Promoting Community-Based Environmental Management (CBEM) in the The Tha Chin River Basin

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Help develop pilot projects by assisting in the planning and developing of specific projects fir 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.

Reference: Pollution Control Department

The Emsong Project (Environmental Management in the Songkla Lake Basin)

In october, 1996 the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE) in Thailand and the Danish Co-operation for Environment and Development (DANCED) in co-operation initiated the 31 months Environmental Management of the Songkhla Lake Basin Project (the EmSong Project). The EmSong Project is dealing with sustainable environmental planning and management for a region in the southern part of Thailand, where the natural resources and the ecosystems are under pressure. The Project Area includes the biggest lake system in Thailand and cover the three provinces Songkhla, Phatthalung and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

• The EmSong Project
• Environmental Planning and Management in the Songkhla Lake Basin
• The Environmental Action Programme for the Songkhla Lake Basin
• The Project Catalogue for the Songkhla Lake Basin
• Information and Data Sources
• Use and Maintenance of the EmSong Integrated Information System
• Useful Internet Sites

The Development objective for the EmSong Project is

“To achieve long-term sustainability of the Songkhla Lake Basin’s economic and ecological potential by integrating environmental concerns into the development activities and the management of the Songkhla Lake Basin”

The present web pages, which aims at ensuring easy access to data and information about the Songkhla Lake Basin, integrated use of data and information among concerned government agencies and dissemination of condensed and interpreted information as a mean of raising public environmental awareness, constitute one of the decision support and management tools to be developed within the EmSong Project.

Reference: ONEP Website (http://www.onep.go.th/projects/emsong/Emsong.htm)