Project/activity information

In Thailand the 26 December 2004 tsunami caused a lot of destruction of human life, property and economic infrastructure and environmental assets in six southern provinces along the Andaman coastline. This project will initiate a process for medium and long-term rehabilitation of the damaged coastal forests in that zone.

The development objective is to contribute to the long-term rehabilitation of the coastal forest resources. The specific objectives are: (1) to initiate a process of developing a community-based coastal resource management to enhance the contribution of forests to ecological security and (2) to promote bamboo use in tsunami affected areas in order to meet medium and long term needs in rural house construction. Ultimately the project will contribute to promoting the utilization and trade of bamboo and other forest products from sustainable sources.

Among the project's most important outputs will be the rehabilitation of 1250 ha damaged by the tsunami, and the elaboration of plans for long term community-based coastal forest rehabilitation in pilot areas of the Provinces of Krabi and Pang Nga. Its design emphasizes the complementarity and synergies with a project to be funded in the same target area by Swiss Solidarity, which aims at providing support to the development of sustainable community livelihood.