Sea resources to be better managed

The reform committee on marine and coastal resources management said yesterday that a new master plan on natural resource management will be collaborative by having related agencies and stakeholders, especially local communities, work together.

Admiral Jumpol Lumpiganon, deputy permanent secretary at the Defence Ministry, said the plan should prove a success because it engages all parties.

“This is significantly different from what we’ve done in the past,” said Adm Jumpol, who also serves as secretary to the working group on national reform for marine and coastal resources management.

“They’re now all on board to work together and move in the same direction to preserve our marine resources,” he said.

“We know what we’re doing to make the plan a success,” he said, adding the committee will hold public hearings in Chumphon, Chon Buri and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The committee is one of 11 that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha appointed over two years ago to draft the master plan.

The next step is to amend related laws, which could take up to five years to complete, officials said.

The reform committee has divided the managerial work into 13 areas.

They include the management of provincial coastal areas, sea garbage and pollution, fisheries, energy and mineral resources at sea, coastal erosion, coral reef and marine life, and legal amendments in line with international commitments.

The plan also makes use of data management to help all 23 coastal provinces demarcate their areas, after which each province will be left to its own devices to draft their respective local action plans, officials said.

To support the plan’s success, each of the 13 sub-divisions will be appraised in terms of its performance with clear targets set.

One of these is that the total area to be protected will increase from 11,450 sq km at present to 32,000 sq km by 2030.

The reform committee will send a draft of the master plan and proposals to the national reform committee by December.

After that it will forward it to the committee on national strategy for consideration, followed by the cabinet.

Jatuporn Buruspat, chief of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, said these reformist moves will make it easier for related authorities to obtain much-needed financial support from the government.