Published on November 29, 2005

Thai and Australian experts met in Bangkok yesterday to share ideas on improving management of the Kingdom’s tsunami-ravaged coastline.

Opening the seminar in Bangkok, Australian Ambassador William Paterson said Australia was pleased to be able to share its expertise in managing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority.

“Revitalising the damaged coastline in Thailand is critical for the rebuilding of the tourism and fishing industries, and Australian know-how and resources can make a real difference in helping the Thais recover lost livelihoods,” he said.

Speakers from the CRC Reef Research Centre and the International Marine Project Activities Centre, based in Townsville in the Australian state of Queensland, joined Thai and international presenters in debating approaches to integrated coastal management. Senior representatives from the Thai Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Fisheries, National Parks and Wildlife; and the Office of Tourism Development also took part. Officials with coastal resources responsibilities from Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi and Trang will attend a similar seminar today in Phuket.

“The Australian experience of partnerships between national, regional and local governments has been instrumental in the successful management of Australia’s natural marine parks,” Paterson said.

He said the innovative cooperative research model, where industry, managers and research institutions worked together through targeted research, would also be valuable to Thailand as it developed its tsunami-affected coastline.

The seminars, organised by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and AusAID, the Australian government’s international aid agency, form part of Australia’s Bt12.7-million programme to contribute to the recovery of the Andaman Coast.

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