Summary Implications for Practitioners and Managers

88 certain attitudes and perceptions may be better investigated in different ways for future study.

5.7 Summary

This chapter describes possible explanations for the results of the data analysis described in the previous chapter with respect to the hypotheses and research topic presented in Chapter Two. The study reveals that post-tsunami perceptions and damage to productive materials do, indeed, affect willingness to participate in livelihood rehabilitation projects. It identifies trends that appear to affect the results of this analysis including willingness to practice numerous occupations that contribute to one household. It also discusses the impact of the existing state of the recovery effort, especially with respect to the large number of boats and engines donated to residents of these villages. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the limitations of the study. 89 CHAPTER VI IMPLICATIONS FOR RECOVERY EFFORTS This chapter expands upon the conclusions discussed in the last chapter with respect to perceptions of individuals impacted by the Indian Ocean tsunami and damage to personal materials and their effect on willingness to participate in livelihood rehabilitation projects. Specifically, this chapter explores practical applications of these findings for managers and practitioners involved in recovery efforts. Next, it addresses environmental issues associated with the recovery effort in Suk-Sumran and its implications for future resilience of the area in the case of another coastal hazard. Lastly, options are explored for future study including more detailed investigation of future perception, longitudinal assessment and comparative analysis.

6.1 Implications for Practitioners and Managers

The findings of this investigation can be used to design livelihood rehabilitation projects that might increase willingness to participate among the affected population at the study site. This information might also be useful for designing livelihood recovery projects in other areas showing some similarities with the communities in this study. First, the positive correlation between attitudes toward fishing and willingness to participate can be used to design rehabilitation projects that retain some characteristics of participating in the captive fishery. For example, one appropriate project could be small-scale tourism where former 90 fishermen can provide boat tours for visitors to Suk-Sumran. This livelihood would preserve some of the physical characteristics of fishing by allowing fishermen to get out on the sea and transfer technical skills such as boat repair and knowledge of tides and currents in the area. In addition, running boat tours also affords boat captains some level of independence which is an organizational characteristic valued by many fishermen Johnson et al. 1998, Pollnac et al. 1991. Another advantage of a rehabilitation option such as boat tours is that it preserves the community’s use of the ocean for livelihoods and maintains a connection to the coast without overexploiting its resources. In addition, livelihood projects that emphasize training, especially in skills that are transferable in the event of project failure, may also increase the number of people willing to participate. Many individuals that participated in projects spoke of the likelihood that the project in which they were participating might fail. However, they recognized the value of learning new skills that they could then use elsewhere in the case that the initial project fails. The data gathered from five villages in Suk-Sumran also revealed a significant association between perceptions of current recovery projects and future projects. This finding highlights the importance of a coordinated and well-planned recovery effort at the outset of the program. Although there are some types of disaster assistance that must begin immediately even if it is not well-planned, livelihood recovery projects may be delayed to allow planning and coordination. As discussed earlier, potential participants rarely differentiate between projects organized by different donor agencies. Therefore, there is an incentive for all 91 donors in an area to coordinate before they begin recovery efforts. However, the likelihood of accomplishing this is small. One possibility is for local governments to have a designated position that would be able to coordinate outside assistance in the event of a disaster. Another advantage to a coordinated recovery effort is the opportunity to redirect those that lost productive materials in the disaster to more sustainable livelihoods. Donor agencies committed to replacing boats before they arrived at the site to see what was needed, in part because boat replacement is something that people around the world can understand as they write a check for “Tsunami Recovery”. Although the gesture of goodwill is surely appreciated by both the agencies receiving funds and the individuals that lost so much in the disaster, these funds could be put to better use if allocation was to the overall project.

6.2 Implications for the Environment