A. BACKGROUND

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works in approximately 170 countries and territories, supporting efforts to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and build resilience so that people and the planet can thrive. As the UN's development agency, UNDP plays a central role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by delivering integrated, inclusive, and sustainable development solutions.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF)–funded Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by UNDP, is a flagship global initiative that empowers civil society organisations (CSOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs) to develop and implement innovative, locally led solutions that generate global environmental benefits while improving livelihoods and strengthening socio-ecological resilience. In the context of an increasingly complex and interconnected planetary crisis—including climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and pollution—SGP recognises that while these challenges are global, their impacts and solutions are inherently local. Local communities and ethnic groups are often disproportionately affected, yet they are also key agents of change with deep knowledge, adaptive capacity, and stewardship of natural resources.

SGP adopts a participatory, inclusive, and landscape-based approach, which places local actors at the center of decision-making and implementation. Through this approach, landscapes and seascapes are treated as integrated socio-ecological systems where environmental, social, and economic dimensions are addressed holistically. The programme promotes coordination among stakeholders, strengthens local capacities, facilitates access to knowledge and finance, and fosters partnerships that enable collective action. By linking individual community-level initiatives, SGP aims to generate synergies, avoid fragmentation, and scale up impacts toward landscape-level transformation and policy influence.

In Thailand, the SGP Operational Phase 8 (OP8) builds on this approach by focusing on selected priority landscapes and seascapes, where targeted support can catalyse community-led solutions and deliver measurable environmental and socio-economic outcomes. Within these landscapes, SGP will provide grant financing and technical support to CSOs and CBOs working across key thematic areas, including:

• Community-based management of threatened ecosystems and species, including conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of natural resources;
• Sustainable agriculture, fisheries, and food systems, promoting climate-resilient practices and sustainable livelihoods;
• Low-carbon energy access and climate co-benefits, supporting community-level renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions;
• Chemicals and waste management, including initiatives that contribute to local-to-global coalitions addressing pollution and hazardous substances;
• Sustainable solutions in targeted landscapes and seascapes, including integrated approaches that address environmental challenges in both rural and emerging urban contexts.

SGP also places strong emphasis on strengthening the capacities of local organisations through learning-by-doing, facilitating knowledge exchange, and promoting innovation and replication of successful models across landscapes and beyond. By empowering local actors with the necessary tools, knowledge, and resources, the programme seeks to enhance long-term resilience, sustainability, and inclusive development.

For Thailand's OP8 country programme, the selection of target landscapes and seascapes was conducted during November 2025 – February 2026 through a comprehensive process involving document review, data analysis, and multi-stakeholder consultations. The selection applied criteria including ecological significance, level of environmental and socio-economic threats, dependency of local communities on natural resources, potential for scaling and networking, and the need for targeted grant support.

Based on the decision of the National Steering Committee (NSC), three priority landscapes/seascapes have been identified for implementation:

1. Lower Andaman Coast (Krabi, Trang, Satun)

This coastal and marine landscape is globally significant for biodiversity, including critical habitats for dugongs and sea turtles, with extensive seagrass meadows and mangrove ecosystems that provide blue carbon storage and coastal protection. The area faces increasing pressures from unsustainable tourism, marine debris, land-based pollution, and climate change impacts such as coral bleaching and seagrass degradation. It is also home to sea-nomadic and coastal communities whose livelihoods depend heavily on small-scale fisheries and marine ecosystems.

2. Phetchabun Mountain Range (Phetchabun and Loei)

This highland and forest landscape serves as an important ecological corridor supporting biodiversity connectivity. Key challenges include monoculture expansion on steep slopes, recurrent wildfires, land degradation, and unregulated tourism. Local and ethnic communities depend on forest resources and possess valuable traditional ecological knowledge. There is strong potential for scaling community-based forest management and sustainable livelihoods through existing networks and academic partnerships, although financing and technical support gaps remain.

3. Yuam–Salween River Basin (Mae Hong Son and Tak)

This upstream landscape forms part of the largely intact headwaters of the Salween River, one of Southeast Asia's last free-flowing rivers. The area is characterised by rich biodiversity and strong dependence of ethnic communities on forest and watershed resources. However, it faces pressures from steep-slope agriculture, soil erosion, wildfires, and increasing climate variability. While participatory watershed management initiatives are emerging, there remains a need for strengthened coordination, restoration efforts, and sustained investment at the landscape level.

Building on this foundation, SGP Thailand OP8 aims to catalyse community-led, landscape-level transformation by strengthening local capacities, fostering partnerships, promoting innovation, and enabling access to finance and knowledge, contributing to both national priorities and global environmental benefits.