Support for the Rehabilitation of Traditional Communities and Municipalities in Tsunami-affected Areas in Thailand
The 2004 tsunami had affected six southern provinces along the Andaman coastline, namely Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Satun. The tsunami not only affected hotels, resorts and commercial operations, but has also had a severe impact on residential fishing villages, including sea gypsy villages and traditional communities living along the shoreline who depend on fishing and the tourist industry for their livelihood. UN-HABITAT has been working in collaboration with UNDP on a project to support the rehabilitation of traditional communities and municipalities in the tsunami-affected areas in Thailand. This project has: (1) Supported the rehabilitation and recovery needs of traditional and sea gypsy communities by strengthening their existing support networks, providing technical assistance and resources and linking these communities to relevant stakeholders to ensure sustainable recovery and long-term development; (2) Promoted indigenous cultures and the participation of indigenous communities in conservation planning; (3) Built the capacity of local government organisations in participatory rehabilitation planning with the added aim of ensuring that the vulnerability against future disasters of affected communities is reduced. The project started in July 2005 and was completed successfully in November 2006.
