Embracing Indigenous Wisdom: Thailand’s Multifaceted Approach to their National Ecosystem Assessment

photo of people crossing a small bridge

Thailand joined the National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA) Initiative in April 2021 and officially launched their assessment in February 2022. With a focus on coastal and marine ecosystems, the Thailand NEA team – led by a partnership between the Office of Natural Resources and Environment Policy and Planning under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Maritime Administration Graduate Program of Chulalongkorn University and the Royal Thai Navy – has engaged with the private sector, civil society, ethnic and local communities to incorporate the best available knowledge to their NEA by leveraging scientific, Indigenous and local knowledge systems as envisioned by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.