Fall 2006 | Munson Conservation Lecture Series

To gain a perspective on another vulnerable coastal area of the world, Dr. Barbara Best, a Coastal Resources and Policy Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development, spoke about reconstruction aid in South East Asia following the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. This disaster, besides being international in scope, also occurred approximately a year before the hurricanes on the U.S. Gulf coast, providing a longer view in time of whether a crisis has brought change in the coastal area.

The talk opened with an overview of the effects of the 2004 tsunami, where coastal areas in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India were either severely impacted or destroyed. Dr. Best mentioned that even though the tsunami force was great, destruction was magnified by circumstances common in developing countries: little or no coastal planning, degraded coastal environments, weak or unresponsive governments, and the lack of a tsunami early warning system.

In addition to these conditions, world wide response to the disaster, while well intentioned, at times exacerbated problems existing prior to the tsunami. The United Nations disaster relief team only works with national governments and major relief donors (e.g., the Red Cross), and had no mechanism in place to coordinate the numerous NGO relief efforts. As a result the reconstruction response was often chaotic, and aid was at times either inappropriate or destructive to the environment and people.

Fisheries is one example. Before the tsunami, the area suffered from depleted fish stocks; overfishing was a problem as opportunities for alternative livelihoods were limited. While a great number of boats were lost or destroyed by the tsunami, donation of boats after the disaster doubled the fishing capacity. Moreover, a number of the donated boats and gear were useless to the local fishers, as they were designed for a different type of fishing than what is practiced in the region.

In addition to inappropriate aid, first responders often lacked basic environmental knowledge, sometimes resulting in destructive actions to the local environment. Examples mentioned in the talk included setting up sanitary facilities where they could contaminate drinking water sources and depositing trash in wetland areas.

One lesson brought forth is the difficulty associated with responding to any disaster, natural or man made, when there are pre-existing environmental problems. In February 2005, a Ministerial Conference in Cairo addressed the question of how to respond to the tsunami crisis sustainably, correcting past mistakes to create a safer and more economically viable community afterwards. In addition, the Red Cross and World Wildlife Federation have signed a MOU to institutionalize guidelines and better practices for first responders.

Dr. Best also highlighted USAID projects in 4 coastal Thai villages that were affected by the tsunami, but also had pre-existing problems, such as limited opportunities contributing to overfishing and youth migration to urban areas. The communities, while poor, have exhibited some elements of self-organization and interest in improved resource management, making them active partners in reconstruction efforts. The USAID program includes projects “to create a unified vision for sound development”, restart and diversify sustainable livelihoods, assist with proper siting and design of public infrastructure, and enhance fisheries management capacity.” It is hoped that working in partnership with the local people, conditions will improve over what existed pre-tsunami.

The talk closed with Dr. Best’s outline of a number of “Lessons Learned” from this disaster. It is no surprise that responding to a disaster with good development practices also ensures a more sustainable future.