lampi marine national park
TRANSCRIPT
Lampi Marine National Park
Tania Miorin – Country Representative
Multi-Stakeholder workshop onResponsible Tourism in Tanintharyi Region
Dawei, 20th December 2016
Presentation Overview
Background & Context
Ecotourism Management Plan
o On-going Activities
o Future Plans
Conclusions
Istituto Oikos
• Italian based NGO, established in Milan in 1996
• Operating in Myanmar since 2009, with the aim of promoting responsible management of natural resources and sustainable development
• Working in Lampi MNP in collaboration with Forest Department -MONREC, with the objective to strengthen the conservation and management of the Park
OIKOS: ancient Greek word meaning ‘our shared habitat’
Lampi Marine National Park: key information
Myanmar’s first & only Marine NP
Gazetted in 1996 (“Paper Park” until2012)
Area of > 205 km2 (Lampi Island plus 20 smaller islands)
ASEAN Heritage Park 2003
Important Bird Area 2004
Extensive & inclusive consultation to design:
o LMNP 2014-18 General Management Plan
o LMNP 2015-18 EcotourismManagement Plan
Lampi MNP: habitat & key natural resources
High biodiversity and ecological importance
key habitats: tropical evergreen forest, mangrove forest, beach and dune forest, coral reef, sea grass beds
Key terrestrial & marine resources: hornbills, sea turtles, sunda pangolin,northern pig-tailed macaque, lesser mouse deer .........over 1,000 species recorded
Lampi MNP: local community
5 settlements
3,000 people from different Ethnic groups/ extremely heterogeneous
majority migrated from main land over 20 years ago
‘Mother Land’ of the Moken (160 people) -> spiritual value of the park
Community dependent on coastal resources livelihood
Main land use/human activities: fisheries, hunting, logging, plantation and local businesses
Illegal hunting Illegal and destructive
commercial fishing practices (dynamite fishing, trawlers)
Over-harvesting of marine resources (sea cucumber, see shells, turtle eggs)
Logging & forest clearing for plantations (rubber, mango, betel nut, cashew)
Land-grabbing / disputes Waste disposal & litter Risk of in-migration
Lampi MNP: Threats
Lampi MNP: access & tourism
Access: isolated place, limited communication, based on Travel Authorization
Tourism: since 1997 open to international tourists
Limited to the live-aboard cruises (no CBT accommodation allowed yet, one high-end Resort recently approved)
> 1,400 tourists /year inside the Park
Until 2015: No engagement of community in tourism/no financial benefit
FD / OIKOSProject Objectives
Promote Park’s conservation Document key natural
resources Increase awareness &
participation of local community in conservation and sustainable use of natural resources
Promote sustainable livelihoods for local community, especially Community-based Ecotourism
Challenges for Ecotourism
Weak regulatory environment & Law Enforcement: On-going destructive illegal activities & uncontrolled infrastructure development
Insufficient dialogue & coordination between key stakeholders (MONREC/Park Staff, MOHT, GAD/MOHA, local community………)
Yacht tourism growing but delivering few community benefits (arrive unannounced, short stop/anchoring problems)
No systems in place to direct tourism fees to environmental conservation & community development (no entry fee, no tourist service fees)
Lack of social cohesion among people living in the Park
Local people need training and skill sets to be involved and benefit from ecotourism (i.e English, Hospitality, Tour Guiding, Handicraft, tourism industry..)
If local community benefits from ecotourism, they will help “police” and report illegal activity (i.e sea turtles hatchery, coral protection)
If tourism is to become an incentive to stop destructive use, tourism benefits must outweigh incomes from extractive activities
1.Strengthen stakeholder coordination and management
2.Strengthen & diversify tourism product range
3.Develop conservation linkages & monitoring protocols
4.Develop marketing & interpretation
Strategic Programmes
Ecotourism Management PlanApproved June 2015
Lampi CBT Committee
Lampi CBT Committee established
Training & awareness-raising programme being implemented
6-month work plans prepared
CBT study tours
Lampi MNP Ecotourism Committee
District-level: government, private sector & Lampi CBT Committee
Stakeholder coordination / coordinate activities
2-3 meetings per year
Stakeholder Planning & Coordination
Waste management system in place and run by the community
Households & shops pay monthly waste collection fees
Dump sites/land fills were identified and created
Clean Up Days regularly organized by youth and community members
On-going Work Programmes: Waste Management
Ecotourism training to local community (CBT committee)
English training for community members
Village Tour Guiding Training (village tour, Moken tour, 2 jungle trails)
Handicraft products & shop opened (linked to waste-management project)
Environmental Education in & around the Park
Training & Education On-going Work Programmes:
Tour Guide Training
Piloting Village Tour and Jungle trails with local Tour Guides
Boat moorings construction
Collaboration with Private/Tourism Sector
On-going work programmes:
multifunctional-educational hall for workshops & trainings, an open space with educational panels to raise awareness about Park’s natural resources and Moken culture
office space, 5 bedrooms and kitchen facilities to host local & international researchers and consultants
Park Visitor Centre
Education Panels
Contents: Lampi MNP Overview Moken Mangroves Sea Turtles Birds Hornbill
20 panels inside Visitor Centre
10 panels around the Park including 5 centred around the Moken
Contents: Natural Resources; Human History, Conservation Management; & Tourism (25 separate topics)
Collaboration with scientists, local and international universities, other NGOs, tourism consultants and the private sector
10,000 copies
Lampi GuideBook (80 pages)
Lampi Folding MAP
DOs & DONTs Be a Responsible Tourist !
Code of Conduct developed & included in:
folding map
guidebook
posters
Park website
Working with yachting companies & MOHT archipelago guides to distribute these materials
Lampi MNP new logo and official website www.lampipark.org
Lampi Project Video Documentaries
Fund raising campaign:
o mobilize tourist donations to support community development initiatives and Park’s conservation
o promoted among tourist sector, especially through yachting companies, tour operator & their websites
Park Promotion & Visibility
Develop CBT Accommodation
Discussions underway with community, FD/NWCD to establish….
A community & private sector partnership (Oikos as facilitator)
Low environmental footprint, accommodation for 20-25 people
Develop skill sets to enable local people to take over management through a Park lease agreement (in 5-10 yrs)
Future Plans
Future Plans
Working with CNRS Paris & renowned anthropologists to develop……
Build 3-5 kabangs, living museum
Park tours on kabangs
Develop Moken excursions (mangroves tours with sampan, …)
Products designed & trialed in partnership with CBT accommodation project & current tourists
Lampi museum / cultural space & travelling exhibitions
PSU/OIKOS Manta survey of Lampi Is…p17
6 A Moken extended family from a group based south of Lampi in transit between harvesting grounds. Family members sleep and fish from the small boats but congregate on the larger boat for meals or social interaction.
This survey was the first time that the entire coast of Lampi Island has been inspected according to a
standardized survey protocol. The insights gained from this survey will be integrated into data sets
derived from remote-sensed data and used to develop comprehensive habitat maps annotated with
evaluations of community condition. The resultant product will provide not only an essential baseline
against which managers can measure the progress of the environment towards rehabilitation, but will
provide an important resource for understanding ecosystem patterns and the relationships between
the human inhabitants of Lampi. Several local youths received valuable exposure to environmental
concepts and techniques for working safely in the ocean, By understanding the distribution of
ecosystem types and the factors that influence their health and resilience, the managers of this
immensely valuable natural resource are better able to create strategies to promote sustainable use
and long term preservation of Myanmar’s natural heritage.
Develop Moken-focused products
Future Plans
High archipelago fees charged for yachting tours (2015, US$468,239) – but nothing redirected to the Park or Archipelago
Financing options:
o Park entry fee
o User fees (anchoring, kayaking, tour guide etc..)
o Concessions & leases (Wa Ale, future CBT accommodation…)
o Donations from “I Love Lampi” campaign
o Lampi Community Development Trust Fund
Guidelines for use of funds (conservation & community development)
Align with national policy & strategy for protected areas
2015 - 2025
MYANMAR Ecotourism Policy and Management Strategy
for Protected Areas
Design & deploy ecotourism-related sustainable funding mechanisms
In Conclusion….
Great Potential !
• National Park status enables stronger management controls
• High community interest in CBT & ecotourism
• Ecotourism is engaging the local community in Park conservation
• Lampi can become a model for the Archipelago & other PAs
• High Media interest in the Moken and Myanmar’s only National Park
Key Concerns• On-going exploitation of Park
resources
• No easy /quick fix answers to COMPLEX planning & management issues
• Need to develop slowly:
o build a common understanding of concepts (CBT, conservation through development, sustainable financing /PES)
o Build capacity among all stakeholders at all levels
....for Lampi to be a success story there is a need forstrong governance & high-level political support !
