The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and Blue Solutions initiated a collaboration in 2020 in advance marine and coastal spatial planning (MCSP) in the East Asian Seas Region by building capacity and supporting development of a conducive policy environment.
A regional training workshop on MCSP was held for COBSEA countries in November 2020 in which interactive practical exercises were used to examine different elements of the MCSP process, providing participants with the opportunity to create a needs specific roadman for action in each country. After the workshop, Thailand expressed interest in further developing skills and tools related to MCSP in general and stakeholder engagement in particular for application in Koh SiChang, a group of islands in the Gulf of Thailand. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources of Thailand (DMCR) is developing a marine spatial planning (MSP) process in the region in an effort to promote the sustainable use and equitable access of marine resources and to reduce tension between different stakeholder groups.
In March 2021 a five-day MSP workshop was organized by DMCR introducing the study area and general elements of the MSP process. COBSEA and Blue Solutions were invited to present ongoing and upcoming MCSP activities as well as to present on the theoretical concept of stakeholder participation. As a follow-up, a half-day training of DMCR staff was organized by COBSEA and Blue Solutions in June 2021 focusing specifically on stakeholder participation including practical elements. The training served as a pilot for regional exchange, to be further scaled-up in the COBSEA region.
The training on stakeholder participation was opened by Mr. Ukkrit Satapoomin, Director of the Marine Resources Conservation Division of the DMCR and included theory on stakeholder participation and stakeholder mapping methodologies. After a presentation of conflict areas between users identified around Koh SiChang by Dr. Sarawut Siriwong, lecturer in Marine Science at Burapha University, participated discussed stakeholder dynamics in the region with the purpose of facilitating the MSP work and integrating different stakeholder groups into the process.
In an effort to promote regional knowledge exchange, Panorama Platform solution providers from the region with experience in MSP processes were contacted. Mr. Ario Damar from Indonesia (Implementation of Integrated Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning of Bontang) and Mr. Thao Le Ngoc from Viet Nam (Applying the SLIQ approach for the integrated management of Nature and Culture in Cu Lao Cham Hoi An Biosphere Reserve, Viet Nam) Presented on lessons learned from their experiences of stakeholder participation in MSP processes during the training. Participants were provided the opportunity to discuss how to incorporate best practices from the case studies to the study site Koh SiChang.
"By learning from the Neighboring country successful cases, we hope that Koh SiChang can be the first step toward a National scale MSP which is one of the goals in the Thailand National Reform Plan" commented by one of the DMCR Officials.
"We were very pleased to see the positive discussion during the workshop and hope that the MSP case studies presented can inspire Thai authorities developing the Koh SiChang MSP process to adapt this successful approaches to their context" commented Erick Ross Salazar, marine expert working with Blue Solutions.
"We applaud the hard work and motivation displayed by the Thai authorities in the processing marine and coastal spatial planning work in the country in general and in Koh SiChang in particular. We look forward to continue collaborating with COBSEA countries to exchange knowledge and lessons learned in order to advance marine and coastal spatial planning in the East Asian Seas region" said Katrin Eitrem Holmgren, marine and coastal spatial planning focal point at the COBSEA Secretariat.
The workshop closed with a discussion on next steps for the Koh SiChang MSP process including incorporation of training outcomes in future work. COBSEA and Blue Solutions stand ready to support COBSEA countries in furthering MCSP activities at both national and regional level, including through regional exchanges such as the one carried out with Thailand in June 2021.
