By Kritagya Regmi
The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), with its regional mandate to support national universities, is working with the National University of Laos (NUoL) to establish a Knowledge Hub and strengthen institutional capacity on Urban Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). The project, funded by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) of Lao PDR through the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), focuses on integrating EbA into NUoL’s curriculum and building faculty capacity to equip the next generation of professionals with the knowledge and skills needed for climate-resilient urban planning.
Aligned with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030, the initiative promotes EbA as a vital strategy for restoring and conserving ecosystems while enhancing resilience to climate change. Climate change impacts are becoming increasingly evident in Lao PDR, particularly in cities along the Mekong River where extreme rainfall and flooding pose serious risks. EbA offers a cost-effective and sustainable approach to address these challenges by using natural processes and biodiversity to provide essential ecosystem services that enhance urban resilience and human well-being.
The project team includes Prof. Rajendra P. Shrestha, Prof. Vilas Nitivattananon, Dr. Indrajit Pal, Ms. Fa Likitswat, and Ms. Cindy Shrestha. The project focuses on four main areas: EbA integration in university curriculum, research capacity development, EbA knowledge product generation, and demonstrate EbA solutions. AIT is working with NUoL’s Faculty of Forest Science, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Water Resources to revise and enhance 16 courses with EbA content. This curriculum integration introduces approaches that combine engineering and ecosystem-based solutions for integrated flood risk management.
Prof. Rajendra Shrestha said, “As climate change intensifies extreme rainfall in Lao PDR, cities are facing increasing risks due to inadequate urban planning infrastructure including drainage systems. Building climate resilience of local communities requires an integrated approach that strengthens technical capacity and knowledge management for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). Besides implementing EbA solutions, long-term capacity building, generating knowledge base, and developing locally suited EbA solutions are essential. By embedding EbA into university curricula, and developing research capacity, this project ensures sustained knowledge development and wider dissemination of EbA knowledge to the society, which is the main goal of this project”.
Alongside this academic work, AIT and NUoL are conducting joint research to advance knowledge on urban EbA and strengthen faculty capacity through specialized trainings, workshops, and write-shops. To provide practical, hands-on examples, the project also supports the design and demonstration of permeable pavement solutions in four Lao cities: Vientiane, Paksan, Pakse, and Kaysone Phomvihane.
Since 2024, the partnership has delivered important milestones. An inception and curriculum review workshop held in Vientiane in July 2024 brought together NUoL faculty, AIT, Thammasat University, and representatives from MoNRE to review curricula and set priorities for EbA integration. In May 2025, curriculum development training at NUoL equipped faculty members with tools and strategies for revising courses. A research write-shop held at AIT (June–July 2025) trained NUoL faculty on scientific writing, research design, and grant proposal development.
So far, the collaboration has also produced ten knowledge products, including policy briefs, guidelines, best practices, and technical fact sheets covering topics, such as wetlands, financial measures for EbA, integrating EbA with engineered solutions, and monitoring and evaluation. A curriculum review report was also completed, outlining the methodology and recommended EbA topics for each course.
Looking ahead, AIT and NUoL are finalizing the revised EbA-integrated curriculum and supporting the development of teaching materials for effective classroom delivery. Ongoing research supervision is helping NUoL faculty advance publications, while demonstration projects such as permeable pavements will generate valuable lessons for scaling up EbA solutions in other Lao cities. Lessons learned from the project will also inform national policy recommendations and guidelines, supporting integrated flood risk management. The initiative is designed for scalability and aims to expand EbA solutions to 13 additional cities across Lao PDR.
The Knowledge Hub established through this initiative will continue to serve as a platform for knowledge exchange, connecting NUoL with regional and international networks to ensure best practices inform EbA implementation in Laos.
By embedding EbA into academia and strengthening institutional capacity, the project is laying the foundation for long-term climate resilience in Lao PDR and preparing a new generation of professionals with the knowledge and skills to lead innovative, sustainable, and scalable climate adaptation solutions.
Special thanks to Ms. Cindy Shrestha, Research Associate, for her support.
