Report of the Regional Training Course on Local/indigenous Institution and Co-management

12-21 January 2009
SEAFDEC, Training Department

SEAFDEC is responsible for implementing Human resource Development on Local/indigenous institution and co-management. The aims of this thematic area are to achieve the long-term objective of poverty alleviation as well as the development of well-being of individual, and including the development of local community as whole. In this connection, SEAFDEC formulated the Regional Training course on local/indigenous institution and Co-management as means of the promotion. The training has been funded by the ASEAN FOUNDATION for contributing fisheries officials from ASEAN-SEAFDEC member countries participated in the training and organize on-site training course for their own respective countries.

Summary of Work Activities and Achievements
Regional training course on local/indigenous institution and co-management was an activity of Human Resource Development on Poverty Alleviation and Food Security by Fisheries Intervention in the ASEAN Region. The objectives of the training was to transfer technical knowledge to fisheries officials in order to recognize the importance of local/indigenous institution for poverty alleviation and food security; to promote local/indigenous playing key role to practice and function in right-based fisheries and co-management to achieve poverty alleviation and food security and to prepare a best fitted and practical proposal for on-site HRD activities.

Eight participants were attending the training come from seven ASEAN-SEAFDEC countries –one each come from, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and two from Myanmar. The regional training course was organized for ten days that the training composed of two main parts. Part one was lectures that these were fully supported by resource persons namely Associate Prof. Dr. Sarote Angsumalin from Faculty of Economics, Kasetsart University, Mr. Suchart Sangchan , the Director of Bodan Marine Fisheries Research and Development Station, Dr. Theo Ebbers from AIT, Dr. Supaporn Anuchirachiva, OXFAM, Mr. Sanchai Tantawanich, Senior Advisor, the Department of Fisheries, Thailand and including SEAFDEC resource person likes Dr. Phattareeya and Ms. Narumol to transfer their expertise and shared valuable experience with all participants. The part one was on 12 to 15 January.

Second part was on-site practices in Rayong, Chantaburi and Trat Provinces during 16 to 19 January. The participants visited Bang Sare Municipality Organization. At this organization, the participants received information that the organization has planned and implemented activities concerned coastal and environmental management, awareness building activities for youth and school children to recognize the importance of their local resource availability, including fish processing to generate and sustain income and livelihood, respectively.

In Trat Province, the participants visited Ban Pred Nai Mangrove Forest Conservative Group. At Ban Pred Nai village, Ban Pred Nai Mangrove forest conservative group’s member and committee had a discussion session to share and exchange information and experiences on mangrove reforestation and conservation. In addition, the group committee also shared their experience on how to initiate their community savings and revolving loan activity to strengthen their self-reliance on improving their capacity and contribute mangrove reforestation and management activities.

In Chantraburi Province, the participants visited two people group which one is savings and credit group and another group is fisher group that group activities pertain to coastal resource management and conservation such as gravid crab bank, sea grass bed conservation and rehabilitation, Rope Fish Enhancing Devices and green mussel floating culture.

Regarding practicing in Rayong, all participants observed set net fisheries group conducted selling fish products on beach. Besides, they had a discussing session on the set net fisheries group’s activity and management.

After ended on-site practice, all participants picked up an essence of field trip experience and excellently made use of the essential information to design and draft proposal of on-site training course with standing on the objective of the training to conduct in selected fisheries community in their own respective country. The participants gave a presentation of drafted proposal helped mobilizing and shared knowledge and experience among the participants. The participants have been cooperative and actively participated in training activities. At the end of the course, the participants expressed their satisfaction to the training arrangement and illustrated that their expectation were fulfilled.

Recommendation and Future Follow-up Actions
Recommendation: the host country should provide a support to local people of selected project site and adjacent community to attend the on-site training course to enlarge number of people to attain a similar common understanding on role of local institution and co-management practice.

Follow-up Actions: SEAFDEC may help the host country to provide training materials such as video or CD relevant to local institution and co-management to support on-site training activity.

Experiences and Lesson learned
1. Complication of local institution and co-management in practice, the training observed that some participant met a difficulty to make distinguish between a practice of local institution and co-management. This might be due to different background, expertise and experience of participants accumulated in their countries.
2. Plenty of local institution, lack of co-management practice, the training mainly took participants to visit local people group who could self-manage its group activities. The group even referred collaboration between the group and government agencies; however, this was not concrete enough for understanding. This might mean to a gap between policy and practice in promoting co-management.
3. An increasing number of fisheries officials and extension work learns and practices concept of co-management and strengthen local institution to be counterpart of government agencies should be placed at top priority of each country policy.