EX-POST EVALUATION REPORT
ITTO PROJECT PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F)
"DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF RE-AFFORESTATION TECHNIQUES OF MANGROVE FORESTS"
(Global)
Prepared for ITTO
by
James K. Gasana and Monica Borobia
April 2004
34RFM-6 28 June 2004
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List of abbreviations and acronyms
ITTA International Tropical Timber Agreement ITTC International Tropical Timber Council ITTO International Tropical Timber Organization JAM Japan Association for Mangroves NATMANCOM National Mangrove Committee, Thailand NRCT National Research Council of Thailand PSC Project steering committee REAGMAN Research Association for Global Mangrove, Japan TUMREC Thailand Union for Mangrove Rehabilitation and Conservation
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PART I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT
This report presents the results, conclusions and recommendations of the ex-post evaluation of project PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F) "Development and dissemination of re-afforestation techniques of mangrove forests". The project was implemented by Japan International Association for Mangroves (JAM) in cooperation with the National Mangrove Committee of Thailand (NATMANCOM) and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), and was primarily located in Thailand. It started on 10 September 1991 and had an effective duration of 42 months.
2. EVALUATION PURPOSE The primary purpose of the evaluation is to provide a concise diagnosis of five projects related to mangroves so as to point out the successful and unsuccessful outcomes, the reasons for successes and failures, and the contribution of the projects towards ITTO’s Objective 2000 and the ITTO Mangrove Work Plan 2002 - 2006, and to draw lessons that can be used to improve similar projects in the future.
3. SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION
This evaluation was conducted in February 2004 on the request of the ITTO Secretariat following the decision taken by the Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management in its 30th Session, in May 2002, to carry out an ex-post evaluation of 5 projects, including PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F), grouped under the theme “Mangroves”. The scope and focus of the evaluation are to determine the impact and effects of this project. The terms of reference given to the evaluators, as specified in Appendix to the "Special Service Agreement" include the following points:
4. EFFICIENCY AND OPERATIONAL ASPECTS The project was implemented by JAM with the collaboration of NATMANCOM of Thailand. It had a Project Steering Committee (PSC) comprising representatives of ITTO, JAM, NATMANCOM, the Royal Forest Department and Kasetsart University. Overall, its implementation was not efficient due to considerable shortcomings in the achievement of several specific objectives and outputs. Towards the end of the project, there were internal problems within JAM in Japan and NATMANCOM. Within JAM the internal problems led to a split and the emergence of a new organization, the Research Association for Global Mangrove (REAGMAN). In Thailand, the Thailand Union for Mangrove Rehabilitation and Conservation (TUMREC) was created and was independent from NATMANCOM. REAGMAN strived to supersede JAM as a collaborating agency on the mangrove reforestation program in southern Thailand, and as a partner of TUMREC. The effect of these splits on the implementation of the project in its final stage has not been documented. The evaluators were unable to obtain further information from the parties concerned.
The project obtained all the planned resources from ITTO. These resources appear to have been utilized in conformity with ITTO's rules and according to the activities budget. From the overall analysis of the results of the project, based on interviews, field visits and reading of the project’s reports, the evaluators attempted to assess how well the project was implemented to achieve its objectives in relation to the resources provided by ITTO. Given that several specific objectives and outputs were not fully achieved, they concluded that the project has not been cost efficient.
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5. EFFECTIVENESS The project's achievement of the outputs is summarized in Table "Summary of the project's achievement of the outputs".
Summary of the project's achievement of the outputs
Project output Achievement
Output 1.1.1: A comprehensive documentation of the current state-of-the-art with respect to re-afforestation techniques in the world is available
The comprehensive documentation with respect to reforestation “techniques in the World” was not produced. Proceedings of a Workshop on mangrove re-afforestation were published.
Output 1.1.2: Basic information for establishing Manual for re-afforestation of mangrove species collected
The basic information was collected. The manual on reforestation species for use by all countries in the region as planned under this output was not produced. This was in compliance with the PSC decision aiming at avoiding duplication with a similar ISME's publication. An extension manual in Thai language was produced as recommended by the PSC.
Output 1.3.1: Pilot plantations established and audiovisual aids and information materials prepared
The project did not establish pilot plantations. However it established plots considered to serve for demonstration and research areas, with the aim of providing rehabilitation techniques as soon as possible.
Output 1.5.1: Mangrove related personnel in Thailand trained
A seminar and training course was organized. Personnel of mangrove seed production centers, mangrove research and conservation stations, regional forest offices and mangrove management units were trained.
Output 1.6.1: Survey results reported and techniques disseminated in seminar for personnel of NATMANCOM in each country.
The project did not organize a seminar in each country. It did not publish the results of case studies conducted in nearby countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam) in execution of the recommendation of the first PSC meeting. It organized a workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, on 18-20 April 1994 for participants from Thailand, Japan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam. Each participant from Southeast Asian countries presented a respective country report. The proceedings of the workshop were published.
Overall the effectiveness of the project has been low due to the shortcomings in achieving several specific objectives and outputs. However, it provided essential information on the rehabilitation techniques for degraded mangrove forests. It recommended suitable mangrove species for reforestation of newly accreted mudflats, abandoned shrimp ponds, abandoned tin mining areas, and degraded mangrove forests. These outputs can enhance the activities of mangrove reforestation in southern Thailand. Furthermore, it has been effective in disseminating
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its results, namely to local forest officers, villagers and universities in Thailand. Towards its end, the project was negatively impacted by the dissensions within the implementing and collaborating agencies. The evaluators were unable to assess the exact impact of these dissensions due to lack of documentation and information from former project staff and representatives of the Executing Agency.
6. IMPACT
6.1 Findings on the effects of the project As far as the achievement of the project's objectives is concerned, there are considerable differences between the assessment of the evaluators and the viewpoints of the implementing agencies as expressed by these in the final report and in the interviews. The project reports give the impression that the project achieved all its objectives. However, the evaluators estimate that of the six specific objectives, only one, namely selecting suitable mangrove species for different planting sites can be considered as fully attained. The species recommendations for reforestation are as follows:
Newly accreted mudflats: Rhizophora mucronata and R. apiculata. Abandoned shrimp ponds: R. apiculata and Bruguiera cylindrica. Abandoned tin mining areas: Ceriops tagal and Avicennnia officinalis. Degraded mangrove forests: R. mucronata and R. apiculata.
Two specific objectives have been partially attained. One concerned training of the personnel from member institutions of NATMANCOM. The project organized the planned short seminar and training course, but it did not elaborate and implement the planned program to train the personnel of member institutions of NATMANCOM. The other concerned disseminating around the world the knowledge of re-afforestation techniques obtained through an international workshop (held 18-20 April 1994 in Bangkok) and a seminar/training course (held 16-19 September 1996 in Nakhon Si Tammarat). The project published and disseminated the proceedings of the workshop. The remaining specific objectives were not attained. These are: To document and to disseminate the current state-of-the-art with respect to the
technology on the re-afforestation of mangrove forests in ITTO member countries.
To evaluate the current state of denuded mangrove forest lands destroyed by various patterns of utilization in ITTO member countries.
To obtain basic data on classified work efficiency, costs and necessary facilities
and equipment for re-afforestation work on large scale.
6.2 Overall post-project situation Mangrove rehabilitation activities are continuing with the Green Carpet Project in Nakhon Si Tammarat Province of Thailand. The evaluators learnt from a former project JAM official that similar activities are promoted in Phangnga and Ranong provinces by local forest offices in cooperation with Japanese volunteer groups. Based on observations and discussions in Nakhon Si Tammarat, the evaluators noted that there was no overall approach for the rehabilitation of degraded mangrove forests on shrimp farms and for the prevention of further conversion of such forests to
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shrimp farming or other change of land use. There has been no policy development aiming at sustainability of the results of the project through the mobilization of local farmers to conduct this rehabilitation themselves.
6.3 Unexpected effects and impacts Between 1994 and 2003, Japanese volunteer groups and corporations carried out mangrove planting activities for mangrove forest rehabilitation in Thai villages, alongside local people and students. A total area of about 191 ha has thus been planted with mangrove species. Using the techniques and experience developed by the project, the Green Carpet project carries out mangrove rehabilitation activities in Nakhon Si Tammarat, with funds from Japanese Government and private donors. The first phase of 5 years (1998-2002) aimed at rehabilitating 1000 ha of mangrove forests in abandoned shrimp farms. In 2002 the total planted area was only 476.6 ha. The original target was not met due to the lengthy discussions with shrimp farm owners. The second phase (2003-2005) is under implementation and its activities include tending the plantations created in Phase 1 and rehabilitating an additional 300 ha.
6.4 Contribution to the ITTA objectives and ITTO Action Plan The project is in conformity with the objectives outlined in article 1 of the ITTA 1994, and meets particularly the following objectives: Objective (a) that aims at providing "an effective framework for cooperation and
consultation on all relevant aspects of tropical timber economy through workshops on reforestation.
Objective (c) that aims at contributing to the process of sustainable development. Objective (f) that aims at promoting and supporting "research and development
with a view to improving forest management and efficiency of wood utilization as well as increasing the capacity to conserve and enhance other forest values in timber producing countries,
Objective (j) that aims at encouraging "members to support and develop industrial
and tropical timber reforestation and forest management activities as well as rehabilitation of degraded forest land, with regard for the interest of local communities dependent on forest resources.
Objective (l) that aims at encouraging "members to develop national policies
aimed at sustainable utilization and conservation of timber producing forests and their genetic resources and maintaining the ecological balance in the regions concerned, in the context of tropical timber trade".
In relation to the Yokohama Action Plan: The Yokohama Action Plan recognizes that “in addition to their ecological and socio-economic importance, mangrove forests provide timber and timber-related products that are internationally traded”. The project complies with the Plan’s Goal 1 “Support activities to secure the tropical timber resource base” under Reforestation and Forest Management, in recommended Action 4 « Promote the conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable management of threatened forest ecosystems, inter alia mangroves, in collaboration with relevant organizations”.
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The project is in compliance with the ITTO Mangrove Workplan 2002-2006 as it crosscuts four of the six selected areas of activities, as follows: Area 2: “Mangrove information and awareness”: One of the project's specific objectives was to disseminate around the world knowledge of re-afforestation techniques obtained through an international workshop and a seminar/training course. The activities aiming at achieving this included publication and dissemination of mangrove information. This contributed to raising the awareness of decision-makers and the general public on importance of mangrove forests. Area 3: “Socioeconomic aspects”: Large scale application of the techniques developed by the project will benefit populations whose livelihoods depend on mangrove ecosystems for fishing activities. Area 4: “Mangrove ecosystem functions and health”: The project's work demonstrated how to rehabilitate mangrove ecosystems to make them self-sustaining and productive, with reestablished ecological functions. Area 5: “Cooperation and capacity building”: The project provided support to Thailand's NATMANCOM which coordinates activities relating to mangrove ecosystems.
7. CONCLUSIONS OF THE EVALUATION 7.1 Implementation efficiency and project effectiveness
Overall the efficiency and the effectiveness of the project have been low due to the shortcomings in achieving several specific objectives and outputs. However it provided essential information on the techniques of rehabilitation of degraded mangrove forests. These results can enhance the activities of mangrove reforestation in southern Thailand. Furthermore, it has been effective in disseminating its results, namely to local forest officers, villagers and universities in Thailand. Towards its end, the project was negatively impacted by the dissensions within the implementing and collaborating agencies. The evaluators were unable to assess the exact impact of these dissensions due to lack of documentation and information from former project staff and representatives of the Executing Agency.
7.2 Overall assessment of successes and failures The project was a successful in demonstrating the feasibility of rehabilitating degraded mangrove ecosystems in southern Thailand. The techniques developed are applied in follow-up rehabilitation activities, such as the program conducted by the Green Carpet project. However the project failed to mobilize communities living near its reforestation sites to adopt its results and carry out rehabilitation work by their own effort. These sites did not play a role of support to such an effort, for example by providing planting material to local farmers to use on their land. It should be further noted that the technical aspects of experimentation on these sites lacked scientific rigor in their layout. There was a need to study for example the interactions of species, sites, spacing, thinning regimes, and their wider environmental impacts and particular impacts on natural regeneration and biodiversity rehabilitation. The design of field demonstration/experimentation plots was not adequate for statistical analysis. The project succeeded as an example of what can be achieved in terms of cooperation between an NGO in a developed country and a national structure in a
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developing country as far as mangrove related work is concerned. This cooperation had succeeded in mobilizing the mangrove experts in the Southeast Asian region to contribute to the regional workshop organized by the project. However internal problems within the Executing Agency put an end to this experience. Maybe the main failure of the project is how this experience ended, with reduced accountability of the Executing Agency. It is likely that internal JAM problems did not allow it to propose an exit strategy or to submit a follow-up project to ITTO. This raises the problem of the sustainability of the results of the project, although a splinter group of JAM and a new Thai group continued mangrove related activities in the project area with other sources of funds.
7.3 Alternative design of the project The idea behind the project of the importance of rehabilitating degraded mangrove ecosystems was valid. The rehabilitation of abandoned shrimp farms back to sustainable use or to a functional self-sustaining ecosystem has a potential to reduce human pressure on mangrove ecosystems. However, the project was not well conceptualized and was not implemented in an effective manner. The project document was too brief and did not provide enough information to understand its goal and purpose. Its analysis does not reveal any process that has been used to formulate the project in the appraisal stage, before submitting it to ITTO. Although it was meant to be a global project, its main focus was southern Thailand, and on rehabilitation only. Even within the framework of such a focus, there was no approach for preventing degradation on shrimp farms, which are not yet abandoned but may be degrading. The project did not develop any mechanism for sector linkage in order to have impacts on policy changes in Thailand. No processes were developed by the project and the collaborating institutions to establish the follow-up of its activities after its completion. From the above, it is clear that the design of the project would have benefited from a logical framework defining the objectives, outputs and corresponding indicators, the means of verification and the assumptions. The global aspects of the project needed a clear definition of objectives, outputs and corresponding indicators, activities and the implementation mechanisms. In its implementation, it should have put more emphasis on developing regional and national processes aiming at achieving wider impact.
8. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the findings of the evaluation, the following recommendations have been developed: To the Government of Thailand: The rehabilitation of mangroves in abandoned shrimp farms should receive high
priority. There should be guidelines for shrimp-farming to make it more mangrove-friendly and sustainable.
The process of project identification is crucial for its success. It is important to
make sure that projects submitted to ITTO have been identified through a consultation process involving key stakeholders and targeted beneficiaries.
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To ITTO: ITTO should make sure that projects submitted have been identified through a
consultation process involving key stakeholders and targeted beneficiaries.
Project documents should be clear and internally consistent in their problem analysis, objectives definition, choice of implementation strategies and description of implementation modalities. Exit strategies should be clearly described.
The supervisory role of ITTO as well as the role of the PSCs should be
strengthened to ensure good project implementation. This requires a clear definition of the terms of reference for the project supervision role and PSCs.
Projects having implementation problems should be evaluated before their
completion, at a time that will allow corrective action to be taken. As much as possible projects should be conceived to have catalytic effects on
policy processes in beneficiary countries. Projects should establish a monitoring and evaluation system to facilitate their
implementation and to ensure the assessment of their impacts.
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PART II. MAIN TEXT 1. PROJECT CONTEXT 1.1 Project Rationale and Background
Project PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F) "Development and dissemination of re-afforestation techniques of mangrove forests" was approved by ITTC at its 12th Session in May 1992. The Agreement for its implementation was signed between ITTO and the Executing Agency, JAM, on 10 August 1993. ITTO's total financial contribution amounted to US$ 815,850. The total duration was 42 months. The project was intended to be of a global scope. It results from the concern over the threats to mangrove forests. In Thailand, the factors contributing to mangrove destruction are mainly shrimp farming, tin ore mining, charcoal industry and urbanization. Mangrove area cover decreased from 372,448 ha before 1961 to 167,582 ha in 1996. The project document identified the core problem to be addressed as the rapid decrease of mangrove forests. The consequence of this decrease is the problem of "environmental conservation of coastal areas and the ocean". Among the identified causes of this problem are the overexploitation in coastal areas, the rapid economic growth and the population increase. The project's approach to solve the core problem is an "active promotion of large scale reforestation for the restoration of mangrove forests that have been degraded or destroyed and afforestation for the purpose of expanding mangrove resources". Hence the focus of the project was to develop effective techniques for re-afforestation of newly accreted and degraded mangrove habitats such as mudflats, abandoned shrimp farms, abandoned tin mining areas and degraded forest, and to develop audiovisual materials for public awareness.
1.2 Development Objectives
The development objectives of PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F) were: (1) To ensure the conservation and reforestation of mangrove forest areas, so as to
maintain and increase the economic and environmental value of mangrove resources.
(2) To complement and support the current activities being undertaken in the utilization, conservation and management of mangrove forests in ITTO member countries.
(3) To provide the information base for establishment of an Integrated National Mangrove Plan for the management and conservation of mangrove ecosystems and resources.
1.3 Specific Objectives
The specific objectives of the project are listed below. The evaluators numbered them according to what they believe to be the respective development objectives: Specific objectives for the first Development objective (1.1) To evaluate the current state of denuded mangrove forest lands destroyed by
various patterns of utilization in ITTO member countries.
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(1.2) To select suitable mangrove species and seed provenance for re-afforestation techniques for the respective species.
(1.3) To obtain basic data on classified work efficiency, costs and necessary facilities and equipment for re-afforestation work on large scale.
(1.4) To train the personnel from member institutions of National Mangrove Committee of Thailand such as the Royal Forest Department.
Specific objectives for the second Development objective (2.1) To document and to disseminate the current state-of-the-art with respect to
the technology on the re-afforestation of mangrove forests in ITTO member countries.
(2.2) To disseminate around the world knowledge of re-afforestation techniques obtained through seminar and workshop.
1.4 Planned Outputs
Output for specific objective 1.2: Output 1.2.1 Pilot plantations established and audiovisual aids and information
materials prepared;
Output for specific objective 1.4:
Output 1.4.1 Mangrove related personnel in Thailand trained; Outputs for specific objective 2.1: Output 2.1.1 A comprehensive documentation of the current state-of-the-art with
respect to re-afforestation techniques in the world is available; Output 2.1.2 Basic information for establishing Manual for re-afforestation of
mangrove species collected; Output for specific objective 2.2: Output 2.2.1 Survey results reported and techniques disseminated in seminar for
personnel of NATMANCOM in each country.
1.5 Work plan and Inputs 1.5.1 Planned project activities were as follows:
The evaluators regrouped the activities listed in the project documents with regards to the above outputs, as follows: Activities for Output 2.1.1 To collect, assess and review available information and technology in the world
dealing with silvicultural systems, seed collection, nursery practice, site conditions of critical areas (degraded and destroyed), planting species and seed provenance, etc.
To collect, assess and make a critical review of basic information that will allow reforestation method and practices to be applied in critical areas that are altered, degraded and destroyed in order to restore them.
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To hold a workshop of mangrove experts from the countries having experience of reforestation to discuss the current state-of-the-art.
Activities for Output 2.1.2 To conduct case studies on site conditions and practices of reforestation in
Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Bangladesh.
Activities for Output 1.2.1 To select pilot project sites for reforestation in Thailand. To start implementation of re-afforestation pilot projects in Thailand; To carry out growth increment survey; To prepare audiovisual aids and information material; To prepare training program on re-afforestation of mangroves for the technical
staff; To hold seminar on mangrove re-afforestation for neighboring countries; To prepare and publish a report with contributions from relevant experts; To maintain pilot plantations after the termination of the project. Activities for Output 1.4.1: None assignable. Activities for Output 2.2.1: None assignable.
1.5.2 Planned ITTO Inputs The planned ITTO inputs (US $) were as follows: Personnel: 408,000.- Travel cost: 76,000.- Sub-contracts to Thai NATMANCOM 95,000.- Sub-contracts other countries 35,000.- Translation costs 10,000.- General operating costs 73,000.- Printing of reports 15,000.- Contingencies 50,000.- ITTO monitoring and review 15,000.- ITTO administrative costs 38,850.- TOTAL 815,850.-
1.6 ITTO/ITTA context The project is in conformity with the objectives outlined in Article 1 of ITTA 1994, and meets particularly the following objectives: Objective (a) that aims at providing "an effective framework for cooperation and
consultation on all relevant aspects of tropical timber economy through workshops on reforestation.
Objective (c) that aims at contributing to the process of sustainable development. Objective (f) that aims at promoting and supporting "research and development
with a view to improving forest management and efficiency of wood utilization as well as increasing the capacity to conserve and enhance other forest values in timber producing countries,
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Objective (j) that aims at encouraging "members to support and develop industrial and tropical timber reforestation and forest management activities as well as rehabilitation of degraded forest land, with regard for the interest of local communities dependent on forest resources.
Objective (l) that aims at encouraging "members to develop national policies
aimed at sustainable utilization and conservation of timber producing forests and their genetic resources and maintaining the ecological balance in the regions concerned, in the context of tropical timber trade".
2. EVALUATION SCOPE AND FOCUS
This evaluation was conducted in February 2004 at the request of the ITTO Secretariat following the decision by the Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management in its 30th Session, in May 2002, to carry out an ex-post evaluation of 5 projects, including PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F), grouped under the theme “Mangroves”. The purpose, scope and focus of this ex-post evaluation are specified in the terms of reference as follows:
The overall role and contribution of the project in light of sectoral policies,
development programs, priorities and requirements to achieve conservation, sustainable management and/or rehabilitation of mangroves in the country concerned.
The current status of mangroves within the project’s area of influence, the effectiveness of the project’s implementation and its effectiveness in promoting the conservation, sustainable management and/or rehabilitation of mangroves.
The contributions of the specific studies in various disciplines (inventory, ecology, socio-economy, management techniques, rehabilitation techniques, etc.) prepared by the project to the conservation, sustainable management and/or rehabilitation of mangroves in the project’s area of influence.
The results and potential impact of applied research conducted by the project (if any) and its contribution to the overall knowledge on mangroves in the region.
The impact of project activities on the livelihoods of target populations. The effectiveness of dissemination of project results. The overall post-project situation in the project’s area of influence. The unexpected effects and impacts, either harmful or beneficial, and the reasons
for their occurrences. The cost efficiency in the implementation of the project, including the technical,
financial and managerial aspects. Follow-up actions in order to enhance uptake of project results. The project’s relative success or failure, including a summary of the key lessons
learnt; and the identification of any issues or problems that should be taken into account in designing and implementing similar projects in the future.
3. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY
The evaluation criteria used by the evaluators were: Project design: a good project design is also a good guide to the implementers of
the project because it shows them the work to be done and the processes to develop to be successful. It facilitates monitoring and evaluation of the achievements and impacts, and establishes the key assumptions, the institutional arrangements and the commitment of the project's partners.
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Efficiency: The evaluation looked at how well the project was implemented to achieve its objectives, in relation to the resources at its disposal.
Effectiveness: The evaluation looked at how successful the project was in
achieving its stated outputs and objectives.
Impact: The evaluation looked at the Projects' results, both expected and unexpected, in the short and long term.
The evaluation procedure was arranged according to the actual terms of reference. The different points of the terms of reference were evaluated from project related documents provided by ITTO Secretariat, as well as interviews and field observations. There were four steps in the evaluation process. The first step was a preparatory stage consisting of deskwork prior to the visit to Thailand. The analysis of the project concept, strategies and logical framework in the project document allowed acquiring a preliminary knowledge of the project based on the documents provided by the ITTO Secretariat. The second step was a visit to project sites in Nakhon Si Tammarat to obtain information on field activities and their impact through visual observations, and for discussions with specialists, beneficiary communities and stakeholders who were affected by the project. During this visit the evaluators interviewed the local forest officers on the achievements and the impacts of the project. In a third step discussions were held in Bangkok with the specialists of institutions and agencies that are members of the NATMANCOM. The fourth step was the discussion in Japan with the specialists of JAM who were involved in the implementation of the project. The impressions from the field visit were completed by two notes on the implementation and the achievements of the project provided by M. J. Hagiya, ex-JAM project coordinator.
4. FINDINGS AND LESSONS LEARNT
4.1 Assessment of project design The evaluators analyzed first the Project Document. This is a very brief, seven-page document, which does not provide sufficient information to obtain a basic understanding of the project. The evaluators looked at the project's strategy and logical framework in order to be able to objectively assess the achievement of its specific objectives and its outputs, and to appreciate the effects and impacts and its contribution to the development objective. Due to the lack of a sound problem analysis in the origin, the project document shows weaknesses in the definition of approaches, strategies and objectives. No Logical Framework Matrix is provided. The specific objectives were not assigned to corresponding development objectives, and likewise the outputs were not assigned to corresponding specific objectives, and the activities were not assigned to corresponding outputs. The indicators were not defined. The evaluators made an attempt to restructure these components in order to establish logical links between them, assigning the activities to the outputs, the outputs to specific objectives, and specific objectives to development objectives. The result illustrates the following: The definition of development and specific objectives needed to be limited to one
development objective and one specific objective. All the specific objectives can be assigned only to the 1st development objective
"To ensure the conservation and reforestation of mangrove forest areas, so as to maintain and increase the economic and environmental value of mangrove
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resources", and to the 2nd development objective "To complement and support the current activities being undertaken in the utilization, conservation and management of mangrove forests in ITTO member countries".
Most specific objectives have only one output that can be assigned to them. In these cases that output would be the real specific objective.
No outputs can be assigned to the 1st specific objective "To evaluate the current state of denuded mangrove forest lands destroyed by various patterns of utilization in ITTO member countries", nor to the 3rd specific objective "To obtain basic data on classified work efficiency, costs and necessary facilities and equipment for re-afforestation work on large scale".
No activities are assignable to outputs 1.4.1 and 2.2.1. These weaknesses were obviously a major handicap for a fully effective management of the project. They did not allow the good idea behind the project to be adequately translated into realistic and achievable objectives. For such a weak design, the scope of the project was too ambitious in relation to the number of development objectives (3) and specific objectives (6).
4.2 Efficiency and Operational Aspects 4.2.1 Project implementation
The project was implemented by JAM with the collaboration of NATMANCOM. The Project Steering Committee (PSC) was comprised of representatives of ITTO, JAM, NATMANCOM, the Royal Forest Department and Kasetsart University. The Project Document did not outline a workplan, but this task was efficiently carried out by the PSC itself. JAM, in collaboration with NATMANCOM, published a hard cover Final Report which has the merit of summarizing the data on plant growth from the plots established by the project. This report also covered extensively the minutes of the PSC meetings. However, it did not provide an appraisal of the existing policy context and trends as far the way the project results can influence policy processes is concerned. Overall, the implementation of the project was not efficient judging from considerable shortcomings in the achievement of several specific objectives and outputs. Towards the end of the project, there were internal problems within JAM in Japan and NATMANCOM. Within JAM these internal problems led to a split and the emergence of a new organization, the Research Association for Global Mangrove (REAGMAN). In Thailand, the Thailand Union for Mangrove Rehabilitation and Conservation (TUMREC) was created and was independent from NATMANCOM. REAGMAN strived to supersede JAM as a collaborating agency on mangrove reforestation program in southern Thailand, and as a partner of TUMREC. The effect of these splits on the implementation of the project in its final stage have not been documented. The evaluators were unable to obtain further information from the parties concerned.
4.2.2 Input allocation
The project obtained all the planned resources from ITTO. These resources appear to have been utilized in conformity with ITTO's rules and according to the budgeted activities. There were no counterpart contributions, neither from the Royal Thai Government nor from JAM.
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4.2.3 Cost efficiency From the overall analysis of the results of the project, based on interviews, field visits and project reports, the evaluators attempted assess whether the funds provided by ITTO were in reasonable proportions according to those results. Given that several specific objectives and outputs were not fully achieved, they concluded that the project was not cost efficient.
4.3 Effectiveness of the Project
4.3.1 Achievement of planned outputs
Output 2.1.1: A comprehensive documentation of the current state-of-the-art with respect to re-afforestation techniques in the world is available The project did not produce the comprehensive documentation with respect to reforestation “techniques in the World” as understood from the output above. However it published the Proceedings of a Workshop on mangrove re-afforestation. Output 2.1.2: Basic information for establishing Manual for re-afforestation of mangrove species collected The basic information was collected. But the project did not publish any manual on reforestation species for use by all countries in the region as planned under this output. The research data collected has not been synthesized beyond summaries in reports sent to ITTO. However, the project produced an extension manual in Thai language, illustrated with color photographs, documenting reforestation techniques in different habitats in Thailand. This manual provides information on how to plant the 10 most commonly used mangrove species in the country. The decision not to go ahead with the publication of the Manual was taken by the PSC in its meeting of 21 October 1994, arguing that "since ISME is already producing a technical manual on mangrove rehabilitation, the project should not duplicate the efforts of ISME but should concentrate on producing a simple technical manual for local purpose". Output 1.2.1: Pilot plantations established and audiovisual aids and information materials prepared The project did not establish pilot plantations. However it established plots considered to serve for demonstration and research areas, with the aim of providing rehabilitation techniques as soon as possible. These were established in four study sites as follows: Site 1: Tambol Pakpoon, Nakhon Si Tammarat; Site 2: Tambol Tongnean, Nakhon Si Tammarat; Site 3: Tambol Bangtoi, Phangnga; Site 4: Tambol Ngao, Ranong. Site 1 was a new mudflat. The plantation covers 3 ha of a mixture of Rhizophora apiculata, R. mucronata and Avicennia marina (1 ha/species). Site 2 was an abandoned shrimp farm. The planted plot covers 3.2 ha, of R. apiculata, A. marina, Bruguiera cylindrica and Ceriops tagal (0.8 ha/species). Site 3 was an abandoned mining area. The planted plot covers 3.2 ha of R. apiculata, Avicennia officinalis, Bruguiera cylindrica, Ceriops tagal and Xylocarpus granatum (0.64 ha/species). Site 4 was a degraded mangrove forest. The planted plot covers 3 ha of R. apiculata, R. mucronata and Bruguiera cylindrica (1 ha/species).
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The evaluators visited Site 1 and Site 2 and were impressed by the results obtained as far the plant cover and tree growth are concerned. But they noted that these sites could neither be considered as demonstration plantations nor as research plots. The establishment of the plots did not follow an experimental layout allowing the control of key environmental and management factors for statistical analysis and data interpretation. It is therefore not possible to assess, for example, the interactions between species and spacing, between and within sites, and to the different outcomes as far as biodiversity is concerned. As demonstration sites, the plots are too small for replication of the experiences at a wider scale, and there was no farmer participation in the process. Besides, no access has been provided to the site to allow visitors to walk, observe and discuss the effects of the techniques being applied. The plots remained therefore in “social isolation” due to the lack of enthusiasm from individual farmers to replicate the experience on their own. The project produced audiovisual material consisting in video and a slide set, as planned. This material focuses on the importance of mangroves, their benefits , the factors of their destruction and the techniques for their restoration. Output 1.4.1: Mangrove related personnel in Thailand trained
A seminar/training course was organized in Nakhon Si Tammarat from 16-19 September 1996 for 25 participants including the staff and local authorities involved in the management of mangrove forests, governmental and non-governmental agents, community leaders, school teachers and graduate students. According to additional information provided by M. J. Hagiya but not documented in the reports, the project also trained the personnel of mangrove seed production centers, mangrove research and conservation stations, regional forest offices and mangrove management units. Output 2.2.1: Survey results reported and techniques disseminated in seminar for personnel of NATMANCOM in each country. The project did not organize a seminar in each country as originally planned. Furthermore, it did not publish the results of case studies conducted in nearby countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam), which had been recommended by the PSC at its first meeting. The need for this publication was again reiterated by the PSC in its 3rd meeting. However, a workshop was organized in Bangkok, Thailand, on 18-20 April 1994 for participants from Thailand, Japan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam. Each participant presented a country report. The proceedings of the workshop were published. They provide valuable information on mangrove planting techniques based on the experience from Southeast Asian countries.
4.3.2 Effectiveness in promoting the conservation, sustainable management and/or rehabilitation of mangroves The best way to assess the effectiveness of the project in promoting conservation, sustainable management and/or rehabilitation of mangroves is to measure its success in putting in place the processes that support this promotion. Based on the goals of the project, the evaluators chose these four processes for this assessment: problem analysis and objective definition, development of strategic framework, inter-sectoral collaboration and changes in the Executing Agency services. As far as problem analysis and objective definition at the stage of project identification are concerned, the evaluators did not find any documentation and did not have any
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account on the process used for project formulation before submitting the proposal to ITTO. Although there was no consultation with the stakeholders, consultations took place among members of the NATMANCOM. There was therefore a good institutional endorsement of the project's objectives as well as a good political commitment to supporting these objectives. Researchers and personnel of local Royal Forest Department offices, Mangrove Seed Production Centers and Mangrove Ecosystem Research and Conservation Stations participated in project activities. This collaboration was reinforced by the national and international workshops that were organized by the project. However, in spite of this inter-sectoral collaboration in the implementation of the project, no process mechanisms seem to have been established by the collaborating institutions to establish the follow-up of project activities at its termination. Similarly no consultative processes or mechanisms have been developed to encourage local farmers to incorporate the technologies developed by the Project into their shrimp-farming practices. Also the project does not seem to have given any impulse to organizational changes in the services concerned or any commitment of additional resources for ensuring such a follow-up. Similarly, it does not seem to have had a direct impact on Governmental policy processes, although there has been a positive effect on the activities of the local forest offices in the provinces of Nakhon Si Tammarat, Phangnga and Panong.
4.3.3 The overall role and contribution of the project to achieve conservation, sustainable management and/or rehabilitation of mangroves in the country
Achievement of specific objectives As far as the achievement of the project's objectives is concerned, there are considerable differences between the assessment of the evaluators and the viewpoints of the implementing agencies as expressed by these in the final report and in the interviews. The project reports give the impression that the project achieved all its objectives. However, the evaluators estimate that of the six specific objectives, the second of the first development objective, namely selecting suitable mangrove species for different planting sites can be considered as attained. The fourth specific objective of the first development objective and second of the second development have been partially attained. The remaining specific objectives were not attained. Here are the details on the degree of attainment of different objectives: 1) To document and to disseminate the current state-of-the-art with respect to the
technology on the re-afforestation of mangrove forests in ITTO member countries. The project has made no attempt to implement activities related to this objective.
2) To evaluate the current state of denuded mangrove forest lands destroyed by various patterns of utilization in ITTO member countries.
The project has made no attempt to implement activities related to this objective.
3) To select suitable mangrove species and seed provenance for re-afforestation techniques for the respective species.
The project effectively selected suitable mangrove species for reforestation, but it did not select suitable provenances. The species recommendations for reforestation are as follows:
Newly accreted mudflats: Rhizophora mucronata and R. apiculata. Abandoned shrimp ponds: R. apiculata and Bruguiera cylindrica.
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Abandoned tin mining areas: Ceriops tagal and Avicennnia officinalis. Degraded mangrove forests: R. mucronata and R. apiculata.
4) To obtain basic data on classified work efficiency, costs and necessary facilities and
equipment for re-afforestation work on large scale.
The project has made no attempt to implement activities related to this objective.
5) To train the personnel from member institutions of National Mangrove Committee of Thailand such as the Royal Forest Department.
Besides the short seminar and training course it organized, the project has not elaborated and implemented a program to train the personnel of member institutions of NATMANCOM.
6) To disseminate around the world knowledge of re-afforestation techniques obtained through seminar and workshop.
The project has published and disseminated the proceedings of the workshop.
From the above, it can be concluded that the Project was not implemented in an effective manner. Although there have been benefits from some activities, the achievements related to many objectives articulated in the Project Document are weak.
Achievement of development objectives The project has not had any noticeable impact with regard to its development objectives. It was intended to be of a global scope, but in reality its main focus became Thailand. In addition, of the three development objectives, the project seems to have pursued only the first and the second. They are the only ones which had corresponding specific objectives. The 3rd development objective could not be attained without planning actual outputs and activities to be implemented.
4.3.4 The current status of mangroves within the project’s area of influence In the visited area of Nakhon Si Thammarat, shrimp-farming in privately owned mangrove forests is intense and remains one of the major causes of mangrove ecosystem degradation. Policy measures to adequately regulate the shrimp industry on private lands and to ensure the introduction of mangrove-friendly shrimp farming approaches have not yet been taken. Today, mangrove forests of that province are therefore still under threat of degradation. At the same time there is an increasing awareness of the need for degraded mangrove restoration.
4.3.5 The contributions of the specific studies in various disciplines The Project contributed knowledge for future mangrove rehabilitation activities. Planting mangroves on abandoned shrimp farms had never been attempted before in Thailand. The project's work proved that restoration of degraded mangrove ecosystems can be achieved effectively. This is an important contribution which has enhanced mangrove forest rehabilitation in Southern Thailand. However the technical reports produced on research/demonstration work focused mainly on the tree component. They do not provide sufficient information for an integrated planning of large-scale mangrove restoration.
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4.3.6 The effectiveness of dissemination of project results The project has been effective in disseminating its results. This has been achieved through the publication of the Workshop proceedings, the final project report, the Manual for re-afforestation of mangrove species in the Thai language, and the audiovisual material. The project's results have also been disseminated through workshops and seminars on mangrove ecosystems and training courses on mangrove rehabilitation techniques. The dissemination targeted, among others, local forest officers, villagers and universities in Thailand. For the publications written in English, dissemination target in addition to Thailand other ITTO member countries.
4.3.7 Follow-up actions in order to enhance uptake of project results Thailand did not submit any proposal for a second phase to ITTO. However, mangrove rehabilitation activities similar to those initiated by the project are pursued within the framework of the Thai Government's mangrove reforestation program through the Green Carpet Project in cooperation with Japanese volunteers groups. The Green Carpet Project started its activities in 1998 and operates in Nakhon Si Tammarat. In Phangnga and Panong provinces, local project officers are promoting mangrove planting activities in villages of the project area.
4.4 Impacts and effects 4.4.1 The results and potential impact of applied research and its contribution to the
overall knowledge on mangroves in the region As mentioned earlier, the project was intended to be of a global scope, but in reality its main focus became Thailand. It therefore failed to have the intended global impact. The audiovisual material produced by the project contributed to promoting the awareness on the importance of mangroves. This material is widely used in Thailand for environmental education activities targeting local communities, students and the public in general. The planting techniques developed by the project for the forestation of new mudflats, rehabilitation of mining areas and degraded mangrove forests will allow speeding up national programs in restoration of mangrove forest cover.
4.4.2 Impact of the project’s activities on the livelihoods of target populations The project activities in the field were of a limited scale and could not yet have an impact on the livelihoods of the populations. Nevertheless, these populations whose livelihoods depend on fisheries will certainly benefit from large-scale mangrove rehabilitation activities, such those being implemented by the Green Carpet Project. The destruction of mangrove forests in the past has reduced the catch of fish, shrimps and crabs. Therefore the rehabilitation techniques demonstrated by the project are particularly relevant for abandoned shrimp farms in Nakhon Si Tammarat. The local farmers have an additional option to improve the environmental conditions on newly accreted mudflats.
4.4.3 The overall post-project situation in the project’s area of influence Mangrove rehabilitation activities are continuing with the above-mentioned Green Carpet Project in Nakhon Si Tammarat Province. The evaluators learnt from a former project JAM official that similar activities are promoted in Phangnga and Ranong provinces by local forest offices in cooperation with Japanese volunteers groups. Based on observations and discussions in Nakhon Si Tammarat, the evaluators noted that there was no overall approach for the rehabilitation of degraded mangrove
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forests on shrimp farms and for the prevention of further conversion of such forests to shrimp farming or other change of land use. There has been no policy development aiming at sustainability of the results of the project through the mobilization of local farmers to conduct mangrove rehabilitation themselves.
4.4.4 The unexpected effects and impacts and the reasons for their occurrences
Between 1994 and 2003, Japanese volunteer groups and corporations carried out mangrove planting activities for mangrove forest rehabilitation, alongside local people and students in Thai villages. A total area of about 191 ha has thus been planted with mangrove species. Bang Toey Village in Phangnga Province, where ITTO Site 3 is located, and which continued to get support for mangrove planting from the Japanese volunteers groups, was awarded flags from the Royal Family in 2003. Using the techniques and experience developed by the project, the Green Carpet project carries out mangrove rehabilitation activities in Nakhon Si Tammarat with funds from Japanese Government and private donors. The first phase of 5 years (1998-2002) aimed at rehabilitating 1000 ha of mangrove forests on abandoned shrimp farms. In 2002 the total planted area was only 476.6 ha. The original target was not met due to the lengthy discussions with shrimp farm owners. The second phase (2003-2005) is under implementation and its activities include tending the plantations created in Phase 1 and rehabilitating an additional 300 ha.
4.4.5 Contribution to the ITTO Yokohama Action Plan and Mangrove Action Plan
The Yokohama Action Plan recognizes that “in addition to their ecological and socio-economic importance, mangrove forests provide timber and timber-related products that are internationally traded”. The project complies with the Plan’s Goal 1 “Support activities to secure the tropical timber resource base” under Reforestation and Forest Management, in recommended Action 4 « Promote the conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable management of threatened forest ecosystems, inter alia mangroves, in collaboration with relevant organizations”. The project is in compliance with the ITTO Mangrove Workplan 2002-2006 as it crosscuts four of the six selected areas of activities, as follows: Area 2: “Mangrove information and awareness”: One of the project's specific objectives was to disseminate around the world knowledge of re-afforestation techniques obtained through seminar and workshop. The activities aiming at achieving this included publication and dissemination of mangrove information. This contributed to raising the awareness of decision-makers and the general public on importance of mangrove forests around the world. Area 3: “Socioeconomic aspects”: Large-scale application of the techniques developed by the project, through the activities such those being implemented by the Green Carpet Project, will benefit populations whose livelihoods depend on mangrove ecosystems for fishing activities. Area 4: “Mangrove ecosystem functions and health”: The project's work demonstrated how to rehabilitate mangrove ecosystems and make them self-sustaining and productive with reestablished ecological functions. Area 5: “Cooperation and capacity building”: The project provided support to Thailand's NATMANCOM, which coordinates activities related to mangrove ecosystems.
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4.5 Successes, failures, key lessons learnt
4.5.1 Successes
A fundamental aspect to underline among the successes of the project is the role played by the NATMANCOM in the implementation of the project and its close cooperation with JAM. This cooperation succeeded in mobilizing mangrove experts in Southeast Asia to contribute to the regional workshop organized by the project. However this success was short-lived as JAM broke-up and the splinter group, REAGMAN, mounted a similar activity, not with NATMANCOM, but with a new organization, TUMREC.
4.5.2 Failures
One failure concerns lack of community involvement in the operations of the project. Representatives of communities should have been involved in the whole process developed by the project in its work in the four reforestation sites. These sites could have played an additional role of providing planting material to local farmers to use on their land. The consequence of this failure is the lack of any visible social transformation around the field plots of the project in Nakhon Si Tammarat. Although the Project intended to have a demonstration effect, there is still no appropriation of individual farmers as far as restoring mangroves on their farms by their own effort is concerned. In the generalized restoration program conducted by the Green Carpet project, the evaluators were informed that planting activities are carried out by the project itself on degraded farms.
Another failure concerns the lack of scientific rigor in the layout of plantation plots in the four experimental/demonstration sites. Their planning could have taken into account the whole array of information needed beyond the mere feasibility of rehabilitation and choice of species for these sites. An opportunity was therefore missed to study, for example, the interactions of species, sites, spacing, thinning regimes, and their wider environmental impacts and particular impacts on natural regeneration and biodiversity rehabilitation.
A failure worth underlining concerns the lack of a monitoring and evaluation system to monitor the impact of the project’s action. The monitoring was limited to reporting the project progress to ITTO. The project did not establish a baseline and system that would allow evaluating its cumulative effects and impacts on biodiversity in general and fisheries in particular, and the socio-economic benefits.
The main failure is probably how the project ended. In spite of the acceptance of its results, it has not been institutionalized, neither at the national level nor at the provincial level. Apparently no exit strategy was presented to ITTO as far as the sustainability of the results is concerned. In this regard the project probably suffered from an internal rift in JAM which led to two new rival groups with differing orientations. One group continued mangrove related activities with other sources of funds. REAGMAN was born and is independent of JAM. It cooperates with Thailand Union for Mangrove Rehabilitation and Conservation (TUMREC) to pursue the activities that are similar to those that the project was conducting.
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4.5.3 Lessons learnt
The key lessons learnt are: Mangrove rehabilitation on abandoned shrimp farms and mined areas can be
successfully carried out in Thailand. Poorly designed projects reduce the implementation effectiveness. Project
implementation could have benefited from an adequate problem analysis and a logical framework.
Project design needs to give clear thought to the development objective, and state
clearly the specific objectives, outputs, indicators, assumptions and risks. The implementation monitoring arrangements during implementation should also be described.
The active role of the PSC in providing guidance to the Project allowed it to solve
important implementation problems in a timely manner. It also provided the flexibility to correct some of the weaknesses of the Project Document.
Sustainability requires well designed and targeted outputs for beneficiaries and
end users. The end-users of the research and demonstration results should have been identified and their needs assessed prior to the elaboration of the project, and the project design should have built in a plan for the uptake of results by the individual farmers and other users.
Furthermore, the achievement of technical and scientific outputs alone is
insufficient. Policy objectives and field activities should be planned in order to ensure that the end-users integrate these outputs in their practices.
Individual shrimp-farmers, as potential end-users, should have participated in the
research activities. Policy and institutional conditions that are necessary to facilitate the uptake of research results by these farmers to allow them to reforest their degraded shrimp-farms should have been identified.
PART III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 1. CONCLUSIONS 1.1 Implementation efficiency and project effectiveness
Overall, the efficiency and the effectiveness of the project have been low due to the shortcomings in achieving several specific objectives and outputs. However, the project provided essential information on the techniques of rehabilitation of degraded mangrove forests. It recommended suitable mangrove species for reforestation of newly accreted mudflats abandoned shrimp ponds, abandoned tin mining areas and degraded mangrove forests. These outputs have the potential to enhance the activities of mangrove reforestation in southern Thailand. Furthermore, the project has been effective in disseminating its results in Thailand, namely to local forest officers, villagers and universities. Towards its end, the project was negatively impacted by the dissensions within the implementing and collaborating agencies. The evaluators were unable to assess the exact impact of these dissensions due to lack of documentation and information by former project staff and representatives of the Executing Agency.
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1.2 Overall assessment of successes and failures
The project was a successful in demonstrating the feasibility of rehabilitating degraded mangrove ecosystems in southern Thailand. The techniques developed are applied in follow-up rehabilitation activities, such as the program conducted by the Green Carpet project. However, the project failed to mobilize communities living near its reforestation sites to adopt its results and carry out rehabilitation work by their own effort. These sites could have provided, for example, planting material to local farmers to use on their land. It should be further noted that the technical aspects of experimentation in these sites lacked scientific rigor in their layout. There was a need to study for example the interactions of species, sites, spacing, thinning regimes, and their wider environmental impacts and particular impacts on natural regeneration and biodiversity rehabilitation. The design of field demonstration/experimentation plots was not adequate for statistical analysis. During most of its implementation, the project was an example of what can be achieved in terms of cooperation between an NGO in a developed country and a national structure in a developing country as far as mangrove related work is concerned. This cooperation had succeeded in mobilizing mangrove experts in Southeast Asia to contribute to the regional workshop organized by the project. However internal problems within the Executing Agency put an end to this experience. It is probable that internal JAM problems did not allow the project to propose an exit strategy or to submit a follow-up project to ITTO. This raises the problem of the sustainability of the results of the project, although a splinter group of JAM and a new Thai group continued mangrove related activities in the project area with other sources of funds.
1.3 Alternative design of the project The idea behind the project of the importance of rehabilitating degraded mangrove ecosystems was valid. The rehabilitation of abandoned shrimp farms to a functional, sustainably managed ecosystem has a potential of reducing human pressure on the remaining mangroves. However, the project was not well conceptualized and was not implemented in an effective manner. The Project Document was too brief and did not provide enough information to understand its goal and purpose. Its analysis does not reveal any process that may have been used to formulate the project in the appraisal stage, before submitting it to ITTO. Although it was meant to be a global project, its main focus was on southern Thailand, and on mangrove rehabilitation only. It did not develop any mechanism for sector linkage in order to have impacts on policy changes in Thailand. No processes were developed by the project and the collaborating institutions to establish a follow-up of its activities after its completion. From the above, it is clear that the design of the project would have benefited from a logical framework defining the objectives, outputs and corresponding indicators, the means of verification and the assumptions. In its implementation, it should have put more emphasis on developing regional and national processes aiming at achieving wider impact.
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2. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the findings of the evaluation, the following recommendations have been developed: To the Government of Thailand: The rehabilitation of mangroves in abandoned shrimp farms should receive high
priority. There should be guidelines for shrimp-farming to make it mangrove-friendly and sustainable.
The process of project identification is crucial for its success. It is important to
make sure that projects submitted to ITTO have been identified through a consultation process involving key stakeholders and targeted beneficiaries.
To ITTO: ITTO should make sure that projects submitted have been identified through a
consultation process involving key stakeholders and targeted beneficiaries.
Project documents should be clear and internally consistent in their problem analysis, objectives definition, choice of implementation strategies and description of implementation modalities. Exit strategies should be clearly described.
The supervisory role of ITTO as well as the role of the PSCs should be
strengthened to ensure good implementation. This requires a clear definition of the terms of reference for the project supervision role and PSCs.
Projects having implementation problems should be evaluated before their
completion, at a time that will allow corrective action to be taken. As much as possible projects should be conceived to have catalytic effects on
policy processes in beneficiary countries. Projects should establish a monitoring and evaluation system to facilitate their
implementation and to ensure the assessment of their impacts.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The evaluators acknowledge with sincere thanks the assistance given to them by Professor Sanit Aksornkoae, Ms. Prapasri Thanasukarn, and M. J. Hagiya for the success of their visit in Thailand. They also wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of the Forest Office, Nakhon Si Tammarat, for their availability to answer their questions and for their hospitality.
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DOCUMENTS CONSULTED
JAM, 1993. Progress Report on ITTO Project PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F) "Development and dissemination of re-afforestation techniques of Mangrove Forests".
JAM, 1994. Proceedings of the Workshop on ITTO Project PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F)
"Development and dissemination of reafforestation techniques of Mangrove Forests", 18-20 April 1994, Bangkok, Thailand.
JAM, 1994. Progress Report on ITTO Project PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F) "Development and
dissemination of re-afforestation techniques of Mangrove Forests". JAM, 1995. Mid-term Report on ITTO Project PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F) "Development and
dissemination of re-afforestation techniques of Mangrove Forests". JAM, 1996a. Progress Report on ITTO Project PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F) "Development and
dissemination of re-afforestation techniques of Mangrove Forests". JAM, 1996b. Progress Report on ITTO Project PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F) "Development and
dissemination of re-afforestation techniques of Mangrove Forests". JAM, 1997. Final Report of the ITTO Project PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F) "Development and
dissemination of re-afforestation techniques of Mangrove Forests", Tokyo, Japan. Other Project documents: PD 11/92 Rev. 1 (F). Project Agreement. PSC Minutes.
