The project integrated ecological restoration with local economic development through a co-production model rooted in community needs and knowledge. Interventions included assisted natural regeneration, use of manure pits, nursery establishment, beekeeping, agroforestry, and conservation of wooded areas. These restoration techniques were linked to income-generating activities—e.g., production and marketing of honey, shea butter, soumbala, and soya products. Communities received training, equipment, and support in forming or strengthening cooperatives. The integration of sustainable practices into value chains increased ownership and accelerated adoption. Community-led planning further ensured that ecological outcomes also served livelihoods. A unique aspect was the legal recognition and management of ecological corridors that improved biodiversity while securing local rights to restored land. This model strengthened food security, social cohesion, and economic inclusion while rehabilitating degraded landscapes.

• 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.

• Strategic Planning: A comprehensive 5-year strategic plan (now at SEMFOP 4, 2022-2026). The plan is developed with participatory consultations with the Committee, management, staff, inhabitants, and Implementing Agency staff. The SEMFOP is the strategic framework for NP management, defining its vision, goals, objectives, and strategies for conservation and development. The vision is to protect biodiversity, enhance ecosystems, protect rivers and soils, and improve inhabitants' livelihoods.
• Iterative Development: A SEMFOP is developed every 5 years through extensive consultations with stakeholders to ensure plans are contextually relevant to needs and widely supported.
• Adaptability: A feature is the mechanism for adjusting the SEMFOP or annual Operational Plans in response to unforeseen circumstances or new priorities. Such proposed changes are reviewed by the Independent Monitoring Agency (IMA) and subsequently approved by the Managing Committee. This ensures flexibility and responsiveness to changing ecological and social conditions.
• Integration of Objectives: The SEMFOP integrates various objectives, from protecting riparian forests and water quality for the NT2 Reservoir to preserving biodiversity, fostering research, strengthening management capacity, improving multi-ethnic livelihoods, and prudently managing finances.

• 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.

In 2028, two further surveys are to be carried out in the stream where the crayfish were released to determine whether the release campaigns of 2024-2026 were successful and a stable population of crayfish was able to establish itself in the stream.

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). On 04/10/2025, the second release event took place, during which another 75 stone crayfish were released.

The reintroduction will continue in 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.

In the Sihlwald forest, field names such as ‘Chrebsächerli’ indicate that there must have once been a crayfish population. 

In 2022, as part of his bachelor's thesis at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, environmental engineer Marc Furrer investigated:

• what is known about the historical populations of crayfish in the Sihlwald, 
• whether crayfish currently live in the streams in the Sihlwald and 
• whether the streams in the Sihlwald would be suitable as a potential habitat for crayfish.

He investigated six streams in the northern part of the transition zone of the Sihlwald Nature Discovery Park. Two of the streams analyzed were ruled out because they went dry in summer. Of the remaining four streams, one stream was found to have very good habitat conditions for stone crayfish and white-clawed crayfish: all water parameters have optimal values, the watercourse offers countless hiding places due to the high proportion of dead wood and the nature of the stream bed. Stream obstructions in the lower section prevent the migration of invasive crayfish species and thus offer protection against crayfish plague.

Based on the length of the stream and the habitat quality, a possible population of 647 crayfish was estimated.

The results of this study now served as the basis for the reintroduction of crayfish in the Sihlwald.