Integration of EbA measures into water management plans cannot be successful without the participation of stakeholders. An economic evaluation of ecosystem services helps decision- makers to acquire a clearer understanding of their benefits and so GIZ-ECOSWat has organized training on EbA to Climate Change with a focus on water resource management and economic evaluation. The training aimed (1) to improve conceptual clarity on EbA and climate change adaptation, and how to apply EbA to water management plans and (2) to improve understanding about ecosystem services, their value and how to evaluate them.
The EbA to Climate Change training content was devised together with Dr. Andrea Schlönvoigt who has been facilitating similar training worldwide for many years. ECOSWat has also developed the EbA training in Thai for Thai participants.
The EbA training was combined with economic evaluation training, which provided a basic understanding of how to identify ecosystem services and their economic value.
The EbA and economic evaluation training sessions were conducted in Khon Kaen from May 17 to 19, 2016 and repeated in Bangkok from May 24 to 26.
The training started with a presentation on each topic. Groups of participants then worked on case studies before presenting their results. Throughout this process, the trainers were on hand to provide support and give feedback.
The evaluation at the end of the workshop revealed a high level of satisfaction among the participants, who called for more training sessions with a greater number of participants.
Three more training sessions have already been requested by the Royal Irrigation Department and the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning. They will be organized by ECOSWat in the near future to strengthen the sustainable integration of EbA into Thailand’s water management plans.