Southeast Asia START Regional Center (SEA-START)

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The Southeast Asia START Regional Center (SEA-START) was established in 1996 by START, the National Research Council of Thailand and Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, to promote research-driven capacity building to advance knowledge on global environmental change in Southeast Asia.

In the past decade, SEA-START has focused mainly on climate change and climate change adaptation, including by developing frameworks and methodologies for assessing climate change adaptation, providing tools and scientific knowledge to researchers, policy planners and policy makers, and establishing regional research networks.

For example, during a series of workshops organized by SEA-START as part of a project with the Environment Operation Center of the Asian Development Bank, government planners from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam learned how to best integrate climate change adaptation into community development plans.

SEA-START promotes sharing of knowledge, data and information to support climate change adaptation. It recently developed two knowledge platforms – the first one, ThailandAdaptation.net, provides knowledge on climate change and climate change adaptation. The second platform provides data, information and guidelines to local planners and practitioners, who may have limited technical background, to conduct proper assessments and to mainstream climate change adaptation into community development strategies.

Since 2011, SEA-START has run a climate change adaptation research program for the Thailand Research Fund, engaging researchers and providing support with developing research projects and other technical support.

SEA-START also provides policy support in climate change adaptation, especially to the government of Thailand. SEA-START experts have been appointed members of various national committees on climate change and climate change adaptation and provide insights to support policy planning, including the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) of Thailand.

Photo on the left: Regional Capacity Building in Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment in GMS Biodiversity Conservation Landscapes. In collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, 2016-2017.

The Southeast Asia START Regional Center (SEA-START) was established in 1996 by START, the National Research Council of Thailand and Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, to promote research-driven capacity building to advance knowledge on global environmental change in Southeast Asia.

In the past decade, SEA-START has focused mainly on climate change and climate change adaptation, including by developing frameworks and methodologies for assessing climate change adaptation, providing tools and scientific knowledge to researchers, policy planners and policy makers, and establishing regional research networks.

For example, during a series of workshops organized by SEA-START as part of a project with the Environment Operation Center of the Asian Development Bank, government planners from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam learned how to best integrate climate change adaptation into community development plans.

SEA-START promotes sharing of knowledge, data and information to support climate change adaptation. It recently developed two knowledge platforms – the first one, ThailandAdaptation.net, provides knowledge on climate change and climate change adaptation. The second platform provides data, information and guidelines to local planners and practitioners, who may have limited technical background, to conduct proper assessments and to mainstream climate change adaptation into community development strategies.

Since 2011, SEA-START has run a climate change adaptation research program for the Thailand Research Fund, engaging researchers and providing support with developing research projects and other technical support.

SEA-START also provides policy support in climate change adaptation, especially to the government of Thailand. SEA-START experts have been appointed members of various national committees on climate change and climate change adaptation and provide insights to support policy planning, including the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) of Thailand.

Photo on the left: Regional Capacity Building in Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment in GMS Biodiversity Conservation Landscapes. In collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, 2016-2017.