Dr. Nitin K Tripathi Dr. Theo W EbbersDr. Wenresti Gallardo Dr. Somsak Boromthanarat

Dr. Vern Singhroy (External expert)

INTEGRATION OF SAR, OPTICAL REMOTE SENSING DATA AND GIS FOR CHANGE DETECTION AND RESTORATION OF NIPA PALM

PLANTATION IN PAK PHANANG, THAILAND

JANNET BENCUREExamination Committee:

Contents

1

2

3

4

Introduction, Study Area, Problem Statement

Objectives of the study

Distribution and Healthiness of Nipa palm in Khanap Nak during 1993 - 2009

Suitable Area for Nipa Palm Plantation

5

6

Nipa palm: Perception of the Local Community and its potential to reduce poverty, and increase energy security.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction – Why Nipa palm?

ASugar

BEthanol

CWine, Vinegar

DRoofing, Cigarette roll, Fire wood

Benefits of Nipa palm

EDisaster prevention

NOT compete with food crops

www.themegallery.com

Study Area

Study Area: Tambon (Sub-district) Khanap Nak, Amphoe (district) Pak Phanang, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Thailand

Nipa palm in tambon Khanap Nak

Nipa palm

Sap • Sugar

• Honey• Wine• Vinegar

Leaves/Trunk

• Roofing• Cigarette

roll

• Firewood

- 32 liters sap/rai/day (200 liters/hectare/day)

- sugar sold at 40baht/kg- Honey sold at 30baht/625ml-bottle- Wine sold at 70baht/625ml-bottle

- Water (less saline) flows freely along Pak Phanang and Hua Sia rivers.

Before Watergate and canal construction

Pak Phanang river

Hua Sai river

- Gate opens during rainy season (October – December)

- Gate closes during dry season (May-September)

Opening/Closing of Watergates

Gate close

Stagnant high saline water affects the health of Nipa palm

Project for Nipa Palm Area in Khanap Nak

- mini-gates were constructed in 2006, implemented in 2008

- Nipa palm farmers has full authority to open/close the mini-gates

- aimed to control the intrusion of saltwater to Nipa palm area

Objectives of the Study

1

2

To assess quantitatively the distribution, and greenness (healthiness) of Nipa palm in Pak Phanang during four different periods (1993, 1998, 2006, and 2009). To find suitable area for plantation of Nipa palm in tambon Khanap Nak, amphoe Pak Phanang

3 To evaluate the perceptions of the local people towards Nipa palm as a source of livelihood.

To estimate sap, sugar, and ethanol production from Nipa palm area in tambon Khanap Nak, amphoe Pak Phanang.

4

Objectives of the Study

Distribution of Nipa palm area (1993-2009)

PeriodNipa palm Original

Area (rai)Nipa palm Area

Gain (rai)Nipa palm

Area Loss (rai)

Net Area Gain/Loss

(rai)

1993-1998 5266.70 569.43 1684.38 -1,114.941998-2006 4151.76 405.05 2015.53 -1,610.472006-2009 2541.28 443.37 579.41 -136.04

Distribution of Nipa palm area (1993-2009)

1993 1998 2006 20090

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900 842.7

664.8

406.6 384.8

Are

a (h

ecta

res)

YearNote: 1 hectare = 6.25 rai

Healthiness of Nipa palm area (1993-2009)

1993

2006

1998

2009Legend

Suitable Area for Nipa palm - Workflow

Suitable Area for Nipa palm - ResultExisting Nipa Palm Area Overlayed on Nipa Palm Suitability in Amphoe Khanap Nak

Ko Phet

Tha Paya

Pak Phraek

Pak Phraek

636000

636000

638000

638000

640000

640000

642000

642000

9020

00

9020

00

9040

00

9040

00

9060

00

9060

00

9080

00

9080

00

9100

00

9100

00

9120

00

9120

00

100°17'E

100°17'E

100°16'E

100°16'E

100°15'E

100°15'E

100°14'E

100°14'E

8°15

'N

8°15

'N

8°14

'N

8°14

'N

8°13

'N

8°13

'N

8°12

'N

8°12

'N

8°11

'N

8°11

'N

8°10

'N

8°10

'N

0 2 41Kilometers

WGS 84

High

Moderate

Marginal

Low

Level of Suitability

Pak Phanang River

Klong Rabainam Nhagote

Khanap Nak boundary

Amphoe boundary

Sea shore

River Buffer zone

Existing Nipa palm

±

Existing Nipa Palm Area Overlayed on Nipa Palm Suitability in Amphoe Khanap Nak

Ko Phet

Tha Paya

Pak Phraek

Pak Phraek

636000

636000

638000

638000

640000

640000

642000

64200090

2000

9020

00

9040

00

9040

00

9060

00

9060

00

9080

00

9080

00

9100

00

9100

00

9120

00

9120

00

100°17'E

100°17'E

100°16'E

100°16'E

100°15'E

100°15'E

100°14'E

100°14'E

8°15

'N

8°15

'N

8°14

'N

8°14

'N

8°13

'N

8°13

'N

8°12

'N

8°12

'N

8°11

'N

8°11

'N

8°10

'N

8°10

'N

0 2 41Kilometers

WGS 84

High

Moderate

Marginal

Low

Level of Suitability

Pak Phanang River

Klong Rabainam Nhagote

Khanap Nak boundary

Amphoe boundary

Sea shore

River Buffer zone

Existing Nipa palm

±

Suitable Area for Nipa palm - Result

Level of Suitability

Area (rai) % of Total Area

High 11,816 42Moderate 4,332 15Marginal 4,444 16

Low 5,644 20Sea shore 1,234 4

River buffer 710 3

Note: 1 hectare = 6.25 rai

Present Nipa palm is 4 square kilometers (400 has; 2,500 rai)

Existing Nipa palm vs. Suitability Map

Note: 1 hectare = 6.25 rai

High Moderate Marginal Low0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

% T

otal

Are

a

Estimated Sap and Sugar Production

Note: 1 hectare = 6.25 rai

Sap-sugar ratio = 5Liter : 1 kilogram

Estimated Ethanol Production

Note: 1 hectare = 6.25 rai

Sap-ethanol ratio = 9Liter : 1Liter

Level of Suitability

Present ethanol (L/day)

Predicted ethanol Production

(L/day)

High 8,399 42,013

Moderate 124 15,404

Marginal 29 15,802

Low 33 20,068

Total 8,585 93,287

Estimated Nipa palm farmers/laborers

Note: 1 hectare = 6.25 rai

Area-manpower ratio = 2 rai : 1 manpower

Level of Suitability

Present Number of Nipa palm

farmers/laborers

Predicted Number of Nipa palm

farmers/laborers

High 1,181 5,908

Moderate 17 2,166

Marginal 4 2,222

Low 5 2,822

Total 1,207 13,119

Perceptions of Local People towards Nipa palm

Note: 1 hectare = 6.25 rai

Potentials of Nipa palm to reduce poverty

Southern Thailand's poverty line = 1,109 baht/person/month1

Nipa palm farmers earned around 1000 baht/per day/household2

Income of each farmer = 350-500 bath/day (10,500 – 15,000 per month)3

Per household member = 3,000/person/month4

Potentials of Nipa palm to increase energy security, and reduce CO2 emission

Pak Phanang “ethanol” annual consumption = 43,000 liters 1

Khanap Nak ethanol production = 3,000,000 liters/year2

Nipa palm may have the potential to reduce CO2 emission by around (al least) 1,000 tons/year

2

Conclusions

1. Nipa palm area decreased from 1993 to 2009, with rapid reduction during 1993-2006 (reduce by half). The reduction is the result of land use conversion.

Conclusions (cont)

2. Production of sap will increase in quintuple times the present if all highly suitable area will be planted with Nipa palm, however, there would be manpower shortage to work/tap Nipa palm (considering the number of population in Khanap Nak).

3. Present Nipa palm area has the capability to produce more than 60 times the required ethanol for consumption in the whole Pak Phanang district, thus make the district to be more secure in energy resources.

4. The present economy of Nipa palm products especially the sugar placed the local people in amphoe Khanap Nak above Thailand’s poverty line, this lessen the number of Thailand’s rate of poverty.

Conclusions (cont)

5. Most of the people believed that Nipa palm provides higher returns compared to other livelihood that they are engaged currently. While, most of the people whose present area (or some of their areas) they tilled/farmed are not utilized for Nipa palm wanted to increase their farm size for Nipa palm. And most of the non-Nipa palm farmers are willing to convert their area to nipa palm.

Recommendations

1. The government may opt to increase the Nipa palm areas by planting all the highly suitable area provided that they have enough number of manpower to do the tapping of Nipa palm or techniques (like coconut sap collection) and/or more efficient machineries to process sap-derived products on the later part. They may also hire local people from outside Khanap Nak and/or invite investors to do the tapping and processing of sap-derived products, this generates jobs to the local people. However, they may also opt to maintain the current Nipa palm area by establishing local rules and policies related to Nipa palm conservation.

Recommendations (cont)

2. The local government should develop a strategy in introducing and promoting Nipa palm products to the market in order to maintain the demand and market price of Nipa palm products because increasing the Nipa palm areas increased the production of sap-derived products that may tends to exceed the local current demand. They may also invest into producing and processing of other sap-derived products such as ethanol for bio-fuel.

3. Conducting trainings on processing of Nipa palm derived products is also necessary before expanding the Nipa palm area.

4. Before expanding the Nipa palm area, local government should develop and implement a local policy related to water management in order to solve the ‘water salinity issue’.

Recommendations (further study)

1. The study on the relationship between salinity level and sap-sugar production is also necessary to identify the optimum level of salinity that a nipa palm can produce sap and sugar at maximum.

2. The used of hyperspectral remote sensing data or higher resolution optical remote sensing combined with SAR data (i.e. SPOT 5 + ALOS PALSAR) may increase the classification accuracy of images.

30

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