Stakeholder Analysis for Sustainable Land Management of Pak Phanang River Basin, Thailand

Pak Phanang river basin, one of the most important river basins, is situated in the middle of the southern peninsula of Thailand. The construction of a water gate in 1999 to prevent salt water intrusion and separate freshwater from salt water zones has resulted in changes of the natural ecosystem and the locals’ livelihood. The study aimed to identify important stakeholder groups and assess their relationships, relative power and importance for the sustainable resources use of the area. The data of this study were collected through literature reviews, focus group discussions with local stakeholders and individual interviews, using the techniques of Participatory Rapid Appraisal and conceptual content analysis. The study revealed that the most advantageous stakeholders in the coastal saltwater zone were shrimp farmers and stakeholders of related industries characterized by their relatively high input, technology and knowledge. For the coastal plain area with irrigation facilities, the majority of rice farmers benefited from increasing paddy production by intensive farming of up to 2-3 crops per year. These stakeholders’ interest was conformed to the national and regional development strategies and the implementations driven by the government ministers/officials, and the royal project committees. The disadvantageous stakeholders were small-scale shrimp and rice farmers, local fishers and nypa palm harvesters, with limited investment in farming facilities to meet the changing ecosystem and the degrading of natural resources and mangrove forest. This problem was also interested by external stakeholders such as academics in the local and regional educational institutions and NGOs in identifying the needs of these disadvantageous stakeholders for sustainable land use and prevention of the critical ecosystem.