Summary

Originally, in 2002 the Governors and Deputy Governor of the four Provinces in the Thachin River Basin (Chainat, Supanburi, Nakorn Pathom and Samut Sakorn Provinces) and four core NGOs (We Love Thachin Clubs) successfully pledged to bring the river back to its original pristine conditions. Later, the US-AEP/Thailand has strengthened Community-Based Environmental Management (CBEM) in the Thachin River Basin through a partnership with two other watersheds-the Laguna de Bay in the Philippines and the Chesapeake Bay in the U.S. The partnership activity helps local governments, community organizations, and government agencies in the region by providing tools and methods that are necessary to protect and restore their watersheds. In addition, the activity also offers community involvement approaches that can be employed in the region to improve the quality of its environmental resources.

The CBEM in the Thachin River Basin consists of three main components:

• Strengthen local capacity in the CBEM by supporting efforts to empower communities, citizens, environmental groups, and local governments to engage in voluntary efforts to protect and restore environmental resources, such as raising awareness, monitoring environmental quality, participating in action planning, and assisting in resource restoration and protection activities.
  
• Strengthen governance systems by facilitating the adoption of CBEM best mechanisms for coordination on national, regional and local levels, by showcasing collaborative approaches to environmental issues that have worked in the U.S. and in other countries.
  
• Help develop pilot projects by assisting in the planning and developing of specific projects for pollution prevention and watershed protection in areas such as animal waste management, solid waste management, water hyacinth, industrial cleaner production, and household waste environment. In addition, provide assistance to mobilize resources to implement environment improvement measure.

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