Publication: Thailand : Building Partnerships for Environmental and Natural Resources Management
Loading...
Date
2000-03-31
ISSN
Published
2000-03-31
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
This Strategy Note sets out a framework for World Bank involvement in the environment sector in the immediate to medium term. It elaborates upon and reinforces the environmental objectives specified in Thailand's Eighth National Economic and Social Development Plan (1997-2001) and the World Bank's Country Assistance Strategy for 1998. This report is organized in six sections. Section 1 provides a brief introduction to the changing economic and environmental context, and Section 2 describes the policy and institutional framework in Thailand. Section 3 analyzes environmental trends and priorities in the green, blue, and brown agendas. Section 4 presents emerging challenges and the approach used in setting priorities for World Bank involvement. Section 5 describes a proposed environmental strategy that includes potential World Bank operations. Lastly, Section 6 offers a framework for benchmarking progress.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2000. Thailand : Building Partnerships for Environmental and Natural Resources Management. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14965 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Policy and Investment Priorities to Reduce Environmental Degradation of the Lake Nicaragua Watershed (Cocibolca) : Addressing Key Environmental Challenges(Washington, DC, 2013-01)This study, policy and investment priorities to reduce environmental degradation of the Lake Nicaragua watershed, has assessed the sources and the magnitude of the pressures that threaten Lake Cocibolca. It was accomplished by applying a hydrological and land use model to the lake's watershed and by conducting additional estimates of nutrients generated from wastewater sources and tilapia farming. The study has confirmed that sediment loads are very high, and has estimated their magnitude in each sub-watershed. The key results of the study are the estimation of sedimentation levels in the watershed and the identification of erosion hotspots. The Lake Cocibolca watershed is a globally unique cradle of biodiversity with major importance not only to the global and local environment, but also to the 750,000 people living within its boundaries. Several fish species are endemic to the lake, and the watershed's location within the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor has made it a meeting ground for fish, bird and mammal species from North and South America. Apart from its importance for fishing and recreation industries, the lake is beginning to be used as a source of water supply for some coastal towns; its role as a source of drinking water may grow in the future. Lake Cocibolca and its watershed are under pressure from multiple sources but, in the absence of reliable monitoring information, the extent of the environmental degradation is unclear. Environmental deterioration in the watershed is high on the government's agenda.Publication Morocco : Cost Assessment of Environmental Degradation(Washington, DC, 2003-06-30)This report is the first step in a process toward using environmental damage cost assessments for priority setting and as an instrument for integrating environmental issues into economic and social development. The report provides estimates of damage cost for several areas of the environment: air, water, land and forests, and waste disposal. The estimates should be considered as orders of magnitude and a range is provided to indicate the level of uncertainty. As areas of priority are identified, further analysis will be required for more accurate estimates. Due to data limitations, the damage cost of environmental degradation has not been estimated in several areas: industrial, hazardous, and hospital waste disposal; unsanitary landfills; degradation of natural ecosystems and biodiversity; and groundwater resource degradation and over-extraction. In addition and due to the complexity of the problem, the report only partially captures damage resulting from soil degradation. The report points t the need to further assess and quantify current and potential future damage costs related to those impacts.Publication The Republic of Yemen : Comprehensive Development Review, Environment(Washington, DC, 2000-01-21)The review focuses on development and the environment in Yemen, particularly analyzing the environment resource base, where renewable fresh water is scarce, mainly ground water, and its over exploitation is one of the country's major environmental problems. Fisheries resources are also important, while oil and gas are significant resources contributing to some eighty five percent of Yemen's export revenues. Environmental problems are caused fundamentally due to: population growth; poverty; and institutional weaknesses. Main issues discussed include water depletion, pollution and supply; land, and habitat degradation, in addition to soil erosion; and, loss of biodiversity, mostly resulting from poor management of water and eco-tourism. Waste water and solid waste management, including hazardous waste and pesticide management, are outlined as serious environmental problems, requiring immediate appropriate disposal. Priority actions of the national environment action plan identify the need for institutional capacity building regarding environmental management, to include local pilot programs, as well as disaster preparedness at Aden, and Hodeidah ports concerning oil spills. Likewise, the water resources authority should be strengthened, to include the development of water resources information systems, and a comprehensive Water Law. Land use planning should be established to promote land zoning, and registration; a desertification control program should be implemented, and grazing reserves, and pest management techniques promoted. It is suggested waste management would be improved through privatization of solid waste collection, of water treatment, and of disposal of hazardous wastes, while the regulation of hospital waste disposal, should undergo pilot testing.Publication A Review of Selected Hydrology Topics to Support Bank Operations(Washington, DC, 2010-06)The World Bank's 2004 Water Resources Sector Strategy focused on the need for both water resources management and development in dealing with growth and poverty alleviation. Planning and design of new hydraulic infrastructure for water supply and sanitation, food production, hydropower generation, flood protection, ecosystem restoration or other such purposes require dealing with all elements in the interaction among land, water, vegetation, human intervention and climate variability and change, with an emphasis on the end-user. They also require the simultaneous consideration of technical, economic, institutional (governance), political, financial, environmental and social factors, as called for in the Bank s 1993 Water Resources Management Policy. To provide high-level insight on the key hydrology issues involved, a group of world class experts gathered at a workshop held at World Bank Headquarters in November 2008. The workshop was organized by the Hydrology Expert Facility (HEF) of the Water Anchor. The presenters discussed advancements in key hydrologic topics that were selected for their relevance to Bank operations. The focus was on potential implications for the Bank s development assistance on water projects, programs and policies.Publication Private Providers of Climate Change Services(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-06)Man-made climate change is affecting water infrastructure in all regions of the world, affecting large numbers of people in their daily life and the development of their societies. As part of the World Bank Water Anchor's analytical and advisory work on water and climate change, consultants have investigated how private sector services to infrastructure may address the challenges related to climate change while, at the same time, improving development opportunities for people. This report, which is one of the outcomes of the work, addresses the role of private providers of non-financial climate change-related services with relevance for water infrastructure. This report investigates to need for additional services with regard to climate change and analyzes the potential for the private sector in providing these services. The analysis focuses on the water sectors likely to be affected by climate change, that is, water resources management, irrigation and drainage, hydropower, coastal protection, flood protection, urban water supply, and sanitation as well as water quality. In addition, opportunities for mutual engagement of public and private agencies are analyzed and the perspectives of market development are explored. The central aim of the report is to deepen our understanding of the opportunities for engaging private providers of climate change services in climate change adaptation combined with socioeconomic development opportunities.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Economic Recovery(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-06)World Bank Group President David Malpass spoke about the world facing major challenges, including COVID, climate change, rising poverty and inequality and growing fragility and violence in many countries. He highlighted vaccines, working closely with Gavi, WHO, and UNICEF, the World Bank has conducted over one hundred capacity assessments, many even more before vaccines were available. The World Bank Group worked to achieve a debt service suspension initiative and increased transparency in debt contracts at developing countries. The World Bank Group is finalizing a new climate change action plan, which includes a big step up in financing, building on their record climate financing over the past two years. He noted big challenges to bring all together to achieve GRID: green, resilient, and inclusive development. Janet Yellen, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, mentioned focusing on vulnerable people during the pandemic. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, focused on giving everyone a fair shot during a sustainable recovery. All three commented on the importance of tackling climate change.Publication Mexico Poverty and Equity Assessment(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-02-20)This Mexico Poverty and Equity Assessment reviews the evidence about poverty and equity in Mexico over the last two decades, compares it to comparable international experience, and identifies a set of critical areas of policy intervention to answer the opening question. The report aims at contributing to an open conversation in Mexico about how to achieve this essential policy objective. This report postulates three main policy areas needed for poverty eradication in Mexico: inclusive growth, efficient social policy, and infrastructure to confront vulnerability. The report includes four sections, the first three of which collect evidence about poverty, social deprivations, and vulnerability and how the evolution of these three correlates to patterns of economic growth, social protection policy and territorial development. The fourth section provides some quantitative benchmarks of what it would take to eradicate extreme poverty in Mexico. Poverty in Mexico is defined not only in monetary terms, but also in a multidimensional manner that includes social deprivations. These are social deprivations that often define formal-vs-informal employment, so policy changes that close these carencias, as they are called in Mexico, will also reduce the informality gap. This report documents the evolution of poverty, social deprivations, and vulnerability to poverty. It explains the main forces that have driven this evolution and advises that many of these forces may not operate the same in the future as they did in the past. It provides the basis to argue that short to medium term extreme poverty eradication requires newer policy actions in terms of inclusive growth, more efficient social policy, and investments in physical and social infrastructure to reduce vulnerability. The report indicates that short to medium term eradication to extreme poverty is a major, but within reach, development challenge for Mexico.Publication South Asia Development Update, April 2024: Jobs for Resilience(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-04-02)South Asia is expected to continue to be the fastest-growing emerging market and developing economy (EMDE) region over the next two years. This is largely thanks to robust growth in India, but growth is also expected to pick up in most other South Asian economies. However, growth in the near-term is more reliant on the public sector than elsewhere, whereas private investment, in particular, continues to be weak. Efforts to rein in elevated debt, borrowing costs, and fiscal deficits may eventually weigh on growth and limit governments' ability to respond to increasingly frequent climate shocks. Yet, the provision of public goods is among the most effective strategies for climate adaptation. This is especially the case for households and farms, which tend to rely on shifting their efforts to non-agricultural jobs. These strategies are less effective forms of climate adaptation, in part because opportunities to move out of agriculture are limited by the region’s below-average employment ratios in the non-agricultural sector and for women. Because employment growth is falling short of working-age population growth, the region fails to fully capitalize on its demographic dividend. Vibrant, competitive firms are key to unlocking the demographic dividend, robust private investment, and workers’ ability to move out of agriculture. A range of policies could spur firm growth, including improved business climates and institutions, the removal of financial sector restrictions, and greater openness to trade and capital flows.Publication Remarks at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-12)World Bank Group President David Malpass discussed biodiversity and climate change being closely interlinked, with terrestrial and marine ecosystems serving as critically important carbon sinks. At the same time climate change acts as a direct driver of biodiversity and ecosystem services loss. The World Bank has financed biodiversity conservation around the world, including over 116 million hectares of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas, 10 million hectares of Terrestrial Protected Areas, and over 300 protected habitats, biological buffer zones and reserves. The COVID pandemic, biodiversity loss, climate change are all reminders of how connected we are. The recovery from this pandemic is an opportunity to put in place more effective policies, institutions, and resources to address biodiversity loss.Publication Media and Messages for Nutrition and Health(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-06)The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has experienced rapid and significant economic growth over the past decade. However, poor nutritional outcomes remain a concern. Rates of childhood undernutrition are particularly high in remote, rural, and upland areas. Media have the potential to play an important role in shaping health and nutrition–related behaviors and practices as well as in promoting sociocultural and economic development that might contribute to improved nutritional outcomes. This report presents the results of a media audit (MA) that was conducted to inform the development and production of mass media advocacy and communication strategies and materials with a focus on maternal and child health and nutrition that would reach the most people from the poorest communities in northern Lao PDR. Making more people aware of useful information, essential services and products and influencing them to use these effectively is the ultimate goal of mass media campaigns, and the MA measures the potential effectiveness of media efforts to reach this goal. The effectiveness of communication channels to deliver health and nutrition messages to target beneficiaries to ensure maximum reach and uptake can be viewed in terms of preferences, satisfaction, and trust. Overall, the four most accessed media channels for receiving information among communities in the study areas were village announcements, mobile phones, television, and out-of-home (OOH) media. Of the accessed media channels, the top three most preferred channels were village announcements (40 percent), television (26 percent), and mobile phones (19 percent). In terms of trust, village announcements were the most trusted source of information (64 percent), followed by mobile phones (14 percent) and television (11 percent). Hence of all the media channels, village announcements are the most preferred, have the most satisfied users, and are the most trusted source of information in study communities from four provinces in Lao PDR with some of the highest burden of childhood undernutrition.