to which women and men
have equal opportunities to participate in decision-making processes and have
their voices heard in matters related to fisheries and coastal resources management.
6) Gender and conservations: This section focuses on the gender dimensions of conservation efforts in small-scale fisheries, exploring the roles and contributions of women and men in sustainable resource management.
7) Recommendations to address gender gaps and monitoring indicators: This final section provides recommendations to address the identified gender gaps and suggests changes to monitoring indicators to track progress in achieving gender equality in fisheries and coastal resource management.
Background:
Coastal erosion affects
ecosystems, marine life, and the economic and social aspects of human life.
Erosion-related sediment deposition degrades ecosystems, including beaches,
mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs, and is a crucial factor in degrading
biodiversity. This contributes to the loss of aquatic animal nurseries,
degrading food chains in coastal areas and negatively affecting marine life.
Changes in the coastal ecosystem affect economic development and investment, as
well as the industrial, service, and coastal tourism sectors. In the worst
cases, people, mainly fishery communities, lose their land and ways of life and
cannot continue working to generate primary income from wetlands, the sea, and
coastal activities.
The
2020 report of the Provincial Marine and Coastal Resources Committee for Trat
Province presented the status of marine and coastal resources and coastal
erosion. Trat has approximately 178.19 kilometers of coastline along the Gulf
of Thailand and a river basin suitable for fruit, palm oil, rice, and livestock
production. It is also suitable for fruit orchards, rubber, and pineapple
cultivation in the foothills of high-forest mountain areas. Trat has a few
famous tourist islands, such as Koh Chang, Koh Good, and Koh Mark, and these
islands are among 52 large islands with dense mangrove forests that provide
habitats and food for aquatic animals. Trat Province has seven districts, 38
sub-districts, and 261 villages. Six of its seven districts border the sea,
including Mueang Trat, Khlong Yai District, Laem Ngop District, Khao Saming
District, Koh Chang District, and Koh Kood District. There are a total of 34
Provincial Administrative Units in Trat Province and 59 central administrative
agencies in the province, including the Department of Marine and Coastal
Resources, the Department of Fishery, the Marine Department, Rural Roads
Construction, the Department of Natural Resources, the Royal Forest Department,
the Mangrove Forest Resource Management Center, Trat Province, the National
Land Policy Committee (NCTC), and the Trat Provincial Land Policy Committee
(Trad Provincial Land Policy Committee).
In 2019, Trat province had a total population of 229,958, of which 113,973 were female (50.44 percent), and 115,985 were male (49.56 percent). Most of the population in Trat province was employed in agriculture and fishing (around 77,378 people, 44.43 percent), followed by service employees in stores and markets (31,994 people, or 18.37 percent).
The national industrial
development goals of Trat province include three goals: to be a base for
producing, selling, and exporting fruits, fisheries, and aquaculture along the
coast around the Gulf of Thailand; to improve the ecological, agricultural, and
health tourism destination and community tourism.
The third goal is to
develop a new Eastern Special Economic Development Zone as a gateway to connect
transportation to the Indochina region. This zone will target ecological and
cultural tourism, the gemstone business, and an advanced grassroots economy that
produces food, agricultural products, and safe-quality fruits such as durian,
mangosteen, rubber, palm oil, and seafood.
The coastline of Trat Province, with a length of 178.19 kilometers, falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, according to Section 3 of the Marine Resource Management Promotion Act and the Coastal Act 2015. This covers six districts and 28 sub-districts, namely Mueang Trat District. Khlong Yai District, Laem Ngop District, Khao Saming District, Koh Chang District, and Koh Kood District. Natural marine and coastal resources include coral reefs, seagrass, mangrove forests, and transform and fertile forests. The coastal areas are also home to rare marine animals, including sea turtles, dugongs, whale sharks, and five dolphin species, including the Irrawaddy dolphin, smooth-backed bull-headed, hump-backed, and bottlenose dolphins.
Coastal Erosion in Trat Areas
Over the years, Trat has continuously faced coastal erosion. According to a 2018 survey by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the coastal erosion area in Trat Province is approximately 34.45 kilometers long. It is divided into areas that have not yet been corrected, approximately 8.63 kilometers long, and areas that have been corrected, approximately 25.81 kilometers long. In these areas, corrective action has been taken, but there is still an erosion length of approximately 3.33 kilometers.
As reported, the causes of coastal erosion vary. One is the construction of structures such as dams to prevent waves and trap sand, which leaves piles of rocks on the shore from port buildings and allows water-breaking walls to encroach on the river and the flow of water. Another is the mushrooming of coastal aquaculture farms in mangrove forest areas, which causes coastal degradation. Moreover, coastal areas are transformed into coastal communities and tourism activities, including accommodations or restaurants. Finally, coastal erosion occurs when navigation channels are being dug.
Responsible
government agencies have developed guidelines for plans and projects related to
coastal development and restoration to address this problem. These include
increasing public awareness of natural coastal changes, promoting public
participation in monitoring and follow-up, integrating agencies responsible for
coastal resources and development to manage sustainable, environmentally
friendly use, and strict enforcement of relevant laws.
Mangrove
Forests Degradation
As reported in 2017-2018, Trat has a preserved mangrove forest area of 61,086.43 rai, distributed across Mueang Trat District and Khlong Yai, Laem Ngop, Khao Saming, Koh Chang, and Koh Kood. Visual interpretation divides the area into two types: mangrove forests in a stable condition and forest areas, including beach forest areas (32.59 rai), peat, and swamp, totaling 2,380.40 rai. A mangrove forest area of 59,204.60 rai is estimated to be distributed in the area.
Trat’s
mangrove forest has a diversity of 13 mangrove plant species. The tree density
is 401 trees per rai. Bird diversity includes 12 orders (Order), 25 families
(Family), and 40 species. Fungal and mushroom diversity in mangrove forests
includes 9 species. Aquatic animal diversity in the mangrove forest includes 8
families and 9 species, classified into fish groups of 5 species, including
shrimp and crab groups on the mangrove forest floor. Currently, there is an
area of mangrove forest (maintained) totaling 67,823.11 rai under the
responsibility of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.
|
Within Cabinet Resolution 2000 |
Outside of Cabinet Resolution 2000 |
Under Dept. of Marine and Coastal
Resources |
Total remaining mangrove forests |
|||||
|
Under Dept. of Marine and Coastal
Resources |
Conservation areas |
Under Dept. of Marine and Coastal
Resources |
Conservation areas |
|||||
|
Mangrove |
Swamp |
Mangrove |
Mangrove |
Swamp |
Mangrove |
Mangrove |
Swamp |
|
|
56,298.80 |
3,088.21 |
18.28 |
11,444.94 |
214.86 |
61.10 |
67,743.73 |
3,501.06 |
67.823.11 |
Mangrove
and swamp forests in Trat province (Rai)
Source:
Department of Marine and Coastal Resources
There are a variety of causes affecting mangrove forests. Garbage disposal is the main source of solid waste from coastal communities, which is blown out to sea by the tides. This includes foam, rubber, glass bottles, and materials made from various plastics. These can harm aquatic animals because they are mistaken for food. This is because such waste takes time to decompose. In addition, mangrove forests are being converted into homestays, shrimp ponds, and housing, resulting in encroachment, destruction, and possession of mangrove forest areas to run shrimp ponds, palm plantations, and agricultural activities. Lack of sustainability and uncontrolled use of mangrove and aquatic animal resources also negatively impact mangrove forests. For example, illegal logging in mangrove forests for use such as building houses or producing charcoal remains prevalent. Furthermore, mangrove forest areas have been reduced due to coastal erosion, which is becoming more severe.
Problem-solving
guidelines have been established to emphasize legal measures for spatial
management and the protection of marine resources and coasts in accordance with
the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Promotion Act 2015. The guidelines
call for establishing regulations for sustainable resource use, increasing
public and community knowledge and awareness, and supporting volunteerism
within community networks among villagers and youth in the village. Monitoring
also occurs to track changes and conserve resources. Physical protection for
restoring marine and coastal resources, such as placing bamboo lines to prevent
sediment and increase mangrove plants, is also implemented. Moreover, official
land boundary announcements should be made to the public regarding land
ownership between villagers and government-protected land. A mangrove forest
map of aquatic animals should also be constructed. Conservation areas and
projects must be communicated to the public and local communities to prevent
forest encroachment. Equally important is the enforcement of trespass
prosecutions at varying degrees.
The
Decrease of Marine
and Coastal Resources
The decline of marine resources is another critical issue for fisherfolk communities in Trat province. Common causes include human activities such as illegal fishing, excessive collection of seagrass and animals, and fishing boats dropping anchors in the area. Dolphins and whales are likely to become trapped and entangled by fishing gear. In addition, marine animals may eat waste or garbage from coastal communities, island tourism, fishing boats, and tourist boats. Dolphin and whale watching tours have also been reported to disturb marine animals. Sediment from dredging, coastal construction, coastal communities and tourism wastewater, and shrimp farming wastewater is also released into the sea (Laem Klat, Mairut, Koh Chang), causing severe ecosystem vulnerability. As for natural causes, climate change, particularly rising sea levels and stronger winds and waves hitting the shore, is changing the landscape of beaches, shores, and coastal lines.
Gender Dimension in Literature Review
Through
a review and synthesis of the existing literature on the relevant Thai
government agencies responsible for coastal and mangrove conservation, most
research studies neglected to take a gender perspective into account in
information gathering or the analysis framework.
The
2017-2018 study on Making Women’s Roles Visible in Cambodia, Myanmar, and
Thailand (Mairut, Trat province), conducted by Jariya Sornkliang
(jariya@seafdec.org) of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
(SEAFDEC), found that women’s contributions to the fisheries value chain are
not well recognized, even though many tasks in the fisheries value chain
involve women. The study reveals that both husbands and wives participated in
fishing activities because the fishing ground was not far from their houses.
They engaged in several activities, including cleaning and mending fishing
gear, sorting fish on land, processing products, and selling to intermediaries:
however, only women prepared food for onboard operations. There was no activity
in the Thai case study that men did alone. However, the study did not analyze
the gender gaps in depth.
During
the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, SEAFDEC conducted a rapid study on the
pandemic’s impacts. The results showed that many women became jobless and lost
income from shore-based activities because of limited fishing periods in some
areas or market closures during the pandemic. Online business platforms, mainly
managed by women or younger family members, have become a significant
adaptation for family businesses to help them cope with the pandemic and
increase interaction among family members. In addition, while women participate
in all activities and processes of the fisheries value chain, their roles
dominate in gear mending and cleaning, catch segregation, product processing,
and marketing. Both men and women are involved in all stages of the fisheries
value chain. However, equal participation of men and women in access and rights
remains a distant dream. The COVID-19 pandemic shows that women demonstrate
high adaptability and resilience even under challenging circumstances.
Therefore, women should be the primary focus of efforts to build human capacity
in development programs, empowering them to generate and increase their
fisheries incomes. The study recommended supporting women’s greater economic
role, which should be accompanied by strengthening their capacity for the
sustainable use of fishery resources.
A comparative study
conducted in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Maldives in
2019 on gender in coastal and marine resource management: a collaborative
regional synthesis report by SEI, MFF, SEAFDEC (2018) Bangkok, Thailand,
reveals that women’s activities are undervalued, especially their non-direct
roles in adding value to economic gains – often considered unremarkable
extensions of their never-ending domestic and caregiving chores. The hypothesis
is to explore gendered experiences. Coastal communities in South and Southeast
Asia are strongly tied to marine and coastal resources vital for food security
and livelihoods. Meanwhile, the pervasive expansion of the global economy is
leading to rapid changes in coastal and marine resources, specifically through
overfishing and hasty coastal development. Such rapid changes produce severe
consequences for different groups of women and men in local communities on the
front lines, who experience the hardships of marine resource depletion and coastline
degradation. Furthermore, these hardships often lead to changes in gender roles
and rights. However, gendered experiences in fisheries and coastal resource
management are frequently overlooked. To close some of these knowledge gaps,
the study explored drivers of inequality and the constraints imposed on
different groups of women in various coastal contexts of South and Southeast
Asia.
The article Women’s Voice
and Identity: A Development Model Driven Solely by Profit is Eroding the
Small-scale Fisheries and Marine and Coastal Ecosystems in Thailand, written by
Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk, Director: Sustainable Development Foundation, Bangkok,
Thailand, revealed that economically driven policies are unlikely to ensure
sustainable development and instead will create tensions between the
environment and natural resource-dependent communities. Women in small-scale
fisheries and traditional coastal communities have suffered; employment has
declined, landlessness has increased, community commons have been privatized,
food security has decreased, health and well-being have been negatively
affected, and acts of intimidation and violence are commonly witnessed. Women
fishers continue to bear the brunt of gender differences and inequality.
Practical strategies are required to ensure that women’s and men’s concerns and
experiences are integral to marine and coastal policies and plans.
Finding 1: Demographic and Socioeconomic
Status of Households in Coastal Communities Affected by Coastal Erosion and
Mangrove Forest Degradation in Trat Province.
Since
the study aims to assess gendered impacts, the female participants were mainly
targeted.
The information for this study was collected mainly from
four FGD sessions to inform a gender analysis of fishers and villagers residing
in Trat’s coastal areas affected by erosion and mangrove forest depletion. Two
supplementary sources of information are drawn from government data. However,
the gender dimension is limited, and the other source comprises additional
socioeconomic data collected through a mini-survey of 36 participants who
attended the four FGD sessions. However, based on the disproportionate gender
distribution of informants in the FGD meetings, where the number of women
exceeded that of men, and men held higher leadership positions than women, the
study used data from a mini-survey of 36 respondents, comprising 25 (69%) women
and 11 (31%) men, at the individual level, such as occupations, income,
supplementary income, expenses, debt burden, and gender roles in the
household.
The
selected areas include nine sub-districts of Trat province, where villagers’
occupations and livelihoods depend mainly on mangrove forests, coastal, and
marine resources: Laem Ngob, Laem Klat, Huang Nam Khao, Ao Yai, Namchiao, Nern
Sai, Nong Sano, Nong Khan Song, and Mairut.
Data on target populations drawn from
government sources.
The selected areas of the study cover
nine sub-districts: the male population is 28,633, the female population is
29,346, and the total is 57,979. (The figures may not reflect the current,
accurate figures at the time of the study.)
The main occupations of most of the
population in Trat province are agriculture and fishing (approximately 77,378
people, 44.43%), followed by retail and market service employees (31,994
people, 18.37%).
Income: In the selected coastal
communities, the average annual household income is approximately 280,751 baht
(or 23,300 per month and up), and the lowest income is an average of 82,829
baht (or 6,900 baht per month). The main occupation of higher-income households
is farming or orchard gardening.
Gender Data from FGD Participants
and Mini-Survey:
Because the government's
gender information is limited, the data collected from the discussion and
mini-survey with FGD participants will serve as the basic gender information at
the individual level, not the aggregate level. Therefore, this finding on socioeconomic
status by gender cannot reflect the broader picture across all coastal
communities. The selected gender data include age, main occupation, individual
and family monthly income, monthly family expenses, and gender roles in the
household.
Gender
by Age from FGD participants:
Among same-sex
participants, the highest number across all age groups is 51–60 years, with
more male than female participants. The second highest is 60 years and older.
By education level, the majority of
participants had completed upper secondary school (45% of males and 36% of
females).
It appeared that women attended school at a higher rate in the primary and
lower secondary years, but the rate dropped at the upper secondary school
level.
Religion:
most participants are Buddhists (73%), with the remainder Muslim.
Marital Status: They
are either legally married (73% of men and 56% of women) or customarily married
(27% of men and 16% of women).
Number of Family Members: The
participants' families comprise 3-5 persons, 82% of male participants and 72%
of female participants.
House and Land Ownership: Most participants also own houses: 31% of male and 58% of female participants.
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The majority of participants, both men and women, are landowners: 64% of men and 52% of women. Comparatively, more men appear to own land than women.
Occupation:
Participants' occupations
varied, but most worked in farming, agriculture, fishing, or general hired
labor. Notably, 61% of all participants reported having supplemental jobs.
Sources of income and
livelihood: (sea, tree, water, and land)
The study invited FGD
participants from selected communities, grouped into two categories: coastal
erosion and mangrove depletion. Some participants face both problems. The
following content is from the FGD meetings. Both genders reported that marine
resources and mangrove forests provide their livelihoods and occupations for
subsistence and commercial production. In practice, men and women rely on
marine and mangrove forests differently.
In the mangrove forests,
women collect resources such as small fish and crabs, prawns and mollusks,
invertebrates, palm leaves for handicrafts, and herbal leaves for traditional
medicine. In addition to primary small-scale
fishing, men collect timber, honey, and fodder for livestock in the mangrove
forests. Women also fish with men in the
nearshore sea, a family profession passed down for generations.
In small-scale fishing, the
monsoon months of November to January are the off-season for fisheries, and
during this period, fishing families' incomes decline. However, during fishing
seasons, male participants report that another reason for reduced fish catches
is warmer nearshore seawater, a climate change impact that drives fish and
marine animals to seek cooler water deeper in the high seas. The small-scale
fishery operates in areas only three kilometers from the shoreline, and fishing
on the high seas is prohibited by law. Thus, the surrounding mangroves provide
small fish, crabs, clams, prawns, and other natural products to supplement lost
income. Both men and women participate in mangrove activities during this
period.
Agriculture is
also a secondary source of livelihood and income for coastal inland
communities. Their primary crops include vegetables and fruit orchards, such as
durian, mangosteen, rambutan, oil palm, and rubber trees. Freshwater from
canals and rivers flowing down the stream in agricultural villages is essential
for growing crops and fruit trees. The most challenging situation occurs when
freshwater is scarce or polluted and the sea level rises. Saline water
intruding into their agricultural land or mixing with freshwater in ponds
damages fruit trees. One of the FGDs shared that all his durian trees had just
died from saline water intrusion, and that desalination is costly and complex.
Eco-Tourism:
More women than men work
to generate income on beaches and in mangrove forests, where their small shops
sell handicrafts, food, and natural products they collect from the sea and
mangrove forests for tourists.
Women participants in
Namchiao launched eco-tourism promoting wellness and safety tourism. They offer
homestays, seafood, organic vegetables and herbs, Thai massages, and cultural
activities such as small-scale fishing and bird watching, attracting many more
domestic and foreign tourists. From in-depth interviews and observation visits
to Ban Yai Mom villages, led and managed by a group of Muslim women, it was
found that everyone, including the elderly, youth, and children, has a role to
play in the business, and the benefits return to them. Many mischievous boys
and unintended teenage pregnancies that used to be the families’ problem are
reduced and redirected to help the eco-tourism business.
Sources of Income from
Alternative and Supplementary Occupations:
FGD participants reported
that their primary occupations in fishing or agriculture and supplemental
income-generating activities, such as general hired work, have shifted over the
past decades. This has been attributed to several factors, with the depletion
of coastal and marine resources being among the most significant. Some
participants reported that switching between primary and supplemental jobs is
common, and that some require more than two or three jobs to survive. FGD data,
like government records, indicate that agriculture and fishing are equally the
main occupations in Trat and among residents of coastal areas. This trend
aligns with one of the critical industrial development goals of Trat province:
to serve as a base for the production, sale, and export of fruits, fisheries,
and aquaculture.
The primary occupation of female FGD participants is fishing, followed by farming and selling/trading. The main occupation of male FGD participants is farming, followed by fishing. (This data is not reliable for gender analysis due to the number of informants is too small)
Average income by Gender
The data on average
monthly individual income by gender show that men tend to earn more than women,
particularly in higher income brackets. In the 10,001 – 20,000-baht range, 27%
of male participants reported incomes in that range, while only 16% of women
did. The same pattern holds for higher brackets: 18% of male participants
reported incomes in the 20,001–30,000-baht range and 9% reported incomes in the
30,001–40,000-baht range. By contrast, only 4% of female participants reported
incomes in those two brackets. The 5,001–10,000-baht bracket has a similar
proportion of male and female participants at 36%, whereas in the lower
brackets of 3,201–5,000 and below 3,200 baht, more women reported these income
ranges at 16% and 24%, respectively.
The average monthly
family income follows a trajectory similar to that of individual income, with
men reporting higher overall monthly family income. The number of FGD participants
reported in each family income bracket remains relatively the same as that of
individual income brackets, with the 10,001 – 20,000 baht seeing 27% of male
participants and 28% of female participants. The lower the income bracket,
the higher the proportion of female participants relative to male participants,
except in the lowest bracket below 3,200 baht.
*** It should be noted that income from farming/gardening
is higher than from fishing.
Monthly Families' Expense by Gender:
For monthly family
expenses, 45% of male respondents reported spending between 5,001 and 10,000
baht, while 32% of female respondents reported spending between 10,001 and
20,000 baht. This is an interesting discrepancy, as 67% of all male and female
respondents agree that women are responsible for household expense management.
Debt Burden by Gender:
The data on debt burdens by
gender clearly show that women have higher debt obligations than men across
all categories. According to
traditional gender roles, women must manage the family expenses, which are
often inadequate. Women, therefore, must
resort to taking out loans and borrowing from various sources. It is also notable that 27% of male
participants reported having no debt, whereas only 12% of female participants
reported the same. This evidence
supports findings from focus group discussions, which detailed how women bear
such responsibility.
Natural degradation, land
ownership, and debt burden linkage:
Women in FGDs reported
that when income is reduced due to the depletion of marine resources and severe
coastal erosion, combined with higher investment costs across all
income-generating activities, such as gasoline, equipment, and labor, they must
borrow from both legal and illegal, easy-to-access loans available in
communities. Women-focused funds, including Village Funds, Women’s Empowerment
Funds, and Sajja Om Sap Fund, or so-called community-saving funds, are the
prominent financial institutions that women turn to when in need.
Many villagers living in
government-protected mangrove areas typically lack land ownership certificates,
which are required as collateral for borrowing from official lending
institutions. Some residents who build
and live in their inherited homes in government-protected mangrove forest areas
must pay the local government a housing tax of 5 baht per square meter per year
(NCPO resolution 2017). Many of them
cannot afford to pay this tax, so their homes (which they have lived in for a
long time) cannot be used as collateral for capital or to apply for any
loans. Therefore, the government’s
community non-collateral revolving fund is vital to them.
Although people own land, rising seawater is increasingly encroaching on it, causing them to lose it and preventing them from using it as collateral with financial institutions.
One of the in-depth
interview informants (Mr. Phaiwan Si-in), a local expert for the Department of
Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), said that coastal erosion is a major
problem in Thailand, not only in Trat province. One challenge is that coastal
erosion falls under the overlapping responsibilities of many ministries,
departments, agencies, and provincial and local governments. The main challenge
is that they lack integrated plans, solutions, and budgets to address this
erosion together. For instance, these agencies include the Departments of
Marine and Coastal Resources, Fishery, Marine, Forestry, Land, and Industry,
among others. He joked, “I will own the plot of the ocean soon, as the seawater
is arriving at my home now.”
Gender roles and division of labor in the
household:
The data on perceived
household roles reflect traditional gender roles in Thai society, where mothers
and women cook, clean, and care for children and the elderly. The overwhelming
number of responses demonstrates these gender differences, with 75% of all
participants reporting women as the primary person for cooking, 78% for
cleaning, 75% for washing and laundry, and 42% for child and elderly care.
Conversely, men are responsible for these roles at 28% for cooking, 25% for
cleaning, 28% for washing and laundry, and only 17% for child and elderly
care.
Both men and women engage
in vegetable cultivation for consumption, with 44% of men and 42% of women
doing so. 61% of participants reported that women take on this responsibility
as a supplemental job, while 44% reported the same for men. Although social and
family dynamics change over time and women must assume more responsibilities
outside the home, women continue to shoulder greater domestic responsibilities.
Decision-making in the household by
gender:
Regarding household
decision-making, 53% of participants reported that women were involved in
income-earning activities, whereas 58% reported that men were. In other
categories, more participants reported that women had a more prominent role:
53% for child-rearing, 67% for expense management, 50% for savings and
investment, and 47% for borrowing. Although women appear to have the same
footing as men, the dataset indicates that women assume many responsibilities
both inside and outside the home.
Gender burdens result from the
intersection of cultural norms, marine and coastal degradation.
In
Trat’s coastal communities, women bear triple burdens: the work of
multi-productive activities outside the home to earn income and support
community-based economic development; they still bear the burden of household
responsibilities, including caring for children, the elderly, and the sick. As
in SKL communities, women manage household finances to meet basic needs, mainly
food, consumption items, and children’s education. Women are also expected to
save money, which is almost impossible.
The
degradation of marine and mangrove forests and coastal erosion profoundly
affect coastal communities' livelihoods. This environmental crisis
significantly reduces families' incomes, exacerbates existing gender
disparities, and threatens sustainable coastal development.
As
their natural resources degrade, many men from these communities are forced to
seek employment in cities, leaving their wives to shoulder all household
burdens. This shift in responsibilities often leads to misunderstandings about
household expenses and higher prices for consumer goods, sparking domestic
arguments and further straining women's already heavy workload.
Subsequently,
women are pressured to seek cash to cover the shortfall, which could explain
why women bear higher debt burdens than men. These accumulating pressures lead
to more stress, anxiety, and exhaustion.
Section
2: Enabling Environment and Institution Settings for
Gender Mainstreaming in Coastal Communities:
In addition to women-focused
development and empowerment policies and programs described in the first
chapter, “Rapid Gender Assessment of Small-scale Fisheries in the Upper
Songkhla Lake,” Trat coastal people seem better off with support from various
development-focused governments and domestic and international
organizations. Aside from existing
government agencies responsible for marine, coastal, and fishery management,
these coastal communities have received assistance to address problems caused
by degradation of marine and coastal natural resources, namely from the
Community Organization Development Institute (CODI), the National Health
Council, and foundations such as the Sustainable Development Foundation and
Utokapat Foundation, among others.
Enabling Existing Constitutional, Legal, and
Policy Frameworks:
The Thai Government commits to overcoming gender
inequalities through provisions in the 2017 Constitution, particularly Chapter
27, which affirms that women and men have equal rights and provides special
measures to ensure gender equity, and Chapter 71, which mandates
gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) and requires it to be considered in
government budget formulation at all levels. The Gender Equality Act of 2015
was enacted to protect the equal rights of all gender identities. The GRB tool
has emerged as the most substantial enabling environment, directing all
government agencies to apply it in policymaking and budgeting.
Thailand is
also a signatory to key international instruments, including the Convention for
the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 5, Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all
Women and Girls. Most relevant to this study are objectives 5.4 and 5.5, which
recognize the value of unpaid care work, promote shared responsibility for
household chores, and ensure women's full and meaningful participation and
equal opportunity to lead at all levels of decision-making in politics,
economics, and the public domain. The MSDHS’s Department of Women's Affairs and
Family Development (DWF) has taken action to achieve SDG Goal 5, coordinating
with legislative and policy-making mechanisms, as well as CGEO and GFP in each
ministry.
Enforcement of Gender Equality Instruments:
To guarantee gender equality, the Cabinet Resolution
of 31 July 2001 established the Chief Gender Executive Officer (CGEO) and the
Gender Focal Point (GFP) in each line ministry to provide guidance, build staff
gender capacity, and ensure the implementation of gender mainstreaming.
Regarding administration, the Deputy to the Secretary-General in each ministry
or a Director General or higher would be designated by position to serve as
CGEO, and the subdepartment unit would serve as the operational office for GFP.
In 2022, 135 departments in 19 ministries established CGEO and set up GFP,
including the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative and the Ministry of
Natural Resource and Environment.
Enabling
Government, International, and Civil Society Organizations:
For
several years, operating under the Ministry of Social Development and Human
Security, CODI has supported housing repairs, community welfare funds,
community business plan development, and revolving loans; assisted families who
have not obtained official housing documents in the government-protected
mangrove forest; and provided funding for the start-up of the Community
Enterprise Model in communities affected by seawater flooding, among other
activities.
Several research, academic, and
international institutions, such as SEAFDEC, IUCN, UNEP, and RECOFT, have
devoted their expertise and research knowledge to supporting coastal villagers'
alternative self-reliant occupations to increase incomes and to advocate for
lending approaches that promote sustainable solutions to the degradation of
marine and coastal resources.
Civil
Society Organizations and Movements are Key Enabling Environments:
More
importantly, there are active civic movements in Trat, including the Thai Women
Network of 77 Provinces, led by women’s activists, which promotes women's
knowledge and abilities across all areas, including human rights, freedom of
expression, and gender equality. Currently, the network has more than 1,300
women members. Hand in hand with the women’s movement, the mixed-gender
Community Organization of Trat People works in solidarity to negotiate with
government agencies, especially the Marine Department, DMCR, and relevant key
agencies responsible for coastal conservation, to resolve conflicts for
citizens whose houses are built in government-protected mangrove forests. Thus
far, these two civic organizations have helped affected residents in 26 sub-districts,
six districts, and 5,169 households in coastal communities access government
housing subsidies and CODI assistance.
Around the years 1989 to 1993,
the civil society organization networks in Trat comprised diverse groups that initially
emerged to protect aquatic animals and coastal resources, including the community
conservation of mangrove forests, Sajja or Savings Group, a home-based food
processing and eco-tourism, community health volunteers, a village committee
group, youth, folk culture, aquaculture, and shellfish raising. The success story of these CSO networks has
been the shift, over the past 20 years, from concessions granted to private
companies to cut mangrove trees to the beginning of replanting them in
2003.
Civil and Local Participation in the
Framework of Constitutional and Domestic Laws:
Several
enabling legal and national policy instruments are in place to engage citizens
in protecting and using natural resources. For example, Section 57 of the 2017
Constitution requires the State to conserve, protect, maintain, restore,
manage, and use natural resources, the environment, and biodiversity for
beneficial, balanced, and sustainable outcomes. The people and local
communities must be involved in the operation and benefit from its
implementation, as the law provides. However, such a law has not yet been
created.
The
Marine and Coastal Resources Management Promotion Act of 2015 established a
Provincial Marine and Coastal Resources Committee to enable all sectors to
participate in managing marine and coastal resources. The provincial governor
serves as the committee's chairman, and committee representatives from the
civil society sector and locally affected coastal communities in that province
also participate.
Thailand
has been implementing its National Adaptation Plan (NAP), a national policy
framework on climate change, since 2018. The NAP, implemented by the Department
of Marine and Coastal Resources, launched the “Safe Marine for Life” Project
and will meaningfully expand knowledge and the regulatory framework,
particularly at the sub-national level.
Thailand
ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982
and acceded in 2009. However, implementation is slow because many stakeholders
are involved domestically and internationally.
For
the past decade, Thailand has been preparing for the impacts of climate change.
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
Thailand has incorporated climate change strategies into its national plans and
policies at different levels. For instance, the National Economic and Social
Development Plan and the 20-year National Strategy included climate change
goals and strategies for relevant government agencies, such as climate impacts
on agriculture, the comprehensive integration of sustainable development plans,
collaboration across sectors and levels, governance-based policies, social
equity, and gender equality. However, gender equality still needs a clear,
descriptive explanation and concrete implementation guidelines.
The
government’s Think Tank, namely the National Economic and Social Development
Council and the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), have
given SDG Goal 14, “Life below Water, conserve and sustainably use the oceans,
seas and marine resources for sustainable development,” a priority by placing
the SDG Goal 14 indicators in the 12th National Economic and Social Development
Plan. Projects on tourism, fisheries, community livelihoods, and coastal areas
must be conducted through a process of listening to opinions, making decisions,
and engaging in joint management with relevant partners, including local
people. Unfortunately, the content of these government documents is not
specifically gender-differentiated or does not recognize women's roles; they
generally refer to the overall community.
Gender-Relevant Thailand
Ratified International Instruments and Policy Development and Management of
Marine and Coastal Resources and Climate Change:
Blue Economy:
Since 2021, the
Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Institute, Department of
Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), has prepared Blue Economy guidelines for
Trat Province. After launch, the concept has continued to draw the attention
and appreciation of Trat citizens, as confirmed by FGD participants. The core
components for Trat Province focus on developing activities that generate
economic income that matches the resource and ecosystem base and simultaneously
protect them, such as sustainable fishing, tourism management in marine
protected areas, environmentally friendly ports and boats, etc. One approach to
Blue Economy management is the establishment of Blue Economy Zoning. Blue
Economy requires proper management, which consists of ecosystem-based
management (EBM), marine spatial planning (MSP), and integrated coastal
management (ICM).
In preparation for
establishing laws and agencies to promote the Blue Economy, government
departments such as DMCR and the Parliament’s Legislative Institutional
Repository of Thailand (LIRT) have conducted several research studies since
2018 to include them in the legislative agenda and present them to the Office
of the Prime Minister to establish the Blue Economic Zone Development Office.
This fundamental recommendation in the research strongly supports the
participation of locally affected citizens.
Reference:
Development of Blue Economy in Thailand’s Coastal Provinces. Dr. Niramon
Sutummakid and Anin Aroonruengsawat, Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University
A survey on the status of
SDG 14 Life Below Water Targets in the Thai context and a suggestion for
economic, social, and institutional measures for implementation; Dr. Ampai
Harakunarak, Ms. Kanjana Yasen, Thailand Development Research Institute,
supported by the Thailand Research Fund (TRF). The Experts Consultation
Workshop for Climate Risk Assessment Contextualization for the Coastal Marine
sector in Thailand was a collaboration between GIZ and the Office of Natural
Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) under the Climate
Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Project (CCMB), which aims to verify the
current zoning of Thailand’s marine and coastal sector and the climate
pressures affecting each zone. The second phase of CCMB, the development of the
Thailand Taxonomy, aims to establish a standard for classifying
climate-friendly economic activities that are contextually appropriate at the
local and international levels for both the private sector and the government.
The first phase of Thailand's taxonomy focused on developing guidance for the
climate change mitigation dimension of the energy and transportation sectors,
which produce Thailand's highest greenhouse gas emissions.
Marine Spatial
Planning (MSP)
As one of the key
components of the Blue Economy, Thailand, led by DMCR, the Maritime National
Interests Protection Policy Committee, the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command
Center, and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation,
began implementing Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as a new pilot project in the
Western Pacific to advance institutional capacities for the MSP process.
MSP also focused on the dimensions of Marine Poverty
and Gender Considerations of Poverty, access to resources, opportunities, and
choice, and the power and
voice of women and the poor. For
instance, small-scale fisheries, mariculture, mangroves, and tourism play an
important role in coastal communities' food security, livelihoods, and wealth
generation. Tourism is also an important
source of income and focuses on sandy beaches, mangroves, and coral reefs, all
of which have significant economic value. (Reference: The Report
on Poverty and gender considerations in Marine Spatial Planning Conceptual and
Analytical Framework produced on behalf of the Swedish Agency for Marine and
Water Management, 2022)
Thailand’s
National Adaptation Plan (NAP) identifies
the natural resources sector as a critical area requiring urgent attention. It identifies
the marine and coastal resources sectors as a priority. The analysis of 18
zones covering Thailand’s coastal area will examine other climatic factors,
such as monsoons and currents, and some of the observed changes align with
global trends and climate patterns. Cross-cutting issues affecting other
sectors include human settlement, food security, water resources, and
agriculture.
Thailand
ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity on 31 October 2003, and it came
into force on 29 January 2004. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is
an international environmental agreement designed to foster cooperation in the
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. It is a policy framework for
each member country to develop policies, measures, and operational plans to
conserve biodiversity within its country as much as possible and in an
appropriate manner.
In connection with CBD
and CCMB, the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning
(ONEP) has been jointly developing a 5th National Biodiversity Strategy and
Action Plan (NBSAP) for Thailand with UNDP to align with the Kunming-Montreal
Biodiversity Framework. The Kunming-Montreal framework has 23 targets and four
objectives, which Thailand has begun implementing to a certain extent. This has
resulted in 5-7% marine protected areas and 15% land protected areas. A
commitment made by Dr. Jittinun Ruengverayudh, Director of the Biodiversity
Management Division, ONEP, at the Inception Workshop for the Global
Biodiversity Framework Early Action Support Project (GBF-EAS) on 4 September
2023, that Thailand will pay attention to gender inclusiveness.
Target 23 of the
Kunming-Montreal Framework is intended to ensure gender equality
in the framework's implementation through a gender-responsive approach,
ensuring that all women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to
contribute to the three objectives of the Convention, including by recognizing
their equal rights and access to land and natural resources, and by promoting
their full, equitable, meaningful, and informed participation and leadership at
all levels of action, engagement, policy, and decision-making related to
biodiversity.
In
conclusion, Thailand has
incorporated sufficient gender equality and equity measures into its main legal
and policy frameworks, such as the Blue Economy, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP),
the Convention on Biological Diversity, and other relevant guidelines. These
policies help to address and understand the distinct needs and interactions of
women and men in marine and coastal management. The gender guidelines raise awareness among
decision-makers, planners, designers, and other stakeholders about incorporating
a gender perspective into the development of frameworks. Training and capacity
building contribute to poverty alleviation and wealth-building by reducing
gender inequality and advancing social sustainability. Gender dimensions in
these key policies can be translated into action by central, regional, and
local governments, as well as civil society, in designing, analyzing, and
allocating the use of the sea, beaches, and coastal resources to minimize
conflicts between human activities and maximize benefits for women and girls,
the poor, and communities while ensuring the resilience of marine ecosystems.
Section 3: Perception
of Fishers and Gender Roles in Coastal Households
Gender Roles in Fishing and Agriculture:
Information
from FGD participants and a mini survey confirmed that the livelihoods of
people residing in Trat’s coastal areas have shifted from relying predominantly
on traditional small-scale fishing to a broader range of occupations and
livelihoods. They now combine several income-generating activities to make ends
meet. Vegetable farming and plantation work, either as owners or hired laborers
in fruit orchards, rubber tapping, and clearing weeds in palm plantations, have
become today’s way of life. Therefore, specific data collected from FGD women
in the Trat’s coastal areas place equal weight on fisheries and agriculture to
reflect reality.
Gender
Roles in Daily Routine Activities over 24 hours:
During
the FGD meeting, both women and men participants were asked to share their
typical activities in four sections: morning, afternoon, evening, and night.
Most female FGD participants, despite coming from fishing or agricultural
families, reported that the first daily routine activity involved working in
vegetable gardens, orchards, or rubber plantations, mainly to cut weeds or
collect rubber latex. Later, men went fishing or did other work, while women
continued household chores, i.e., cooking, cleaning, caring for children and
older people, and growing vegetables. For the rest of the day, women continued
post-harvest fishing activities, such as peeling shrimp or crabs, processing
seafood, and selling.
Only
a few women said they sometimes went fishing with men, but they were more
likely to work on less physically demanding jobs, such as setting fishing or
crab trawlers. Regarding fisher perceptions, most respondents said men are more
suitable because of physical strength, and that it is too dangerous for women
to fish in the nearshore sea because weather in the open sea is unpredictable
and even fishermen can be harmful.
Women
also reported that attending meetings for women-specific events, such as
receiving occupational training or substituting for their husbands, has become
a daily routine.
Gender Roles in Agriculture
Sectors:
FGD participants reported that climate-induced changes are also causing
severe droughts and flooding. These changes make fruit trees more susceptible
to poor growth, pests, and fungal diseases, leading to increased use of
chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Saltwater intrusion is a symptom of multiple simultaneous environmental
problems for agriculturists. The rise in sea level driven by climate change,
coastal erosion, long periods of drought, and inadequate fresh water are
becoming problematic. During severe droughts, saltwater invades canals, rivers,
freshwater wells, and ponds. In the worst case, mass saltwater intrusion also
depends on fresh water from the mountains for desalination. FGD participants
suggested alternative solutions, such as growing coconut and palm trees, which
grow better in saline soil and can replace fruits or vegetables.
Crop watering is a woman’s job. Women spend more time in their fruit
orchards or vegetable farms, such as moving the vegetable sprouts to a higher
place, placing more sandbags around them, or finding or buying fresh water from
elsewhere to water them, all of which expose them to more harmful chemicals.
For fruit orchards, they must collect unripe fruits and sell them at low
prices. Pressure from gender roles in household financial management, as well
as excessive investment burdens, both in time and cash, are underpinned by
increased debt and stress.
In Trat’s coastal areas, the perception of women’s careers is complex
because women often have more than one occupation; in fisheries, agriculture,
and various supplementary jobs of equal importance, the perception and
recognition of Women Fisher is therefore considered insignificant.
Through in-depth interviews, the study could explore two economic benefactors in Trat. The first includes government-supported programs of the Department of Fishery (DOF), the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), the Community Organization for Development Institute (CODI), and the Women’s Empowerment Fund (WEF). The other is the community’s self-reliant economic development model.
Barriers to Women Accessing Government-supported Fishery Programs:
The Department of
Fishery: Based on information from an in-depth interview with
the Provincial Fishery Officer of Trat (Ms. Thitiporn Laoprasert), women
participated more than men in government-organized meetings, particularly when
men went offshore in small-scale or commercial fisheries. The Department of
Fishery is responsible for managing fisheries in the sea, both offshore and on
the coast, along a 165-kilometer coastline. In small-scale fisheries, women
often fish alongside men, whereas in commercial fisheries, women are absent
from boats. As noted in the previous sections, the Trat people have two primary
occupations: fisheries and agriculture, and their supplementary employment is
mainly in hired labor.
The Department of
Fisheries (DOF) grants up to 100,000 baht to registered Local Fishers
Organizations (LFOs) in four areas: food processing, aquaculture, coastal
fishing, and offshore fishing. The grant can be used to purchase fishing
equipment, such as nets, and materials to build a Fish Home (or Sang Pla). The
budget should be used efficiently and transparently. From 2020 to 2027, 43 LFOs
received DOF funding. Some FGD participants had previously received the grant.
However, they reported that they had no freedom to use the funds as they
wanted, so they no longer paid attention to applying again or were busy
engaging in agricultural activities.
Gender statistics are not
accurately recorded, but it has been noted that a few of the heads of LFOs who
received DOF grants are women. Among 81 registered LFOs, 13 are led by women.
The government interviewees said there has been no assignment to address the
CGEO or GFP mechanisms.
The Department of Marine
and Coastal Resources (DMCR) supports various conservation
projects, 2-30,000 baht each, initiated by LFOs. These projects range from Fish
Homes in mangrove forests to devices to prevent waves, such as bamboo lines,
and innovative methods, such as solar cells and batteries, to increase
aquaculture, such as crab backs.
The Community
Organization for Development Institute (CODI): FGD
participants and key informants have recognized that the organization, which is
social and economic-oriented and run by government agencies, responds to the
urgent needs of coastal erosion-affected communities through housing repair,
social welfare, microeconomic support funds, and coordination to resolve
unsettled housing on government-protected mangrove forest land, with
responsible government agencies and affected people collaborating. Despite CODI
not explicitly emphasizing gender integration in supporting projects, its
projects indirectly benefit the interests and needs of affected women.
Women's Empowerment Fund
(WEF):
During an in-depth
interview with the Trat Provincial Women's Empowerment Fund Chairwoman (Mrs.
Sunisa Kumnoedsin), she began by stating that women are in more debt than
men. Based on her extensive experience
in administrative positions at WEF, she found that women in Trat possess more
assets than men, such as land ownership, which makes them eligible borrowers
with official financial institutions when families need cash, leading to
greater debt for women. This message supports the FGD and mini-survey results,
which affirm that women are in debt because they are responsible for managing
household finances.
According to her
perception, three primary WEF-released loans are 60% for agriculture, 20% for
fishing (mainly to buy fishing equipment), and around 20% for small business
start-ups. Regarding capacity building, WEF has provided new production skills
and marketing training tailored to the client's requests. WEF assisted them
until they received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and OTOP registration.
The popular products include traditional herbal balm, Khloo tea, and honey,
most of the ingredients and resources supplied by mangrove forests. Other
products include seafood, dried fruits from the farm, and handicrafts such as
bags and hats made from ratan and mangrove palm leaves.
The WEF’s Provincial
Board and Community Development Department (CDD) staff provided feasible
information when the borrower developed the business plan and ensured that the
use of loan funds aligned with the proposed project’s objective. For instance,
the problem currently faced by WEF borrowers is drought; monitoring officers
must also work with other agencies to address the water shortage. Men in the
family often use the money to buy items they want, such as motorcycles or
mobile telephones, which are not included in the proposed project with WEF.
Regarding
WEF management from the past to the present, the Community Development
Department (CDD) has been working to mitigate non-performing loans through
mediation and legal means to preserve the funds.
To date, the total number
of WEF members in Trat is 71,185 women, and 1,031 projects receive revolving
funds, totaling about 173 million baht. The return payment exceeds the debt. In
2024, Trat received a revolving fund of 10 million baht and 500,000 baht for a
grant fund, a 25% increase from 2023. The increased funds are a reward for
efficient loan repayment.
Information provided by
the WEF Chairwomen and the WEF record from 2021-2022 show that the proportions
of revolving funds (5.77%) and grant funds (5.77%) for fishery activities were
relatively high compared with Songkhla and Phatthalung provinces, which reported
only 7% (as reported in the Rapid Gender Assessment of Small-Scale Fisheries in
the Upper Songkhla Lake), but still lower than the Other and Potential
categories. It is noted that
fast-growing tourism was within the scope of funding.
Case Study: Community’s
self-reliance economic development model.
The study documented
several successful community economic development cases in coastal communities
such as Ban Nam Chiao, Ban Pred Nai, and Ban Yai Mom; however, the study team
had eyewitness accounts of Ban Yai Mom during the observation visit.
Ban Yai Mom Community
Enterprise:
According to a key
informant, Ms. Matsee Sangangum, Chairwoman of the Ban Yai Mom Community
Enterprise Group, about 10-20 years ago, coastal erosion badly affected the Ban
Yai Mom community. Large tides and sea-level rise corroded houses and tilted
them bit by bit. She noticed the seawater rise by about 20-25 centimeters each
year. Long, beautiful sandy beaches that were used for post-fishing harvest
activities, seafood processing, and recreation have disappeared and are now
covered by seawater flooding. Several government agencies approached, but these
coastal erosion problems remain unsolved.
A group of Muslim women,
mainly community health volunteers who know everything about the village, came
together to form a self-reliant economic group and began the "Taking Yai
Mom Tree Home" project (actually, Yai Mom Tree vanished a while ago). With
technical assistance from Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University and the Department
of Thai Traditional Herb, the group produces herbal tea from “Khloo” leaves and
several traditional medicines from herbal trees collected from the surrounding
mangrove forest. The combined business of seafood, herb products, and community
cultural tourism allows families to earn enough income to care for themselves.
With stable, increased revenue, the group qualified to register as a Community
Enterprise, which can run various businesses and set up shared community
resources, such as multiplying Crab Banks using solar energy to save
electricity and reduce global temperature.
In Ban Yai Mom, all
income-generating projects prioritize promoting women's leadership and
participation to help them become change leaders. Reinforcing traditional
gender roles, in which women are caregivers for everyone in the family,
including livelihoods, food, and the children's education, makes them the
decision-makers for household and community activities. It is evident that the
number of mischievous teenagers decreases when families are healthy and have
less stress about income.
To cope with the
challenges of reduced job opportunities in the eroded community, women had to
work in primary occupations and seek alternative jobs to earn enough income.
Home caregiving for bedridden patients, elders, or the sick became more
popular, and they could earn about 800 baht per full day of work. They began to
learn traditional massage to add value to eco-tourism activities.
Assess capacity-building
training by gender:
The data collected on
training are very interesting, as 52% of female participants appear to have
received more training than men, with a focus on livelihood and occupation
skills such as fishing and agriculture. For conservation management and
leadership training, more male participants reported receiving training at 27%
and 18%, respectively, compared with only 8% for female participants. This
reinforces traditional gender stereotypes in capacity-building training.
Gender gaps in economic
opportunities:
Despite the evidence of successful community
economic stories mentioned above, the survey data reveal a persistent gender
gap that has long hindered women's opportunities. According to the mini-survey,
women face more obstacles than men across almost all major categories,
including a lack of capital, debt burden, high production costs, limited skills
and knowledge, limited equipment, limited alternative jobs, limited labor, and
scarcity of coastal and marine resources.
Nevertheless, during the focus group discussions, most participants elaborated on how the dwindling level of coastal and marine resources plays a key role in the loss of income and opportunities, leading to many other limitations in their earning abilities, including land loss and higher production costs, resulting in debt, which in turn becomes a significant issue in their livelihood. Based on the mini-survey results, it is apparent that women bear a larger share of household debt than men, as more female participants reported higher debt levels and lost income.
 |
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The intersection of
gender and age gaps is seen in coastal and fishing families. Small-scale fishing
families lose income due to high investment costs and can only catch small
aquatic animals. Crab peeling is a job for older women, whereas healthy younger
members must find alternative jobs that can earn higher incomes. Older women are
perceived as the most vulnerable, especially when they must care for
themselves, and their earnings from the most skilled jobs, such as crab
peeling, are so small due to the severe depletion of aquatic resources. |
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Section 5: Political Participation: Decision-making and Leadership
Capitalized women’s leadership and decision-making in informal politics: The data from FGD and the
mini-survey supported each other, indicating the considerably high level of women's participation in leadership and decision-making is manifest in organic structures such as self-reliant economic, livelihood, and conservation bodies. Women in Trat are likely to be members of various organizations, with village committees the most common, accounting for 40% of female participants. The data also show that women play a significant role in marine and forest conservation. In addition, 16% of female participants are village volunteers, whereas no male participants are. Also, see more women’s participation in Tourism, Community Council, Sajja Savings Group, and Savings for Production.
This significant participation
by women can be attributed to the frequency of capacity-building training
provided by the government and other institutions, or to women's active demand
for additional training. The other key
driver is the strong network of women, such as the Thai Women Network of 77
Provinces, which has been organized for the past 20 years to address coastal
erosion, mangrove forest degradation, and depletion of aquatic animals
affecting communities' livelihoods.
The gender gap in
decision-making and participation in the formal political domain.
In Trat, women’s
participation in formal local politics remains at the same degree as in other
parts of Thailand, which is low, at an average of 19-21 % at the sub-district
levels. In Trat, women hold 16% of
positions in the Sub-district Administrative Organization and 19% in the
Sub-district Municipality. In comparison, the proportion of women elected to
the position of Chief Executive is as low as 7%, comparable to other parts of
the nation.
Women access information
predominantly through person-to-person communication and social media. Data
from FGD participants of both genders show little difference in access to
information. The mini survey shows that more men receive information through
traditional and official channels. On the other hand, 64% of female
participants and 27% of male participants received information through family
and friends, and 52% of female and 27% of male participants received
information through social media. According to FGD information, women use
social media mainly to increase sales and marketing of home-based or community
products.
The study team observed
that women are suitable knowledge carriers for disseminating and motivating
successful community economic development and conservation models, such as Ban
Yai Mom and Ban Nam Chiao, by organizing exposure trips with their women's networks
in Trat and neighboring provinces.
When asked about the advantages
and disadvantages of women and men in leadership positions, both men and women
agreed that women are meticulous, thorough thinkers and adept negotiators. Men
have physical strengths suitable for heavy jobs, and tend to make quick
decisions and use violence in solving problems.
In FGD conversations,
women need knowledge and information to assume leadership positions, access
political power, negotiate pathways to new alternative income opportunities,
expand their community businesses, and mitigate unresolved problems resulting
from coastal and mangrove forest degradation.
Gender mainstreaming It can be increased by leveraging the existing high degree of Trat women’s leadership and participation, which is constantly growing organically; women and government staff must simultaneously possess in-depth knowledge of gender, particularly to address and reduce the critical traditional gender stereotypes that determine patterns of gender inequity, mainly in household chores and families’ financial management responsibilities.
Section 6: Gender and Conservation
In the FGD on marine and mangrove forest protection and conservation, both genders share detailed knowledge of the benefits of marine resources and mangrove forests, as well as the impacts of climate change. Men appear to articulate better the need to protect marine and mangrove forests and to construct seawater breakers to mitigate coastal erosion. Especially, key in-depth informants (Boonying Singhan of Nong Pred Nai) who are dedicated and have long experience in the protection of mangrove forests explained that mangroves provide valuable ecosystem services, including nursery sanctuaries for small aquatic animals like invertebrates, crabs, shells, shrimp, and birds, carbon capture and storage, pollution filtration, and protection from tsunamis, tropical storms, and coastal erosion.
interviewed women shows that seawater flooding
damaged it, forcing most family members to relocate
to inland areas. The 80-year-old grandmother, who had
lived in this house since birth, refused to move.
Every day, younger members must come to this house
to take care of her. Approximately ten years ago, in front
of the house, there was a beautiful sandy beach about
200 meters from the sea. Photo taken by the study team
at Ban Yai Mom, Trat, on 27 February 2024
According to gender roles, women clearly experienced the negative impacts of climate-induced change on livelihoods and income generation, as they depend on natural resources in marine, beach, shoreline, and mangrove forests, including food, herbs, and aquatic animal processing for consumption and sale, as well as on the rapidly growing eco-tourism business. The negative impacts of rapid ecosystem degradation have led women to bear heavier household income burdens and, in some cases, to relocate to safer areas. In addition, it forced women to search for more resources in publicly protected mangrove forest areas or jobs that could increase their exposure to legal violations and harmful situations.
Example of a negative
side effect of erosion protection:
One interviewed woman
said that because local people lack the negotiation power to consult with power
holders, erosion protection construction often harms fishing communities. The
rock-made seawall has changed the coastal landscape; a large amount of sediment
has piled up, blocking small boats from sailing in and out of the parking
canals. The inability to go out for fishing affects their livelihoods and
incomes.
Photo taken by the study
team at Mairut, Trat, on 26 February 2024.
In mangrove forests, Fish
Home was built to support aquaculture in community-managed and protected
mangrove forests. The picture shows the conservation module in Pred Nai
village, covering over 12,000 Rai. These forests were registered with
provincial and local governments as Community-Protected Mangrove Forests and
became well known in Trat’s coastal communities.
Another invaluable aspect
of the community-protected mangrove forest is the ecosystem education
laboratory, spearheaded by senior women. This unique initiative is designed to
empower the younger generation, fostering their understanding of the intricate interdependence
between humans and the environment in their communities. It equips them with
the knowledge to use our precious natural resources sustainably.
Information by Boonying Singhaphan and the photo taken by the study team on February 24, 2024
Community and Women’s Roles in Participating in Conservation:
Both
genders are highly aware of the importance of conservation. In Trat, community
members have, for decades, formed local organizations to address coastal
erosion and mangrove forest degradation. They agreed that mangrove conservation
should be a priority and that the government and community must invest in
developing new, effective methods for conserving mangrove ecosystems.
In the small-scale
fishery sector
FGD participants, both
genders, from small-scale fishing families proposed several improvements as
follows;
· To reduce conflict in marine resource
distribution, the regulation should be revised to expand the small-scale
fishery sea area to the deep-sea zone beyond the 3-kilometer border,
considering that sea animals escape from hot water to colder water, which is
the impact of climate change that raises the temperature.
· Government officials must strictly manage
and control illegal fishing to reduce conflict between commercial and
small-scale fisheries. FGD participants reported that commercial fishing boats
frequently enter the local fishing area.
· There must be strict adherence to laws
regarding sustainable fishery, irrespective of individuals, businesses, or
migrant workers.
· Increased seawater temperature leads to a
decreasing rate of sea animal breeding and a reduction of embryonic development
and survival. As a result, responsible
fishery-related agencies should release more aquatic animals into the sea,
especially within a few hundred meters of shore.
· There must be a hearing consultation with communities and local governments to build water breakers to prevent wave energy damage that causes shoreline and coastal erosion. Especially the permanent dams made of stone or rock (revetment), as these sturdy constructions change the coast's landscape, moving the sand sediment to block the canals where small boats are used for boat parking. This shallow water prevents small boats from entering or leaving the sea.
Coastal and mangrove forest conservation:
FGD participants of mixed
genders represent both communities affected by coastal erosion and mangrove
forest degradation; their recommendations for mitigation are for both problems
as follows:
- Responsible and local government agencies must have clear and integrated actionable policy plans, inclusive of local opinions. Both male and female participants agreed with the resolution proposed in the Blue Economy and called on the government to translate its principles into action.
- Responsible and local government agencies should increase support for community organizations' requests to approve the legal registration of Community-Protected Mangrove Forests, such as the Pred Nai model, with less complexity.
- Enforcing stricter legal action against groups or individuals who break the mangrove forest’s protection and conservation laws with non-discrimination practices. Those lawbreakers continue to cut mangrove trees, catch small animals, and use illegal catching tools in the protected nursery and mangrove forest areas.
- Continuously, DMCR has been providing funding support to local fishing organizations in the amount of 2-30,000 baht per activity and technical assistance to coastal communities to build erosion- and seawater-flooding protection devices, such as soft seawalls made of bamboo sticks, or to repair the rock seawall that was damaged by strong waves during storm season. FGD male participants commented that the soft erosion protection using bamboo sticks planted in the sea, about 100-200 meters from the beach, lasted only two years; rotting and debris became sea garbage, causing another environmental issue. However, there seems to be disagreement (mainly between local people and government officials) about whether adopting one of the hard or soft sea energy breakers is more environmentally sound. A series of public dialogue forums between government officials and affected community members should be organized to mediate the disagreement.
- CODI should continue to support house repair and the lifting of the floor and tilts of the affected houses to raise them, even if it is only a temporary measure. Over 2,000 coastal-affected houses were repaired using lifting techniques that proved to be a workable solution to save many undocumented houses. It will not be for long; the lifting-the-home technique may not be helpful anymore. The durable solution should be finding a new inland for the family's relocation.
Freshwater Storage
FGD fruit and vegetable
growing participants shared their experiences with drought and salinity by
adopting the Ground Freshwater Bank technique to store rainwater during dry
seasons. This practical and inexpensive model should receive further experimentation
and funding support from government agencies.
Women’s roles in
conservation:
Because women’s gender
roles depend extensively on marine and mangrove forests, interviewed women said
they must use all means to cope with the rapid and harmful changes in the
coastal environment and natural resources, such as planting more trees, keeping
the areas clean of sea and community-produced garbage to prevent rare marine
animals from eating it, increasing aquaculture, such as crab banks, and
avoiding the capture of small-sized aquatic animals.
Women shared that because
they usually search for mangrove forest products for consumption, processing,
and sale, they know the condition of every corner of their nearby mangrove
forest. They suggested that the government should give them the authority and
funding to monitor resource utilization, reforestation, patrols, and to redress
lawbreakers.
Interviewed women leaders demonstrated a wide
range of interests in marine and mangrove preservation, including initiatives
to transition to clean energy by using solar roofs on Crap Banks to reduce
carbon emissions. (The team’s observation visits witnessed these initiatives in
their communities.)
Strategies to increase women’s
participation in conservation:
Regarding
barriers to women in conservation, key informants of both genders noted that
women remain underrepresented in efforts to expand Community-protected Mangrove
Forests. They said that, aside from gender roles, work can be too dangerous and
require extensive mobility outside the community. Therefore, senior and
confident women (such as Ms. Nuannapha or Ms. Siriwan) who have retired from
government appear to have greater potential to participate in public
activities.
Key in-depth interviews with women and FGDs with
women suggested strategic steps to promote gender mainstreaming in marine and
coastal management and conservation: 1) adopt a gender quota for all
decision-making and planning bodies, 2) reduce women's household burden to free
up more time to participate in conservation planning, implementation, and
monitoring, and 3) provide knowledge and capacity-building training on new
science and technology, along with grant funding, to women to start alternative
economic initiatives and build networks.
Gender and Blue Economy
In 2021, the Governor of Trat appointed eight experts to the
Provincial Marine and Coastal Resources Committee, and four (50%) of the
appointees were women in the tourism sector. Regarding the first pilot project
on Blue Economy, in mid-2022, the DMCR, with local administrative
organizations, government agencies, and about 70 appointed experts, held a
meeting to discuss the design of the project plan’s guidelines and
implementation activities to support resource conservation or Blue Economy in
Trat for the year 2023. Part of the proceedings were included in the 2023
publication “Guidelines for the Utilization of Marine and Coastal Resources
under the Blue Economy Framework in Trat Province.”
Local Opinions on Carbon Credit and Mangrove Forest Conservation
Male FGD community leaders said they need more
detailed information to support the decision regarding the carbon credit
arrangement being promoted by the government. They want to claim the
community’s rights as guaranteed by the Constitution, which states that local
people can benefit from local natural resources, especially the mangrove
forests they have protected and conserved for a long time. They would support
the arrangement only if the shared benefit of the carbon credit is fair to the
coastal communities.
Section 7: Recommendations for Closing Gender Gaps in
Trat’s Coastal Communities:
Gender Gap Analysis:
The gender analysis of
the Trat coastal communities affected by erosion and mangrove degradation is
based on information collected mainly from a series of FGD meetings, in-depth
interviews with eight key informants, and additional socioeconomic data from a
mini-survey of 36 participants who attended the four focus-group discussions.
With women outnumbering men in the FGDs by a 3:1 ratio, the gender analysis in
this section serves as a baseline assessment of gender-differentiated needs and
interactions between women and men regarding coastal community benefits and
their efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of mangrove forest degradation
and coastal erosion.
Gender Equality Premise:
Before presenting the
gender gaps and recommendations for closing them, the study identified an
optimistic premise for achieving gender equality, supported by the collected
data.
Empowered Women and Role
Models in Organic Structure and Organizations:
The study found that
existing local women's associations, namely the Thai Women Network of 77
provinces and the mixed-gender Community Organization of Trat People, can serve
as a foundation for effective gender integration in the design and
implementation of the Blue Economy, which is the core policy for all regional
and local governments
In a few cases, the best
microeconomic role models, such as Ban Yai Mom Community Enterprise and Safety
and Wellness Community Tourism of Ban Namchiao, should be endorsed, and support
for replicable self-reliance models should be increased. This indicates that
Women’s Empowerment Funds will need to refine the regulations governing
borrowers to support community enterprises. In addition to the criteria
established by the three-member groups, WEF should be sensitive to Muslim cultural
contexts and support the replication of best-practice women-led economic
models, particularly green economic activities.
Support from male
partners and government officials.
During the FGD meeting,
the presence of men supporting their female partners and expressing pride in
their collaboration was noted. More importantly, high-ranking government
officials, such as the Governor and heads of fishery, marine, and coastal
resource units, increasingly recognize the value of women’s contributions and consistently
invite women to participate in most public and related meetings.
Key Gender Gaps
Gender equality and
equity are prerequisites for women's fair and equitable wealth generation from
marine, mangrove, and coastal resources. Gender inequality manifests through
limited women's access to resources, opportunities, choice, power, and voice. Therefore,
the study’s recommendations for closing gender gaps in the long term will rely
on the existing Blue Economy and MSP frameworks, which are based on the three
pillars of environmental, economic, and social sustainability. The Social
Sustainability Framework is based on three key dimensions: recognition,
representation, and distribution. The findings reflect the underlying causes of
gender inequality across these dimensions.
1)
Unrecognition of the value of women’s
gender roles, in which women face triple burdens daily, including productive,
reproductive, and community participation. Women’s socioeconomic gap and debt
burden are exacerbated by household financial responsibility. These triple and
debt burdens place a heavy burden on women and can be called Gender and Time
Poverty.
2)
The underrepresentation of women in formal
leadership and decision-making structures, as equal beneficiary stakeholders,
stems from gender stereotypes and cultural norms attributed to male dominance.
3)
The failure to translate inclusive,
gender-sensitive concepts and language into national legal and policy
frameworks, such as the Blue Economy, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), signed
treaties like the Convention on Biological Diversity, SDG, and other gender-aware
frameworks relevant to serving as guidelines for interventions at the regional
and local government agencies, contributes to an unfair distribution of
resources for women.
Recommendation for Closing Gaps:
The study recommends
gender mainstreaming for Trat’s coastal communities affected by coastal erosion
and mangrove forest degradation at the same pace as the first chapter, “Rapid
Gender Assessment of Small-Scale Fisheries in the Upper Songkhla Lake,” across
all three domains: institutional governance, socioeconomic dimension, and
leadership and decision-making participation. Nonetheless, the following
typical recommendations drawn from participants are worth restating.
Institutional governance gaps:
Ø Women's
underrepresentation, at 16-19%, in formal politics and
decision-making and in Local Fisher Organizations remains a critical barrier to
women's equal access to government resources, marine and coastal management
resources, and other available resources, which are intended to benefit all
genders. This underrepresentation falls below the critical mass of 30%, and
enablers such as CGEO and GFP remain untapped to help promote gender equality
for women in coastal communities.
Ø The
absence of gender-disaggregated data in fishery and
conservation-related government agencies reflects gender insensitivity in the
implementation of laws and policies that value people’s participation.
Ø Traditional gender stereotypes and the division
of labor demand that women play
multiple roles in production for livelihood and reproduction, including
household chores, household finances, and other community activities that are
timeless for women, or what is known as Gender and Time Poverty. The worst case
is when husbands leave home to find jobs elsewhere but are irresponsible about
household finances, often leading to domestic arguments. This “Gender and Time
Poverty,” coupled with the debt burden, contributes to physical exhaustion and
mental stress.
Ø Women benefit from and understand the role of
mangroves, as they depend on them
more than men to sustain family livelihoods, micro-businesses in seafood
products, and ecotourism. However, women are underrepresented in registered
Local Fisher Organizations, the criteria for accessing government funds for
coastal and fisheries activities.
Recommendation
for closing institutional gaps:
Strategic
steps to promote gender mainstreaming in marine and coastal management and
conservation:
Ø
Develop gender-sensitive,
gender-responsive budgeting and gender-disaggregated guidelines in line with
gender conceptions and language in the national legal and policy frameworks,
such as the Constitution’s chapters 27 and 71, to guide the policies and planning
of regional and local government agencies in managing, distributing, and
conserving marine and coastal resources. These gender frameworks are already
included in the Blue Economy, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), signed treaties
such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, SDG Goals 5 and 14, and other
relevant, gender-aware frameworks, and should be implemented internally and
across ministries.
Ø
A gender quota for all decision-making and
planning bodies regarding the use and management of marine and coastal
resources should be adopted. At least 30% of seats should be reserved for
women.
Ø Training
in leadership, business management, communication, science, and technology;
providing women with grants to start alternative economic initiatives; and
building networks.
Ø Reducing
women's household burdens to provide more free time for participation in
conservation design, including planning, implementation, and monitoring,
through gender-sensitive approaches and recognition of caregiving and unpaid
labor, with training for male counterparts.
Socioeconomic and
Economic Opportunities Gaps
The study finds that the
specific characteristics of fisheries and agriculture occupations are equally
present in coastal communities.
Ø Women’s
strengthened organizations and movements should be leveraged to
support replication and scaling up, especially by highlighting community
self-reliance and economic development role models.
Ø Fishery
sector: There are fewer women members and leaders of the
Local Fisher Organization (LFO), resulting in fewer opportunities to access DOF
and DMCR funds. Women’s fishery-related productive value in post-harvest
activities, such as peeling, cleaning, seafood processing, and selling, is not
fully recognized as part of fishery.
Ø In
the agricultural sector, women’s responsibilities are
intensified in fruit and crop irrigation, harvesting ripe fruit, food
processing, and food sales. Women routinely manage the adverse effects of
drought. At the same time, men seek solutions to saltwater intrusion, drought
and flooding, water storage, tree cutting, and product transportation. Both
genders are equally exposed to chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Ø Women
depend more than men on natural resources to secure livelihoods and incomes,
primarily through the collection of invertebrates, small fish and crabs,
traditional herbs, honey, and mangrove palm leaves, and through ecotourism in
the nearby mangrove forest. Women also benefit from beaches and shorelines, as
they operate shops selling products for recreational tourism. The degradation
of mangrove forests places greater economic and livelihood burdens on women.
Recommendations
for closing socioeconomic gaps:
Ø Restoration
of mangrove forests and coastal resources to increase the catchment of small
fish and crabs, invertebrates, honey, and various traditional herbs for
consumption and sale, as well as palm leaves, and to increase the volume of
ecotourism.
Ø Improve
agricultural practices and alternative livelihood options in coastal
communities. These efforts should include increasing women's adoption of
diversified cropping and introducing new alternative agricultural practices
that can be adapted to saline soils.
Ø Engagement
of both women and men, including leadership in addressing drought and floods,
water storage technology, freshwater distribution, desalination, and the
registration of Community Protected Mangrove Forest projects
Ø Review the laws and policies governing the resolution of conflicts
in the distribution of marine resources between small-scale fishing and
commercial fisheries. For example,
the small-scale fishery area can be expanded into a deep-sea zone beyond the
3-kilometer boundary in response to reduced marine resources for small-scale
fishing.
3.
Vulnerable families impacted by mangrove forest and coastal erosion:
Both
genders understand the impact of climate change to a similar extent. However,
differences in roles and responsibilities lead to distinct knowledge and
actions; women are highly aware of rising sea levels that erode their housing,
endanger family members, and damage food habitats. Men tend to be mindful of
the overall impact of climate change, such as CO2 emissions and ecosystem
degradation, and understand the concept of the Blue Economy.
Recommendation
for closing vulnerabilities and livelihood gaps:
Ø Government
responsible agencies should continue lifting and repairing houses or relocating
people, especially vulnerable families with older adults, children, and the
sick, to inland areas to be safe from sea-level rise, flooding, and erosion.
Ø Resolve
housing built within the government’s protected area and cancel or reduce
coastal housing taxation to an affordable level.
Ø Seek
consultation with both men and women in affected communities when designing and
building all types of erosion control, such as seawater breakers, to prevent
unexpected results, such as sand sediment moving to block the sailing channels
of small boats going in and out to the sea.
Ø Identifying
the most vulnerable groups with intersectional disadvantages, such as female
elders, single mothers, and families with dependent members, needs to be
addressed urgently.
Leadership
and Participation Gaps
Women’s
representation is high in organic and informal structures focused on women’s
livelihoods and economic concerns, conservation, and participation in meetings
to address various issues. Women hold 50% of the tourism expert positions in
the Provincial Marine and Coastal Resources Committee, but their representation
is relatively low, at only 16-19% of elected councilors and 7% of executive
chief positions in formal local politics. Women’s Empowerment Funds primarily
benefit women who are registered in the women’s network, excluding women who
are unaware of the funds' benefits or whose needs do not align with the WEF’s
promotional theme. Muslim women decline to access loans with interest payments
because this system does not comply with their religious beliefs.
Recommendation
for closing leadership and participation gaps:
Ø Committee
or Community dialogue on marine and coastal resource management must engage a
critical number of women, at least 30%, to enable women to identify viable,
alternative, and sustainable livelihood and income-generating options that meet
the needs of both women and men.
Ø Identify
and develop leadership capacity among female community members interested in
becoming champions and leaders within existing systems. Recruitment can begin
with an active women’s network, such as the Thai Women's Network of 77.
Ø Promote
micro-credit, entrepreneurial, and digital literacy skills for women in coastal
communities. Specifically, WEF is redesigning the revolving fund schemes to be
responsive to the needs of women in the fishery, agriculture, and eco-tourism
sectors.
Ø Strengthening
access to climate change information, both adaptation and mitigation, and to
scientific technologies such as solar energy for women in coastal communities
so they can use them to increase marine and mangrove forest products for
consumption and sales.
The
recommendation for the implementation of Trat’s Blue Economy:
Government
agencies responsible for promoting a Blue Economy should pay greater attention and
incorporate concerns and recommendations from local people, including women and
men representatives, to address long-term, durable problems. This participant suggested freshwater storage
by an Underground Water Bank, fruit studies, economic agriculture for saline
soils, or studies on re-shoreline techniques to mitigate seawater flooding. All levels of government should conduct gender
assessments with residents in affected communities before building construction
to mitigate the impacts of sea waves and rising sea levels and to reduce
unwanted impacts, such as changes to the seascape and coastal scape.
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