Progress report

November 2011
In accordance with the project’s progress report submitted by the Executing Agency in August 2011, progress in implementation of the project can be summarized as follows:

• Developed a practical manual for coastal forest management to enhance ecological security. A training program for costal forest management was conducted.
• Continued consultation with community forest management groups working for 600 ha of community forest. Plantations of mangrove have been taken place in four places: Kapoer Bay and Naka Coastal Area, Kuraburi Coastal Area, Koh Kor Khao Island, and Kuk Kak Beach in Ranong and Phang-nga provinces.
• Attended a national bamboo symposium to learn about new bamboo product development and to share the project’s bamboo housing construction; continued research and development for bamboo plantation, management and utilization in the project sites.
• Continued to enhance public awareness activities including the education of youth groups not belonging to formal schooling. These groups include Kapoer Bay Youth Group, Tambon Naka Youth Group, Ban Thung Rak/Bang Tip Youth Group, Ban Nai Ban Mogen Youth Group and Koh Kor Khao Youth Group.

There was a long delay for the commencement of Specific Objective 1 due to an internal procedure of the EA regarding the engagement of a collaborator. Based on the recommendation of the 2nd Project Steering Committee Meeting in December 2010, the extension of the project duration was granted until January 2013 to support the effective achievement of the project objective.

December 2010

The project was approved by the International Tropical Timber Council at its 38th Session as a tsunami relief project and was fully funded during the 39th Session. The agreement regulating the implementation of the project was forwarded to the Government of Thailand on 17 February 2006 for signature and was duly signed by all parties on 3 July 2007. The first disbursement of funds was made on 11 July 2008.

Since the Forty-third Session of the ITTO Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management and in accordance with the project's progress report submitted by the Executing Agency in August 2010, progress in implementation of the project can be summarized as follows:

• Organized a workshop for field officers and specialists to draw lessons learnt from tsunami impacts on coastal forests on 14-15 October 2009 at Kasetsart University Research Station in Ranong province.
• Identified training needs of government staff and other stakeholders and designed training programs in May 2010. Developed a practical manual for coastal forest management to enhance ecological security. A training program is under finalization.
• Planting has been in progress. Four areas were selected as target sites in Ranong and Phang-nga provinces, namely; (1) Kapoer Bay and Naka Coastal Area, (2) Kuraburi Coastal Area, (3) Koh Kor Khao Island, and (4) Kuk Kak Beach. The data obtained from the surveys of coastal forest and community forest boundaries have been brought into discussions with the communities in order to determine the restoration approaches. A total of 600 ha of community forest management has been undertaken.
• Conducted 2 training courses on bamboo planting and utilization for extension experts and farmers. The 1st training course was held on 15 - 17 February 2010 at Kuraburi Greenview Resort, Phang-Nga province while the 2nd course was held on 18 - 20 February 2010 at Prapat Beach Research Station, Ranong province. In addition, two training courses on bamboo seedlings propagation were carried out on 10 - 12 May 2010 and 7 - 9 June 2010 at Kanchanaburi province and Krabi province, respectively. Many participants were interested in planting bamboo as one of the economic species together with rubber tree.
• A number of bamboo seedlings (5,000 seedlings of Dendrocalamus asper from branch-cutting and 4,000 seedlings of Thyrsostachys oliveri from rhizome-cutting) had been transferred from Central (Prachinburi and Kanchanaburi province) to the South of Thailand and distributed to villagers. About 40 hectares will be planted in the coming rainy season.
• To enhance public awareness, many materials have been prepared and delivered to target groups including young generation in the targeted sites. The approach to raise the awareness of young generation has focused on the talks with the youth groups not belonging to formal schooling, who have demonstrated their interests and potential. Now there are 5 groups (Kapoer Bay Youth Group, Tambon Naka Youth Group, Ban Thung Rak/Bang Tip Youth Group, Ban Nai Ban Mogen Youth Group and Koh Kor Khao Youth Group).