This project is aiming at building capacity of Koh Krisna CFi committee to make use and sustainable manages of 235 ha of Community fishing areas. Project also provides support to the committee to protection of 124 ha of sea grass and 59 ha of mangrove forest inside Koh Krisna Community Fisheries. In order to increase fish productivity and reducing illegal fishing activities inside the sea grass bad, community plan to establishing 50 ha of sea grass conservation areas and replanting mangrove trees in 2 ha of degraded land. In other to reduce pressure on the fisheries resources and to promote women participation, project provides support to women saving group and crab bank to create more option for their livelihood.

To contribute to natural resources management, improvement of coastal environment and sustainable use of natural resources, broader understanding by the local community and fishers of the natural resource and land management will be required; and designation and demarcation of seagrass beds for their protection and conservation, rehabilitation of degraded mangroves, and prevention mangrove lands from encroachment are recurrent priority for the community. Establishment of crab bank and crab loan groups provides opportunity for the fishers and women groups to develop their livelihood activities, generates their additional household income, and helps maintain the balance of fisheries resources, particularly as the baby crabs are released back to the wild. At the same time, the community will also have to consider opportunity for generation of additional income through enhancement of coastal aquaculture.

1.2 Project objectives
The project is to promote fisher community?s livelihood in Koh Kressna through protection and management of fisheries resources with the aim to ensure their sustainable use and development. The main project?s objectives are to build community management capacity, establish community fisheries areas, enhance fisheries resources, and increase household income.

1.3 Expected outputs

- 15 people including members of the community, the community committee, and local authority have their awareness raised, and their capacity built to lead and manage the community and engaged in implementation of the project particularly their participation in training and exchange visits;
- At least 150 households of fisher families and community fisheries understood provisions of legislation relevant to fisheries management;
- Community fisheries management plan reviewed and updated;
- 235 ha of community fisheries area sustainably managed and used, including 50 ha seagrass beds, 20 ha mangroves will be conserved and protected as a contribution to implementation of Strategic Actions Plan for South China Sea;
- 70% of community fisheries members participated in project implementation, of them 50% are women;
- Income increased for 15% of the poor and the poorest households, and their food security enhanced as a result of seagrass and mangroves conservation efforts;
- Illegal fishing prevented; patrol team established and functioned regularly to contribute to reduction of illegal fishing;
- 50 ha seagrass beds designated for protection and conservation, seagrass beds mapped and delineated, and formal endorsement by local authorities and competent agencies secured, 120 boundary markers (20cm x 20cm x 4m) posted, and 60 artificial reefs placed in the areas for protection, and sign marks erected;
- 3,000 mangrove saplings planted on 2 ha degraded mangrove land, mangrove area for protection delineated and mapped, and formal recognition from local authority and relevant competent agencies secured;
- 3 crab banks and crab loan groups established, necessary capacity for fund management developed for 7 members of the crab bank management committee, and community?s revolving fund developed to help diversify their livelihood activities; and
- 30 households from the community fisheries gained knowledge and skills on coastal aquaculture, and coastal fish farming piloted with loan from the project.

1.4 Project activities

To achieve the above objectives, the following key activities will be implemented:
- Community meetings to raise awareness of the project and the project team organizes for quarterly meetings and study tours, and deliver trainings on administrative and accounting/ financial management;
- Awareness raising of the fisheries law, and other relevant implementing instruments including fisheries related legislation; development of leaflets, posters, and billboards to raise public awareness of the importance of the fisheries resources and their contribution to the resource preservation and protection;
- Organizing workshops to review and update community fisheries management plan;
- Regular patrolling to prevent illegal fishing, destruction of fisheries habitats, and land clearing with the aim to strengthen law enforcement and compliance; Fund generated by the community shall be used to cover expenses on patrolling;
- Identification of location, consultation, GPS data collection, and mapping of seagrass beds, and securing formal endorsement from appropriate levels of Fisheries Administration and local authorities, bidding for planting boundary markers, placement of artificial reefs, and erecting of sign marks;
- Identification of location, consultation, GPS data collection and mapping of mangrove forests for protection and for replanting and securing formal recognition from appropriate levels of the Fisheries Administration and local authority, establishment of community?s nursery and planting of mangroves;
- Establishing crab banks and crab loan groups, developing by-law and provision of advice on loan management, documentation and publishing of relevant materials on management and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the fund under direct management by community fisheries committee and local authority; and
- Delivering of trainings on fish farming with outreach initiatives to assist local community develop opportunity for increasing their income and provision of revolving fund for fish farming.