Through tailor-made capacity-building trainings, women have gained the technical skills to produce high-quality compost and the knowledge to run successful compost businesses. Trainings in business management and gross margin analysis have empowered them to track profits, plan growth, and sustain their enterprises—laying a strong foundation for both soil restoration and economic resilience.

It is key to ensure that information about new technologies is accessible, practical, and relevant to local contexts.

Key technologies promoted include drip irrigation for tomatoes, which helps farmers conserve water and increase yields; soil rejuvenation using Mucuna, a leguminous cover crop that improves soil fertility; and onion nursery establishment and disease control, which supports healthier crop development.

Other examples include nematode management in vegetable crops to reduce pest-related losses, and home-based chick rearing to support income generation for women and youth. These technologies are selected for their practicality, affordability, and relevance, and are shared through participatory radio programs, SMS alerts, and community ICT hubs.

Special attention is given to addressing gender and age-related barriers to adoption, ensuring that all groups have equal opportunities to benefit.

• Increasing awareness, knowledge and skills of adult and youth male and female SHFs in agriculture extension through provision of comprehensive information on Agriculture extension and advisory services. By delivering accurate, relevant, and timely information via radio and other ICT platforms, the initiative empowers farmers with practical knowledge on sustainable agriculture, climate-resilient practices, and improved farm management. It ensures inclusivity by targeting both men and women, including youth, fostering informed decision-making, productivity, and resilience in farming communities.

• Participatory Approach (PICAD Model): Livelihood development is guided by the Participatory Integrated Conservation and Development (PICAD), fostering "community ownership" of activities by involving villagers in problem-solving and encouraging their contributions (labour, materials). The management incorporates the Government's "Sam Sang" policy, which promotes the village as the basic unit of development and the district as the development manager. Empowering communities in resource management. Village Development Plans (VDPs) are crucial, guiding the allocation of support from funds like the WB LENS2 and LLL programs
• Eco-tourism Development: NNT NP facilitates community-based eco-tourism to provide socio-economic benefits to villagers with minimal environmental impact. 
• Community Outreach and Awareness (COCA): Programs are delivered to communities within the park to raise awareness about conservation issues and integrate conservation messages into local culture.
• Land Use Planning: Capacity building for district staff in Participatory Land Use Planning (PLUP) and GIS mapping supports the land use plans, ensuring that land use in and around the park is both productive for communities and consistent with conservation goals.

• Law Enforcement Program: NNT NP has a proactive law enforcement program focused on protecting wildlife and biological resources, with emphasis on endangered Annamite endemic species. This includes forest patrols (35,000 man-days pa) and operating checkpoints at strategic locations.
• Targeted Protection: Efforts are concentrated on 3 Biodiversity Priority Zones, based on global conservation importance and threat analysis. The zones are crucial for species like the Critically Endangered Large-antlered Muntjac, offering significant hope for long-term survival.
• Combating Illegal Activities: Strategies to reduce illegal poaching and trade through improved cooperation with neighbouring countries and intensive patrols along the Lao-Vietnam border. Adaptive law enforcement strategies are informed by "Patrolling Hit Rate" data.
• Long-term Wildlife Monitoring: The park has a wildlife monitoring program using 300 camera-traps deployed biennially to estimate trends in populations and distribution. This provides essential data for evaluating conservation effectiveness.
• Research Partnerships: NNT NP actively partners with specialized research organizations to expand knowledge of the park's biota and build staff capacity. Ongoing research includes programs for the Asian Elephant and Chinese swamp cypress.

• Legal Basis: The NNT NP's governance is structured through a hierarchy of legal instruments, starting with the Concession Agreement (CA), which established fundamental commitments for environmental and social management. This is reinforced by Prime Ministerial Decrees, including PM122 which have refined the legal status, roles, duties, and organizational structure of the NP. The evolution of these decrees facilitated the transition from a NPA to a National Park, and proposed changes to PM122, aim to align governance with Green List and World Heritage requirements. 
• Governing Body: The Nakai-Nam Theun National Park Authority is the responsible entity. It is governed by a Managing Committee, chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment and including representatives from central and local government agencies, and NTPC.
• Operational Management: Day-to-day operations are carried out by the NNT NP Management Division.
• CA: The entire framework operates under the CA of the Nam Theun 2 Power Project. This agreement provides consistent annual funding for the NP.
• Decentralization and Collaboration: The structure facilitates decentralization of management to local authorities and emphasizes collaboration with Implementing Partners. This multi-level engagement ensures coherence and effective implementation.

Not only the involvement of the local population in the release event of the crayfish (as described in building block 3) is an important part of education and awareness-raising.

At the same time, the employees of the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation were comprehensively trained, on the one hand to be able to pass on the information to the park's visitors, and on the other hand to keep and breed the crayfish in the aquarium.

In the immediate vicinity of the Wildnispark Zurich visitor center, the underwater life of the river Sihl is explained on information boards and illustrated in an aquarium. The aquarium is home to 7 native fish species and, more recently, a native crayfish species.

Work is currently underway on a comprehensive exhibition on the topic of water as a biocenosis, which is intended to inform children and adults about the native aquatic inhabitants and raise their awareness of their protection. Interactive elements on crayfish will be an important part of this exhibition, which is due to open in summer 2026.

After completion of the preparations (as described in building blocks 1 & 2), the reintroduction of the crayfish into a stream in the forest reserve Sihlwald began with the release event on 21/09/2024. A total of 40 adult stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) were released with the participation of the local population, the Friends of Wildnispark Zurich (Förderverein Wildnispark Zürich) and the Sihltal Nature Conservation Association (Naturschutzverein Sihltal).

The reintroduction will continue in 2025 and 2026 and further crayfish will be released into the streams in Sihlwald, totaling 150 individuals. 

All animals come from donor streams in the region and from local breeding.

Firstly, an implementation concept was developed, consisting of the following parts:

• Reintroduction (see building block 3)
• Accompanying educational measures (see building block 4)
• Monitoring success (see building block 5)

One of the prerequisites for the reintroduction of crayfish in the Sihlwald is the authorization granted by the Fisheries and Hunting Administration of the Canton of Zurich.

In order to raise the money required for the reintroduction and the educational measures, the association launched a fundraising campaign, which is still ongoing.

Further funding was provided by the Federal Office for the Environment and the Canton of Zurich's Nature Conservation Agency.

Strengthening and consolidating climate-resilient rural ventures requires financing products that support these initiatives from inception. Rural entrepreneurs often encounter barriers to accessing traditional credit financing, particularly during the startup phase of their business models.

In this context, non-repayable funds—also known as seed capital—serve as a vital tool. This financing enables entrepreneurs to prototype promising ideas that can become dynamic ventures, fosters an entrepreneurial culture in rural territories, and provides crucial support during the early "valley of death" phase of business development.

This building block focuses on developing open public calls for seed capital funds that incorporate climate change adaptation criteria across business models. The design of these calls must include clear eligibility requirements for climate resilience, adaptation practices, and profitable business models with measurable socio-environmental impact. This financing can particularly benefit ventures led by youth, women, and vulnerable rural populations—making it essential to consider these demographics in the eligibility criteria