Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2004

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development

The Pak Phanang river basin is a very interesting area for research due to the complexity of issues especially pertaining to its ecological condition. It is a wide, lowlying plain, stretching about 147 km along both banks of the Pak Phanang River. It used to be a very productive area especially in terms of rice production. It was once known as a land of "milk and honey", because of its rich resources that ensured an abundance of rice, fish and fresh water. However, due to the unique topography of the river basin, flooding, saltwater intrusion, erosion and lack of good quality freshwater became perennial problems. In this study, it was established that there is a strong link between and among the major events such as natural phenomena and development introduced by man, and condition of natural resources, production and livelihood. The occurrence of the above phenomena and changes in the mentioned components affect each other. The occurrence of natural phenomena such as typhoon, flood, drought, saltwater intrusion and erosion, and human activities such as deforestation, rice farming using modern technology, intensive shrimp farming and major infrastructure development projects of the government greatly affected the ecological, social and economic conditions. The negative effects of these occurrences and activities call for proper management. Moreover, the researcher learned through this study that the Government of Thailand through the Pak Phanang River Basin Royal Development Project prepared an integrated plan for the management of the resources of the entire river basin. The thrust of this Project is to address the chronic socio-economic problems besetting the people in the area through a sustainable utilization of natural resources while restoring the environment as closely as possible to its former state thus, improving quality oflife of the people. In one workshop, the local people expressed their immediate needs and requested the government to allow them to find solutions to the problems in their locality and let them take part in the management of the natural resources. The community became active and often discussed issues and concerns through meetings and workshops so that they were able to come up with a community plan and was able to present this plan to the different sectoral agencies of the government in a consultative meeting. It was a breakthrough in terms of governance - the people and the government coming together to discuss longstanding issues in the river basin and possible solutions to these issues. As a result of this study, a recommended model structure and strategy for managing the natural resources of Pak Phanang river basin is discussed at the end of this research paper which combines the efforts of the top and bottom levels - that of the government and that of the local people who are directly affected and are affecting the use of natural resources in the river basin. Further areas for study are also mentioned here. Furthermore, the researcher recognizes the need for a more scientific approach thus, the use of Participatory Rural Appraisal in the collection of data, the use of Analytic Hierarchy Process and cumulative effects in the analysis of data, and the use of Geographic Information System in the presentation of data.