Entitled ‘A place for indigenous people in protected areas, Surin Islands, Andaman Sea, Thailand’, the project is implemented by the Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute, and supported by the UNESCO Bangkok Office, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and the interdisciplinary and intersectoral platform for ‘Environment and Development in Coastal Regions and in Small Islands’ (CSI). It is one of 23 CSI projects, distributed round the globe, which seek to provide collaborative on-the-ground action and showcase the positive impacts of wise practices in sustainable coastal management. Linking these projects with each other and with the complementary modalities of university chair/twinning activities in sustainable coastal development, and the internet-based discussion forum on ‘Wise Coastal Practices for Sustainable Human Development’ (WiCoP forum; user name = csi, password = wise), the CSI platform seeks to reduce conflicts over resources and values in small islands and coastal regions. It is planned to achieve this through the elaboration of wise practices, guidelines and principles, and ethical codes of practice for specific domains, thereby promoting the equitable sharing of coastal resources.