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Published on October 31, 2007

The project is a multi-partner initiative led by IUCN - The World Conservation Union and UNDP and it is sponsored by the Government's of Germany, Norway and Sweden. The Mangroves for the Future Thailand (MFF) Secretariat is based within the premises of IUCN Asia Regional Office in Bangkok.

If it proves a success, the project could be implemented in other countries hit by the tsunami in 2004. It will be funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The US$30-million (Bt948 million) project in Thailand would be centred on Phang Nga and Ranong provinces, which were hit hardest by the tsunami, said Dr Sonjai Hawanont, a Department of Marine and Coastal Resources specialist.

A similar project would be started in Nakhon Si Thammarat, located on the Gulf of Thailand and not affected by the tsunami, to prevent coast erosion due to unusually high seas and the deterioration of existing mangrove areas.

MMF coordinator Donald Macintosh said mangrove areas in Indonesia and Vietnam had been depleted the most in the region.

The Nation