Handout 2.6 Shared Resources Benefits in Southern highlands
3rd Zone
Southern Laos & Northern Cambodia:
Sesan, Sre Pok, SeKong and the Mekong.
Benefits of the Shared Resources
Key Message – The relationship between the people of the basin and the
shared resources also differs across the basin, in order to undertake effective
basin planning, it is necessary to have an appreciation of these differences.
The southern highlands cover an area of 98,000 km2 of Southern Laos and Northern
Cambodia, or Sub area 6CL and 7 CLV. This area is also a major contributor to the
shared fresh water to the Mekong at 19 % of total annual flow. It is the 2nd largest
contributor after zone 2 Central Laos & E Saan. Important tributaries are Xe pain,
Kham man, Xe namnoy, Xe xet, Xe kong, Xe San, and Xe Pok. Like the northern
highlands, most of this contribution is made during the rainy season. The rainfall also
recharges the groundwater resource but little is known about groundwater processes.
This section of the mainstreams from southern Laos to northern Cambodia, along
with its rich associated wetlands have an immense importance for fisheries of the
entire Mekong. It is the key migration route many of Mekong fish species. These
include various cyprinids which are the base food of the poor, fresh water dolphin
and many Mekong endemic “giant fish species”. These flagship species the
imagination and pride the basin residents.
Rivers and flood plain complexes in this zone probably house most of the 1500
Mekong fish species, as well as aquatic animals. This is because it holds a very
diverse ecosystem, from mainstream to mighty Khonefall, rocky rapids, thick riverine
forests along the bank, pockets of forested flood plains, and long fierce flowing
tributary rivers that travel far into mostly pristine forest/wood lands. Most of
Mekong deeps pools which serve as fish “dry season refuge” are found in this part, in
mainstream and tributary Xe Xan and Xe Kong Rivers. 1
Wild capture fisheries from in this zone supplies food to locals in northern
Cambodia, entire country of Laos and larger valuable species exported to northeast
Thailand for consumption, trading, and catering to its tourists.
In Southern Laos, these 3 southern provinces comprise a supplier of “natural
Mekong fish” to the country and the capital. Together with fish from Stung Treng (
northern Cambodia) Mekong larger fish from southern Laos comprise a steady
supply to Ubon province northeast Thailand where there is a larger market demand
for “upper market Mekong fish”. Ubon is known for “Cuisine of Mekong fish” in
Thailand the place where tourists must seek to taste the “mighty Mekong” fishes.
Apart from food to locals, fish from this region makes a lucrative trade commodity.
In 2001, --------- tons of --- was exported from Laos, and ----- tons from Cambodia to
Thailand via Ubon.
1
Fishery technical report No. 6 , Fishery programme, MRC 2003.
Handout 2.6 Shared Resources Benefits in Southern highlands
So who lives in the southern highlands and how do they benefit from the shared
resources of the Mekong ?
Southern Highlands has a maximum altitude of just over 1,800 m. and densely
forested with low population densities (20-70 persons/km2 )2 . They are considered
significant areas of conservation. Stung Treng province, just below border with Laos,
is declared an important wetland site heritage of Cambodia under Ramsar Convention.
The zone covers 11 provinces of 3 countries ( 4 of southern Laos, 4 central Vietnam
highland, and 3 Cambodia northern provinces) The total population is 3.2 millions.
Hill tribes account for the majority of the population in the province of Ratanakiri and
Mondulkiri where the SeSan/SrePok and SeKong rivers originate.3 Highland
minorities equal to s 86,000 persons in Vietnam part, and 250,000 persons in the Laos
part.
As discussed in Handout 2.1, the tributaries of Se Kong, Se San and Sre Pok are
major contributors to the flow of water at Kratie and are of great importance to the
reversal of flow at Tonle Sap.
The hill tribe people living in the southern highlands practice subsistence farming
which is shifting cultivation, mainly of rice and maize.. They grow a variety of
vegetables, other food crops, primarily during dry season, collect natural food from
forest and river and raise livestock. For these people foraging in the mountainous
areas and fishing in the tributaries of the Mekong river are an important shared
resources of this groups.
The surface area under forest cover is over 50%, but there has been a steady and large
loss of forest in the recent years due to shifting cultivation and logging. In Vietnam
annual forest lost is 2000- 7000ha/year. In year 2001, 50% of all timber cut down in
Vietnam comes from this area. In Laos, forest cover in this region is in the range of
60% , higher than that of national 47%,. Laos as a whole has lost forest cover in the
past 50 years from 70% down to 47%.
These forest loss situation in sub area 6 and 7 which is largely mountainous and steep
slops has evidently results in increased erosion as well as increased level of
sedimentation in the rivers.
In the Se San and Sre Pok valleys which originate in Viet Nam and flow through
Cambodia before reaching the Mekong, there is considerable irrigation in Viet Nam
growing industrial crops such as cotton, sugar cane, soya, tobacco and sesame as well
as perennial crops like pepper, rubber and coffee. 4. The lightly populated central
highland of Vietnam was declared “ economic development zone” mid 1990s with
substantial immigration, in the wake of “ coffee for export” Intensive land use in
watershed area of this key tributary could have considerable social implication for
2
3
Social Atlas of the Mekong Basin
ibid and State of the Basin Report 2003
Handout 2.6 Shared Resources Benefits in Southern highlands
local, environmental implication for down streams as well as room for cooperation to
benefits those poor who need it most.
As the Se San and Sre Pok rivers flow through Cambodia, there is considerably less
use of the river for irrigation or for aquaculture. Incomes are low and there is very
little irrigation infrastructure.
People alongside those rivers rely on the natural flooding cycle of the river to provide
them with fish and to allow them to plant crops on the floodplain and along river
banks of Mekong and tributaries. They harvest aquatic products from the floodplains
and wetlands; fish, snails, crabs, insects and water birds for food, wetland plants and
grass for roofing and handicrafts/ They also cultivate terrestrial plants/ timbers
leaves for construction, roofing, medicines and small barter goods for their basic
needs as well as small cash income.
The capture fishery is very important for the people in Cambodia, Southern Laos. The
abundances could bring more cash income had it been with a better infrastructure and
access to market. Since this area is largely mountainous and remote, most trade are
local and in bartering from, except those who are close to good highway in south Laos
leasing to urban center of couth and central and further to Thailand.
There is considerable potential for hydropower development in the southern
highlands. The Yali Dam was built on the SeSan River in 1993- 2000 in west of
Vietnam central highland head water area. It has install capacity of 720 MW and
energy outputs of 3600 GWh/ year. Inundation of the dam led to flooding of 1900 ha
of agriculture land, relocation of 1150 people in 26 villages in Vietnam. However,
Sesan is Transboundary River running through NE Cambodia passing through
Rattanak Kiri, and reaching its confluence with Mekong in Stung Treng. The sudden
un-announced release water from the dams has cause loss of lives and property
damage of to people down stream from the dam in Cambodia, largely ethnic
minorities in Ratnakiri..