Over 60 representatives from government agencies, the private sector, and academic institutions participated in the Training Workshop for Policy Makers on NbS, held at the Best Western Chatuchak Hotel in Bangkok

On 21 October 2025, GIZ Thailand, through the Climate, Coastal and Marine Biodiversity (CCMB) Project, in collaboration with the Biodiversity Management Division, Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), and with technical support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Thailand, organised the Training Workshop for Policy Makers on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) at the Best Western Chatuchak Hotel, Bangkok. The workshop was part of a continuing capacity-building series following earlier sessions held in August and September. This highlighted key challenges in integrating Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into national policy design and implementation including conceptual understanding, policy limitations, financial mechanisms, and capacity building across different sectors

This training aimed to enhance the knowledge, understanding, and capacity of policymakers in designing and implementing projects in alignment with the international NbS standards. More than 60 representatives from government agencies, the private sector, and academia participated in this session.

The training participants are practicing project design using the NbS Design Canvas tool.

Hands-on Learning through the NbS Design Canvas
The workshop centered on the application of the NbS Design Canvas, a systemic design tool developed by IUCN to help policymakers and planners identify problems, analyse contexts, and design actionable strategies using nature-based approaches. The training contextualised this tool within Thailand’s five priority dimensions: forests, watershed forests, cities, coasts, and marine areas each presenting unique environmental, social, and economic challenges.

Through this exercise, participants were able to connect interdisciplinary knowledge and design ecosystem restoration pathways that deliver multiple co-benefits, including disaster risk reduction, food security, green job creation, and gender and social equity. The key concept underlying NbS design is the recognition of nature as living infrastructure, capable of complementing or substituting engineered systems while enhancing long-term climate resilience.

From Concept to Systemic Application on Principles of NbS
The theoretical component introduced the IUCN Global Standard for NbS, comprising eight internationally recognised criteria that ensure the quality, transparency, and effectiveness of NbS initiatives. These criteria include setting clear objectives, aligning with social and ecological contexts, ensuring stakeholder participation, managing risks, and establishing monitoring and evaluation systems. Understanding and applying these standards enables agencies to design and assess NbS interventions in a transparent and globally comparable manner. This aligns with the UNEA-5 (2022) definition of NbS as “actions inspired and supported by nature that address societal challenges effectively, while simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits” to bridge theory and practice, international case studies such as the Poudre River ecosystem restoration in the United States, and green infrastructure development in Barcelona, Spain, were presented to demonstrate, how NbS can be embedded into urban planning, watershed management, and national natural resource governance frameworks.

Brainstorming among various sectoral agencies.

Financing and Investment in NbS for turning vision into practice
The session on “Investing in Nature-based Solutions” highlighted that only about 2.1% of global Climate Finance currently supports NbS initiatives underscoring the urgent need to develop public–private partnerships and blended finance mechanisms to mobilise resources from multiple sectors. Discussions also examined the use of economic assessment tools such as Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA), Social Return on Investment (SROI), and Ecosystem Service Valuation (ESV) to quantify the socio-economic value of nature-based projects. The concept of Ecosystem Markets including carbon and biodiversity credits and Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) was introduced as a potential approach to sustain long-term ecosystem restoration and conservation funding.

From the training evaluation, participants reported that more than 95 percent gained a significantly increased understanding of NbS principles and processes. This has strengthened the capacity of public and private sector agencies to use NbS as a tool to support the achievement of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the Paris Agreement. Between August and October 2025, through workshops and training sessions, the project compiled and analysed NbS-related policies and plans covering biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, and greenhouse gas reduction. It also assessed policy gaps, developed stakeholder mapping, and prepared policy recommendations (Policy Briefs) to advance the systematic and sustainable use of NbS in the mandates of Thai agencies.

The training participants are discussing and designing simulated NbS projects that address various contexts, such as urban areas, marine, and coastal environments.

The training participants are discussing and designing simulated NbS projects that address various contexts, such as urban areas, marine, and coastal environments.

The key lesson from this training is the reaffirmation that nature serves as the foundation of modern public policy. The application of the NbS approach is not merely an environmental concept but represents an emerging policy direction that seeks to balance economic, social, and ecological systems. By strengthening the capacity of the public sector to integrate NbS into planning and decision-making processes, this initiative marks a crucial step toward supporting and advancing Thailand’s transition toward a sustainable and climate-resilient economy.

For more information about the Climate, Coastal and Marine Biodiversity (CCMB) Project, please visit: https://www.thai-german-cooperation.info/th/climate-coastal-and-marine-biodiversity-ccmb/