Creating Cooperation to Manage Marine Trash Problems: Case Study of Bang Saen Beach, Saen Suk Town Municipality, Mueang District, Chonburi Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research article were 1) to study the role of cooperation and interaction of the actors involved; 2) to study the government's approaches and measures to solve the marine trash problems that led to action at the local level; 3) to study the conditions and factors that affected cooperation in solving the marine trash problems in Bang Saen Beach area; and 4) to propose an effective model of cooperation in managing the marine trash problems at the local level. It was a qualitative research to study and analyze data. Data collection was from various related documents, participatory observation and interviews with relevant people. The results of the research found that 1) Thailand gave importance to the issue of marine trash and had established a framework for operations in the country's important plans, including assigning the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as the main agency to achieve long-term goals; 2) the marine trash management at Bang Saen Beach had 8 main actors involved, covering government agencies, the private sector, the public, and educational institutions. The level of relationship and cooperation was loosely coordinated in an occasional manner through the integration of small groups based on the operating structure according to the agency's authority and responsibilities and informal groupings determined roles and levels of cooperation from conditions or rules applying to specific groups; 3) the conditions and important factors that affected the creation of cooperation were 4 main factors, namely 3.1) creating a network of cooperation in strong community level, 3.2) strengthening clear and continuous collaboration, 3.3) having strong leaders and connecting networks, and 3.4) integrating work among agencies; and 4) an effective model for managing the marine trash problems at the local level should include two forms of action in parallel: management based on scope of duties to create a concrete network of cooperation and creating a strong network of cooperation at the community level to promote continuity of operations in the long term.