I. The first progress report was received on 8 December 2006 , 10-page write up with several photos, and following details:

Activities to be taken:

1. Organizing 20 unique open forums through selected appropriate media with experience sharing and discussion amongst various target population on environmental issues, environment governance , indigenous knowledge and natural resources
2. Organizing monthly meeting to plan periodical small activities
3. Conducting study tours to Learning Centres for Canal Livelihood
4. Mapping resources, culture and local approach and correlation of resources in canals and rivers
5. Training on water quality monitor

Results and indicators:
1. Emergence of youth networks protecting forest along canals in three areas
2. Acquired resources inventories of each participating areas
3. Acquired local types of mass media as sets of mechanism to raise conservation awareness
4. Acquired participatory working processes among youth and parental group, with learning and modification, to be used in conducting area survey
5. Emergence of correlation maps and action plans of each participating area, about 80% perfection
6. Increased capacity of 82 project members on cultural and resources maps

Project Communication:

Through cable TV in August and September 2006 and ASTV (Channel 16) in August 2006.

II. On February 20-22,2007, two project leaders participated in the mid-course evaluation workshop. Findings and observations are as follows:

The commencement of the workshop saw the NC occupying the floor showing, through power point, locations of all 14 projects , and confirming strategy of GEF SGP: Environment Protection , Community Empowerment, and Poverty Reduction. As to the style to be applied in the evaluation process, story-telling approach was recommended. Each project was given 30 minutes to reiterate project background, showing activities undertaken and immediate evinced results, sharing problems/issues and their solution, and open for discussion, questions and answers. The session was able to effectively cover four projects. That was the first day.

The second day had witnessed story telling from eight projects. In addition, the three final hours were spent for interaction with community members of project THA-05-14/ Local Scenes for Environment Protection. Workshop attendants learnt about the old ways of life in central area and how the local scenes had been altered.

The third day was given to the two remaining projects to cover their stories, to the NSC for observation and suggestion , to the NC to remind the grantees of what to do next according to the MOAs .

Each grantee was capable of articulating details of undertaken activities and their immediate results to the audiences. Project results were rated as promising. Some even gained recognition and financial supports by other stakeholders. At least, leaders from four projects had demonstrated comparatively increased capacity , both technically and institutionally. Attending NSC members expressed special satisfaction with existing or increased capacity of these project leaders.

Out of 14 projects, 12 were on time regarding progress of activities and submission of reports. Eleven projects told their stories through Power Points and audio-visual equipment, even though they are of Community ?Based Organization and not a national, tighter organization. There were three projects who accomplished their jobs orally and by sets of photos , but in no way suggested less clarity of their stories.

III. Project site visits by the NC, NSC and PA (February 5, 2008) with following findings and observaions:

Meeting with community leaders at the grantee?s office in a community along the Mae Klong River confirmed the clarity of some project results, especially, community technical capacity in application of GIS for environment protection and inventories of community data & information-including factories. One village headman ( Phy Yai Baan) and his team comfortably gave presentation of overall target community context and other surrounding villages which participated as a result of project impact. Project youth groups had been playing leading role in collecting data required to put in the software. One presentation included pictures of one target village with 200 , 50 and current year. It was said that the project had received cooperation from local government units and the data & information set were handed over to responsible authority, such as the Tambol Administrative Organization and municipality for planning environment protection and other activities.

Visiting Wat (temple) Rong Tham School, one of five participating schools had also witnessed another project result, i.e. awareness and capacity of community youths. Project activities and media trained participants, especially students, to think then proceed with actions by themselves making linkage among families members along the river. The activities with youth group was not one of top-down approach.

The visiting team was pleased with the increased technical capacity of the project and was satisfied with the results. However, there were two problems for the project to solve. Firstly, the current aerial view was not an updated version - about five years old. The cost of the most update was too high for the project to afford. Secondly, current effects of globalization resulted in more factories thus pollution to the river and its tributaries and wasteful habits of youths. In coping with the first, the visiting team recommended a barter with the Office of City Planning in the province, where the project could exchange updated community inventories with the software from office.