To support policymakers and practitioners in integrating CCA and EbA into planning and implementation processes, we are developing a series of guidance products which includes:

• a ‘River Basin Master Plan Process Toolbox’ which is a compilation of relevant concepts and tools to help run and facilitate effective and participatory processes, for example in meetings and workshops, for RBMP development and project planning in the context of climate-sensitive IWRM and EbA in river basins.
• an ‘EbA Guidebook’ which will be a guiding material for training Thai professionals in the water and other related sectors on Ecosystem-based Adaptation. In developing this guidebook, a series of workshops and on-the-job trainings are organized to ensure that practitioners are familiar with the concepts and able to integrate EbA into planning and management processes in river basins.
• an ‘EbA Code of Practice’ (EbA CoP) which is being developed in parallel to the Guidebook, is an essential part to support the implementation of EbA solutions on the ground. It offers blueprints of different EbA options and provides technical guidance on aspects such as design principles and cost-benefit analyses to practitioners and engineers in the Thai water sector.

To foster multi-level and cross-sectoral collaborations and create ownership in river basin management, an inclusive and multi-stakeholder approach was fostered to effectively address water-related climate risks on the ground. This includes working closely with public agencies across sectors at both national and sub-national levels, experts, and local water users.

These relevant agencies include, for example, the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR), the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), Department of Water Resources (DWR), Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning (DPT), and Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).

The Capacity Development Programme is a good opportunity and platform for government officers, water users, and local communities to contribute to the development of climate-sensitive water management at the river basin scale. With this training course, participants are able to understand and apply relevant tools for climate-resilient and sustainable water resources management that respond to the needs of local people in the context of climate change.

In addition, there is ongoing cooperation with universities and international experts that feeds up-to-date research and international best practices into the work on EbA in Thailand. 

Thailand’s Water Resources Act that came into effect in 2019 enhanced the roles of the River Basin Committees (RBCs) in Thailand’s 22 river basins. The RBCs – consisting of representatives from different agencies and sectors, water user organizations representing civil society and the private sector – are now the key actors in the multi-stakeholder development of the River Basin Master Plans (RBMPs).

Subsequently, ONWR and GIZ developed a comprehensive Capacity Development Programme (CDP) aiming to strengthen the technical and institutional capacity of the RBCs to develop “climate-sensitive River Basin Master Plans”, that include adaptation to climate change and EbA as guiding principles.

The CDP focuses on two main aspects: capacity building on (1) Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessments and integrating the EbA planning cycle in the RBMP development and (2) “Management and Planning Process Facilitation” which aims to strengthen the management and communication know-how and skills for key stakeholders in the RBMP process based on a participatory approach.

To maintain and extend this know-how, the CDP also supports the development of a trainer/facilitator pool and Training-of-Trainer activities that strengthen key skill sets in the RBMP development.

Mainstreaming climate change adaptation (CCA) and EbA into water policies and plans is central for climate resilience in the Thai water sector. The key to this was the strengthening of inter-agency cooperation between ONWR and ONEP, the lead agencies on water and on climate change. Efforts to enhance mainstreaming and cross-sectoral cooperation included:

• Enhancing understanding on Thailand’s climate policy framework as well as on the topic of CCA in the water sector as a basis for EbA through policy dialogues and informal exchanges between ONEP and ONWR as well as with water-related agencies.
• Developing a rapid self-assessment tool (‘5 Dimension Framework’) to help water policy makers identify current levels and possible areas for further mainstreaming of CCA and EbA. 
• Developing policy recommendations in a policy brief series to enhance understanding of the needs and benefits of integrating adaptation in the water sector and making EbA as an essential pillar for sustainable and climate-sensitive water management.

Developing a national guideline for the development of climate-sensitive River Basin Master Plans (RBMPs) integrating climate change aspects including EbA, Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), and climate finance options into the planning process that takes place in 5-year intervals in Thailand’s 22 river basins.

MEP used Mali’s decentralisation legislation to create, with local people, a model of “elephant-centred” CBNRM. This legislation performed a vital enabling function that resulted in a model of resource governance at the village and commune levels, that was enshrined in local and commune conventions, as well as the commune socio-economic development plans. The MEP then worked with government to further reinforce these systems by drafting new legislation that created a new protected area covering the whole of the elephant migration route using a biosphere model which supported the community conventions. The aim was to give a mandate to the government foresters to be able to support local communities in the enforcement of their conventions if need be, thereby strengthening the community systems. This aligns government and community interests to mutually reinforce each other and provide a cost-effective approach to reserve management. This top-down approach complements the bottom-up approach of community engagement.

Adopting a “complex-systems” approach meant mobilising all stakeholders in the elephant range around a common vision – the preservation of the Gourma elephants, a national and international heritage. This meant holding engagement workshops with each (government administration and technical services, tourism industry, schools, projects, programs and NGOs operating in the area) to understand their perspectives, and design impactful outreach materials and activities (including a schools program). It also meant engaging and coordinating the support of other institutions in-country (e.g. foreign embassies, MINUSMA, UNDP) to deliver.

At national level this has included working with government to draft an elephant management plan; create a mixed (forester-military) anti-poaching unit and engage expert anti-poaching trainers from Chengeta W.; and create a new protected area that covers the whole elephant migration route, using a biosphere reserve model. Multi-use zones are governed by local CBNRM conventions with foresters providing supplementary enforcement if required, thereby strengthening the community systems. This aligns government and community interests to mutually reinforce each other and provide a cost-effective approach to reserve management. This top-down approach complements the bottom-up approach of community engagement.

‘When you eat around a fire after a day of working together building fire-breaks, you realise we all have the same problems’.

In a context of limited resources, accommodating different livelihood practices (pastoralism, agriculture) that often come into conflict requires dialogue starting at the base. This is why the project acts as facilitator to help bring together the diverse clans and ethnicities of the elephant range to achieve unity towards a common goal – in this case the preservation of their natural resources and the regeneration of their ecosystem.

By coming together to address an environmental challenge communities benefit on multiple levels, which incentives them to collaborate further. The result is an altogether more resilient solution that is bigger than the sum of its parts. Benefits include healthier habitats; more abundant natural resources; increased food security and resilience in the face of adverse events; additional income; social empowerment incl. for women and youths; better social cohesion between and within communities; increased physical security as youths are provided with a locally respected occupations as ‘eco-guards’, which reduces the likelihood of them emigrating or joining armed groups; pride in their ability to contribute to their household and community, and exert some agency over their lives.

No species exists in a vacuum. A myriad interacting forces come into play to shape their fate, at levels that go far beyond their direct ecological environment. Recognising this means shifting the focus from the species alone to englobe the entire system (ecological, social, political, economic) in which they live. It also implies accepting the uncertainty that arises from these interactions “that simultaneously affect, and are shaped by, the wider system” (Canney, 2021). This means preconceived solutions have very little, if no, chance of truly succeeding.

Not knowing what to do forced the project to ask, observe and listen, letting the answer be shaped by the context. Over the years, it has meant understanding the social-ecological context to identify key intervention points where small inputs can have relatively large impacts, “planning for a greater degree of flexibility in responding to the unexpected, seizing opportunities, and adapting to changing circumstances” (idem), and working at different levels and with a variety of stakeholders to achieve objectives. While the initial focus was on elephants, this approach has in effect delivered multiple benefits and contributed to improving many problems at once, from ecosystem degradation to compromised livelihoods, youth unemployment, local governance and social conflict.