"2 communities, 2 systems, 1 MOU": Talo Sai and Lom Pun show that cooperation does not have to be centralised
Two communities in Satun Province with overlapping conservation areas chose to maintain separate management systems but coordinate through a single MOU, resolving conflict over overlapping areas.
Translated from Thai · reviewed by the CF team
In many coastal areas, overlapping conservation zones often lead to disputes between communities. But in Satun Province, Talo Sai and Lom Pun, which depend on the same marine ecosystem, chose a different path. Rather than merging their conservation areas into one zone, both communities maintained their own management systems, rules and restoration activities, while jointly recognising that the ecological boundaries of their areas overlap. They therefore needed coordination rather than complete separation.
The design process began with participatory resource mapping to identify the overlapping boundaries, followed by negotiations to agree on how to manage the shared areas, before the communities signed a single memorandum of understanding (MOU) formalising their cooperation. This "2 communities, 2 systems, 1 MOU" model shows that ecological coordination does not have to come at the cost of unified governance, and is one of three notable collaboration models in the first year.