The Political Ecology of the Coastal Resources Management in Bandon Bay, Surat Thani Province

Abstract

This article aims to study the political ecology of the coastal resource management in Bandon Bay at Surat Thani. The purposes of study are to study the ecological changes in Bandon Bay, the ecological conflict, and the factors affecting to the conflict. This study also offers the guideline of the coastal resource management justly and sustainably. The study is a qualitative research by using the methods of dialectic, interdisciplinary political economy, and in-dept interview. The participants are selected purposively from 4 groups of representatives involved in the coastal fishing in Bandon Bay namely 1) government officers 2) local leaders 3) local fishermen, and 4) community people. The areas for collecting the data are in 3 districts namely Chaiya, Phunphin, and Kanjanadit.

The study shows that there are 3 era changes in Bandon Bay. Firstly, prior 1961 it is called Self-Sufficiency Economy which people normally depended on natural resources for living until forest concession and aquaculture came. Later in 1961-2002, there was the mangrove forest concession for the government income and also aquaculture concession area of oyster farm for solving poor problem until 1989. The total concession area was 40,656 rai covering districts of Chaiya, Thachang, Kanjanadit and Donsak. Later, in 2002-2006, according to the Ninth National Economic and Social Development Plan, the government supported sea food export. Then, there was a policy of the property change to capital named Sea Food Bank project in 2004. Accordingly, there was the trespass of outside permitted area more than 200,000 rai for doing cockles farms which gave them high economic returns. Finally, the common natural areas turned to become private property affecting to local fishery for living since they were unable to do fishing in the common natural area. Accordingly, there were 3 groups of conflict namely existence rights of the poor (local people), an influential group who wanted to keep the resources for their own accumulation, and the controllers who legally managed all resources. The natural resource management which was run by the government and law powers may not assist the community people to make the benefits of non-property or open access areas justly and sustainably. Therefore, the fishermen community should manage their own natural resources (self-governance) and share their rules for the balance of bay use.