Last updated: June 2024
The Kok River which runs through Chiang Rai City is in the process of being ecologically restored (Ref. 1). Having previously been a "lifeline for the city and various communities along its banks", sections of the river ran dry 20 years ago due to the construction of a large scale diversion channel and dredging by a major hotel (Ref. 2). In addition to reestablishing the river flow, restoration efforts are focusing on the opportunity to provide additional water storage, flood reduction and urban greening (Refs. 1 & 4). These improvements are considered particularly important given that the city of Chiang Rai is "expected to be affected by climate-induced drought as a result of changing rainfall patterns; rain which may also be heavy at times leading to excessive runoff into such channels; and flooding" (Ref. 4). To date, wetlands have been restored, and community benefits, such as a walking path, created (Ref. 3). Improved water circulation and quality are further going to minimise the occurrence of breeding grounds for disease vectors (Ref. 4). Whilst already recognised as a problem, vector-borne and waterborne diseases are anticipated to become more prevalent due to increased temperatures associated with climate change (Ref. 4).
River Kok prior to restoration efforts
http://www.tei.or.th/thaicityclimate/public/document-21.pdf
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- In-land wetlands, peatlands, swamps, and moors
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Improvements to water quality
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: agriculture
Focus
Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
Project objectives
At the start of the project, a feasibility study was undertaken which included a site survey, a community needs assessment and recommendations for reviving the river as an alternate to cementing over the river (Ref. 9).
Specific goals of the project include:
- Restore the river, improve water quality and reestablish the river flow (Refs. 1 & 9);
- Minimise the occurrence of breeding grounds for disease vectors, anticipated to become more prevalent due to increased temperatures associated with climate change (Ref. 4).
- Provide areas for recreation, including installation of water parks and gardens (Refs. 1 & 9);
- Provide opportunities for household-level agricultural purposes (Refs. 1 & 9);
- Possibly create constructed wetlands that could serve wastewater treatment purposes (Refs. 1 & 9).
- Restoration efforts aim to create opportunities for the river to provide additional water storage, flood reduction and urban vegetation (Refs. 1 & 4).
Implementation activities
To date, restoration of the river has focused on restoring wetlands and creating community benefits, such as a walking path (Ref. 3). It appears that only certain sections of the river have been restored as yet, with a monitoring and evaluation stage having been entered following the realisation of a 'pilot project' section of the river (Ref. 1).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement solutions to capture/store water to increase its availability and prevent shortages from droughts
- Restore wetlands and/or coastal ecosystems to dissipate the effects of flooding and/or storms
- Renaturalization of rivers and other water bodies
- Other
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The Thailand Environment Institute is a non-governmental, non-profit entity, and is the project holder for the intervention (Ref. 4). The project implementer is Chiang Rai Municipality, and other partners include the Royal Irrigation Department, Department of Public Works, Town & Country Planning; Chulalongkorn University; Rajabhat University Chiang Rai; and Khon Kaen University (Ref. 4). The project is further featured as one of the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network's City Projects (see Ref. 4 for further information).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Recognising that increased future climate vulnerability is anticipated to affect the urban poor the hardest, with environmental damage being understood as reducing the potential for realisation of ecosystem services (Ref. 4), institutional change has been observed within Chiang Rai through policy change which favours natural and ecological methods to preserve riverine systems in place of hard infrastructure (Ref. 6). This shift can be evidenced through the 2008 initiation of the ongoing “Enhancing Urban Ecosystem and Biodiversity in Chiang Rai City” project, which aims "at restoring and conserving the diverse ecosystems that co-exist in the city area in order to maintain a natural balance of urban and economic development, society and the environment" (Ref. 8). The municipality of Chiang Rai therefore began to develop climate-resilient urban and economic plans which focused on Kok River restoration, due to the recognition that "demand for water resources within the Kok River Basin is already a critical issue for the city and projected climate change risks such as rainfall variability and temperature increase are likely to exacerbate this" (Ref. 4). Whilst information is somewhat lacking, it appears that the methods pursued are therefore well aligned with the "Enhancing Urban Ecosystem and Biodiversity in Chiang Rai City" initiative.)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Unknown
Type of funding
- Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved liveability
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Protection of natural heritage
- Safety
- Improved community safety to climate-related hazards
- Other
- Unknown
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No
References
1. Thailand Environment Institute Foundation (n.d.). ACCCRN Thailand moves forward with Chiang Rai City’s Intervention Project. Nonthaburi: Thailand Environment Institute Foundation. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
2. Rumbaitis Del Rio, C (2015). Ecosystems and the Resilience Dividend. Bangkok: Rockefeller Foundation. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
3. ICMA (2013). Learning from Malaysia, Thailand, Lao PDR and Indonesia at the Climate Leadership Academy. Washington, DC: International City/County Management Association. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
4. Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (2013). ACCCRN City Projects. Bangkok: Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) & The Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Office. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
5. Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (2014). ACCCRN City Projects. Bangkok: Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) & The Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Office. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
6. The Rockefeller Foundation Monitoring and Evaluation Office, Verulam Associates Ltd. and Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (2014). Summative Evaluation:
The Rockefeller Foundation Asian Cities
Climate Change Resilience Network
Initiative. Bangkok: The Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Office. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
7. Asian Development Bank (2016). Nature-Based Solutions for Building Resilience in Towns and Cities: Case Studies from the Greater Mekong Subregion. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
8. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (n.d.). Urban Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation towards Sustainable City and Climate Change Resilience. Nairobi: United Nations Human Settlements Programme: Urban Agenda Platform. Source link [accessed 4/10/21]; and
9. Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (n.d.). ACCCRN - Thailand: Chiang Rai City. Nonthaburi: Thailand Environmental Institute. Source link [accessed 5/10/21].
2. Rumbaitis Del Rio, C (2015). Ecosystems and the Resilience Dividend. Bangkok: Rockefeller Foundation. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
3. ICMA (2013). Learning from Malaysia, Thailand, Lao PDR and Indonesia at the Climate Leadership Academy. Washington, DC: International City/County Management Association. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
4. Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (2013). ACCCRN City Projects. Bangkok: Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) & The Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Office. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
5. Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (2014). ACCCRN City Projects. Bangkok: Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) & The Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Office. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
6. The Rockefeller Foundation Monitoring and Evaluation Office, Verulam Associates Ltd. and Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (2014). Summative Evaluation:
The Rockefeller Foundation Asian Cities
Climate Change Resilience Network
Initiative. Bangkok: The Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Office. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
7. Asian Development Bank (2016). Nature-Based Solutions for Building Resilience in Towns and Cities: Case Studies from the Greater Mekong Subregion. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank. Source link [accessed 4/10/21];
8. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (n.d.). Urban Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation towards Sustainable City and Climate Change Resilience. Nairobi: United Nations Human Settlements Programme: Urban Agenda Platform. Source link [accessed 4/10/21]; and
9. Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (n.d.). ACCCRN - Thailand: Chiang Rai City. Nonthaburi: Thailand Environmental Institute. Source link [accessed 5/10/21].
Restoration efforts of River Kok
http://www.tei.or.th/thaicityclimate/public/document-21.pdf
River Kok Restoration
http://www.tei.or.th/thaicityclimate/public/document-21.pdf
River Kok prior to restoration efforts
http://www.tei.or.th/thaicityclimate/public/document-44.pdf
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the UNA global extension project funded by the British Academy.