WLE Greater Mekong
Selected R4D Projects
Proposal Writing Workshop
Vientiane, Lao PDR
Oct. 13-17, 2014
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Projects
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Topic B
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Topic C
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Topic D
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Topic D
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Topic E
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Topic E
Mekong: Space for Dialogue: People, Perceptions and Principled Outcomes in the
Greater Mekong
led by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute.
Salween: Matching policies, institutions and practices of water governance in the
Salween-Thanlwin-Nu River Basin: Towards inclusive, informed, and accountable
water governance
led by the Department of Geography, Ryerson University (Canada).
Mekong: Developing an operational framework for river health assessment in the
Mekong River Basin
led by Water Engineering and Management, AIT (Thailand).
Mekong: Balancing River Health and Hydropower Requirements in Lancang River
Basin
led by Ecofish Research Ltd (Canada)
Salween: Rivers for life and livelihoods: classification of river health in the Greater
Mekong subregion – Salween river,
led by the International Water Management Institute (International)
Irrawaddy: Rivers for life and livelihoods: classification of river health in the
Greater Mekong subregion – Ayeyarwady River Basin
led by International Center for Environmental Management (Australia).
Mekong: River food systems from villagers’ perspectives in the Mekong Delta,
led by WARECOD (Viet Nam).
Mekong: Implementing cross sectoral negotiations to coordinate Nam Xong
livelihoods, ecosystem services and agricultural intensification
led by the Mekong Region Futures Institute (Thailand and Laos).
Irrawaddy: A Landscape Approach to the Upper Ayeyarwady River Basin: Building
Inclusive Governance Processes to Address Resource Conflicts
led by the Water Security Research Centre, School of International
Development, University of East Anglia (UK).
Red: Inclusive development paths for healthy Red River landscapes based on
ecosystem services,
lby Delft University of Technology (Netherlands).
Mekong: Professional Development of Water Governance and Regional
Development Practitioners in the Mekong Basin
led by Mekong Sub-region Social Research Centre, Faculty of Liberal Arts,
Ubon Ratchathani University (Thailand).
Salween: Professional Development of Water Governance and Regional
Development Practitioners in the Salween Basin
led by the Masters on International Development Studies (MAIDS),
Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.
Irrawaddy: Capacity building and professional development to contribute to
improved water governance, management, and monitoring of the Irrawaddy river
basin
led by UNESCO-IHE (Netherlands).
Red: Capacity Building and Professional Development of Water Governance and
Regional Development Practitioners in the Red Basin
led by the Institute for Water and Environment, Vietnam Academy for
Water Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Viet
Nam)
Project Leaders
Kim Sean Somatra
somatra@cdri.org.kh
Vanessa Lamb
vlamb@ryerson.ca
Babel Mukand
msbabel@ait.asia
Yu Xuezhong
xzyu@ecofishresearch.com
Matthew McCartney
m.mccartney@cgiar.org
Jeremy Carew-Reid
jecr@icem.com.au
Nga Dao
nga@warecod.org.vn
Alex Smajgl
alex.smajgl@mekongfutures.com
Oliver Springate-Baginski
Oliver.springate@uea.ac.uk
Nick van de Giesen
n.c.vandegiesen@tudelft.nl
Kanokwan Manorom
kmanorom11@gmail.com
Carl Middleton
Carl.Chulalongkorn@gmail.com
Wim Douven
w.douven@unesco-ihe.org
Nguyen Tung Phong
phongicd@gmail.com
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Topic A
Mekong
Title
Space for Dialogue: People, Perceptions and Principled Outcomes in the Greater Mekong
Led By
Cambodia Development Resource Institute
Project Leader and Contact Info
Kim Sean Somatra - somatra@cdri.org.kh
Partner Organizations
 National University of Singapore
 Department of Peace and Development, Goteborg University
 NGOFORUM, Cambodia
 Water Resources Management Research Center, Rajamangala University of Technology
Isan (RMUTI)
Project Summary
We focus squarely on research for development, where the question is no longer whether to
develop, but how. Indeed, it is now widely agreed the objective of water governance is to
achieve the triple bottom line of development, equity, and sustainability. This project builds on
this insight – too often, the how of development has been prescribed by external international
agencies, scholarship and financing institutions. This project argues that there should be spaces
for dialogue – to allow for more room for locally-determined notions of governance, fairness and
equity to feature into the rules of the game.
This has a special resonance for Mekong water governance. Among the rivers in the Greater
Mekong region, the Mekong has the most intense development of hydropower and economic
activity. This complicated competition over water resources and the hydro-political interplay of
global, regional, and local powers makes a negotiated approach to governance critical.
The dominant narrative today is that Upper Reaches hold little accountability to downstream
countries, leading to trans-boundary conflict. But unequal distribution of development gains
exists within countries also, and marginalized communities often suffer due to development
efforts, facing threats of restricted livelihood, environmental damage, cultural loss, and eviction.
Undoubtedly, development goals may conflict (e.g., industrialization and electrification versus
secure rights and livelihoods), as do interests of communities, the private sector, and
governments, all leading to a potential collision course if water governance shortfalls go
unresolved.
Our Mekong Water Governance (MWG) project will systematically study and provide a
governance map of the Mekong River Basin at local, state, and international levels; construct a
locally responsive, community-informed definition of good governance; assess the current state
of governance according to emergent standards; and explore ways to expand and improve upon
the space for dialogue and inclusiveness and accountability of governance processes. Our aims
are: to construct an indigenous, cross-sector definition of good governance; to develop a
Mekong governance map, which analyzes the political economy drivers; to assess the current
state of Mekong governance in relation to the definition of “good governance” and a view of
water as an important resource and vital human need.
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Salween
Title
Matching policies, institutions and practices of water governance in the Salween-Thanlwin-Nu
River Basin: Towards inclusive, informed, and accountable water governance
Led By
Department of Geography, Ryerson University (Canada)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Vanessa Lamb - vlamb@ryerson.ca
Partner Organizations
 MA in International Development Studies (MAIDS), Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
 Regional Centre for Sustainable Development (RCSD), Chiang Mai University, Thailand
 Karen Environment and Social Action Network (KESAN)
 Paung Ku, Myanmar
 Renewable Energy Association Myanmar (REAM)
 Myanmar Academic Research Society (MARS)
 Green Watershed
 IWMI
 This research links to a wider array of potential partners involved in the SalweenThanlwin-Nu (STN) Studies Group recently established
(http://salweenstudies.wordpress.com/)
Project Summary
Shared between China, Myanmar and Thailand, the Salween-Thanlwin-NuRiver (referred to as
Salween River in this proposal) supports the livelihoods and food needs for more than six million
people. Rapid political transformations in Myanmar at the national level and the ethnic states
that lie within the basin are redistributing power and access to resources, and have implications
for the river basin’s development trajectory. Ongoing economic integration between Myanmar,
Thailand and China – and more broadly in the Greater Mekong Subregion and ASEAN – is also
shaping the river basin’s future. The basin is the target of more than 20 large dam projects as
well as large-scale agricultural investment and increasingly the focus of international aid. These
projects have been planned without comprehensive basin-wide assessment to date on
ecosystem, local livelihoods and local systems of governance. Despite the Salween River’s
importance, limited water governance research has been undertaken to capture the different
cultural, political, and socio-economic values generated by the Salween River and its adjacent
basin ecosystems. A key knowledge gap regards the political and economic drivers that
(re)shapes the basin’s development trajectory, including linkages to land, energy, and
environmental issues, and how they are shaped by gender and ethnicity.
The proposed project will be the first initiative to assess and understand the political economy of
the Salween as a trans-boundary river basin, and map out the economic and political drivers and
rationales that (in)directly shape water governance structure, processes, and outcomes across
scales. The project will explicitly address linkages between local and higher scales of water
governance through multi-scaled research (local, sub-national, national, regional). The focus is
on water, related resources (land and agriculture, energy production), and environment. The
project will also support capacity building of the research partners, build local researcher and
university networks across the Salween basin, engage in dialogues and forums, and culminate in
a major public conference.
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Topic B
Mekong
Title
Developing an operational framework for river health assessment in the Mekong River Basin
Led By
Water Engineering and Management, AIT (Thailand).
Project Leader and Contact Info
Babel Mukand - msbabel@ait.asia
Partner Organizations
 Pollution Control Department (PCD), Thailand
 Thai Water Partnership (TWP)
Project Summary
The Mekong River is arguably the most important river in South East Asia, which has been the
focus of a number of research studies given the rich biodiversity, and large population, it
supports. Over the years, increasing unplanned development pressures within the basin have
caused many direct threats to important ecosystems and endangered species for which the
region is renowned. The aquatic resources of the Mekong River and its tributaries are essential
for supporting the livelihoods of a large percentage of the basin population (almost 67 million),
and the sustainable management of these resources depends on maintaining the health of the
river.
River health assessments are not a new concept, and a number of such assessments have been
carried out worldwide: e.g. Freshwater Health Assessment (2014: For Canadian rivers), River
Health and Environmental Flow in China Project (2012: for selected Chinese rivers), Framework
for Assessment of River and Wetland Health (2011: for South west Western Australian Rivers),
National Rivers and Streams Assessment (2009: for US rivers). In a broader (macro) context,
WEM (lead partner for this EOI) was also involved with a similar project in collaboration with
UNEP to evaluate the freshwater vulnerability in selected international rivers in Asia, which
included the Mekong
(http://www.unep.org/dewa/Assessments/Ecosystems/Water/tabid/6954/Default.aspx). At a
regional level, The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has also monitored the ecological health of
the river between 2003 and 2008. While the premise of river health assessments has not
changed much with time, with improved knowledge and understanding of the riverine
ecosystem, the methods of doing so, in particular the choice of river health indicators, have
evolved rapidly.
River health indicators (and corresponding health assessments) have traditionally been centered
on ecological issues (single perspective, ecological function-based, water quality and macroinvertebrate indices, etc.) and it is only recently that other points-of-view such as catchment
disturbance, hydrological changes, effects on human health, riparian habitat conditions, etc. are
being taken into consideration. However, gaps still remain. Although the community’s role in
river health has been repeatedly highlighted, hitherto social indicators on community
satisfaction are not used. Similarly, climate change implications on river health have been
relatively unexplored.
The proposed project will develop a river health assessment framework for rivers in the Greater
Mekong, which will encompass a range of objectives from vision to action.
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Mekong
Title
Balancing River Health and Hydropower Requirements in Lancang River Basin
Led By
Ecofish Research Ltd (Canada)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Yu Xuezhong - xzyu@ecofishresearch.com
Partner Organizations
 Asian International Rivers Center (AIRC), Yunnan University, China
 Faculty of Agriculture (FOA), National University of Laos
Project Summary
Hydropower plays a vital role in meeting the energy and climate goals of China and Lancang
River is one of the 13 hydroelectric bases of China. Hydropower projects bring renewable source
of energy and storage capacity for flood control and drought resistance, but also have the
potential to create complex impacts on river ecosystem, which is the primary driving force of
river health in Lancang River Basin.
Facing the conflict between ecological and economical demands, decision makers and
stakeholders must strike a balance between hydropower and river ecosystem needs. Appropriate
methods for assessment, monitoring and management of the project’s effects on river
ecosystem will be helpful to maintain or rehabilitate river health at a certain level. The
assessment of hydroelectric projects’ impacts on river ecosystem, trans-boundary ecological
effects and the state of river health should be thoroughly studied in Lancang River Basin
according to changes of projects scheme and climate conditions in recent years. Of equal
importance is the study and advancing of the environmental management mechanism of
hydropower projects in operation stages in this region, which will continuously improve
effectiveness of mitigation and compensation activities and state of river health.
The proposed project will develop and promote scientific and management approaches to
balance both river health and hydropower needs in Lancang River Basin. The concept of river
health in this project incorporates both ecological and human values: a healthy river ecosystem
is sustainable and resilient to stress, maintaining its ecological structure and function over time
similar to the natural (undisturbed) ecosystems of the region, with the ability to recover from
disturbance, while continuing to meet social needs and expectations (Meyer 1997, Karr 1999,
Stantec 2005, Bunn et al. 2010). A Multi-scale Impact and State Assessment method (MISA) will
be developed and applied to evaluate the projects’ effects on river ecosystem as well as the state
of river health. The indicators of river health assessment may be grouped into four categories:
physical (hydrology, connectivity, river morphology, and landscape), water quality (physical,
chemical, and Nutrients), biological (fish community, benthic macro-invertebrates, and riverine
vegetation) and human value (flood, drought, navigation, and water consumption). The
ecological effects and trans-boundary effects of hydropower projects and state of river health in
Lancang River Basin will be evaluated with the application of the MISA.
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Salween
Title
Rivers for life and livelihoods: classification of river health in the Greater Mekong subregion
Led By
International Water Management Institute (International)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Matthew McCartney - m.mccartney@cgiar.org
Partner Organizations
 Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MIID)
 Myanmar Ecosystem Conservation and Community Development Initiative (ECCDI)
 Myanmar Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF)
 Myanmar Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems (MOT)
 International Centre for Environmental Management (ICEM)
Project Summary
The research conducted in this project will contribute in a tangible way to Myanmars proposed
Water Framework Directive and achieving the goal of Myanmar’s draft integrated water
resources management policy, namely “…to develop, share and manage the water resources of
Myanmar in an integrated, holistic and socially inclusive manner, to contribute significantly to
the poverty alleviation, to the green growth and sustainable development of the nation…” By
contributing to the objectives of the broader consortium it will also contribute directly to the
mandate of the Mekong River Commission, “to promote and coordinate sustainable
management and development of water and related resources for the countries’ mutual benefit
and the people’s wellbeing”. The project is underpinned by our hypothesis that the sustainable
use and development of a river system for all river users, especially for improved livelihoods of
riparian communities, is based upon maintaining a healthy river ecosystem. We will establish an
assessment and classification system to determine the health status and potential of rivers as
measured by the condition of specific biological, hydromorphological, physical and chemical
elements. The visions and needs for a healthy river system will be compiled from the different
river user groups – water supply for industry and domestic use, waste water treatment and
disposal, irrigation, hydropower, navigation, tourism, fishermen, and riparian farmers.
We envisage a RHF based on the principle of acceptable levels of change working at multiple
scales. Basin scale assessments of current water resources utilisation and catchment disturbance
will be derived through remote sensing. This will be complimented by work with riparian
communities located along designated reaches, to establish river health baselines, indicators and
pilot monitoring programs that reflect local concerns and priorities. This citizen science
component will enable local people (ethnic groups, women and men) to contribute to the RHF
by identifying key issues of concern to them, participating in the monitoring of their own rivers
and making a preliminary evaluation of the health of water bodies in their community.
The selection of indicators, at the different scales, will be guided by their relevance to important
environmental/livelihood assets and values, and their likely response to different drivers of
change. Selected indicators will respond to stressors/threats in a predictable way and reflect the
range of ecosystem health values of interest. We will develop assessment tools (e.g. for
monitoring) and guidance for the classification system that, although consistent in the method
of application, will allow for different types of aquatic system and take into account the broad
diversity of ecological regions in the basin/GMS.
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Irrawaddy
Title
Rivers for life and livelihoods: classification of river health in the Greater Mekong subregion
Led By
International Center for Environmental Management (Australia)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Jeremy Carew-Reid - jecr@icem.com.au
Partner Organizations
 Myanmar Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF)
 Myanmar Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems
 Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MIID)
 Myanmar Ecosystem Conservation and Community Development Initiative (ECCDI)
 International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
 International Water Centre
Project Summary
This project will contribute directly to Myanmar’s proposed Water Framework Directive and to
achieving the goal of Myanmar’s draft integrated water resources management policy “…to
develop, share and manage the water resources of Myanmar in an integrated, holistic and
socially inclusive manner, to contribute significantly to the poverty alleviation, to the green
growth and sustainable development of the nation…”. As part of the consortium’s broader
activities it will contribute directly to the MRC’s mandate, “to promote and coordinate
sustainable management and development of water and related resources for the countries’
mutual benefit and the people’s wellbeing” and its ongoing work on river monitoring. The
project is underpinned by our hypothesis that the sustainable use and development of a river
system for all users, especially for improved livelihoods of riparian communities, is based on
maintaining healthy river ecosystems. We will establish an assessment and classification system
to determine the health status and potential of rivers and linked aquatic ecosystems as
measured by the condition of specific biological, hydro-morphological, physical and chemical
elements. We envisage a system based around the principle of acceptable levels of change
working at multiple scales (see section 18 diagram). Basin-scale assessments of current water
resources utilisation and catchment disturbance will be derived through remote sensing, and
future scenarios for development. The visions and needs for a healthy river system will be
compiled from the different river user groups – water supply for industry and domestic use,
waste water treatment and disposal, irrigation, hydropower, navigation, tourism, fishermen,
and riparian land owners and cultivators. This will be complimented by work with communities
in designated sub-catchments, to establish river health baselines, indicators and pilot
monitoring programs that reflect local concerns and priorities. This citizen science component
will enable local people (including ethnic groups e.g. Shan and Kachin, women and men) to
contribute to the classification system by identifying key issues of concern to them, participating
in the monitoring of their own rivers and making a preliminary evaluation of the health of water
bodies in their area.
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Topic C
Mekong
Title
River food systems from villagers’ perspectives in the Mekong Delta
Led By
WARECOD (Viet Nam)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Nga Dao - nga@warecod.org.vn
Partner Organizations
 People Committees
 Division of Education
 Department of Natural Resources and Environment (at each province)
 Women Union
 Departments of Environment and Agriculture under An Giang and Can Tho Universities
 VTV6 (a formal Vietnamese TV channel on environmental education
Project Summary
The Mekong Delta with its three distinct geographical areas (flooding, middle alluvial and saline
coastal areas) plays very important role in ensuring food security in Vietnam. While rice is
dominant in the delta as a whole, each area is well known for certain types of products, like
fishery in the flooding area, fruits in the middle alluvial area and shrimp in the coastal area. In
general, the Mekong Delta provides fifty percentage of country’s paddy rice and fifty five
percentages of national fisheries and fruit crops. It is home to and provides food and nutrition to
more than 20 million people living there. However, recently, communities in the delta are
suffering dual impacts from both climate change and unsustainable river/water use such as
hydropower dam building, river overexploitation, which made local people more vulnerable and
limited their livelihood and nutrition sources. Moreover, in some areas of the Mekong delta, the
government built dykes to prevent flood so villagers can cultivate all year round, which degrades
the soil and adversely impacts on aquatic habitats in the delta.
Since 2012, WARECOD has provided technical support to local people in conducting local
research knowledge (Thaibaan research) in 3 communities in the flooding area of An Giang and
Dong Thap provinces. One important outcome of the research was that villagers gained the
confidence to participate in dialogues with authorities and were willing to share ideas with other
communities. After the Thaibaan, the volunteer researcher groups have been transferred into
river monitoring groups for self-managing water and aquatic resources in their areas.
Based on the successful results of the previous projects we are planning to expand our work to
six communities in the other two geographical areas of the delta. We expect at least two out of
six research groups to consist only of women in order to get more perspectives from women in
the delta. We will continue our work with communities both inside and outside the dykes to see
differences between practices of local people in different sides of dyke geography. This project
will contribute to better understanding of communities’ dependence on the river for food in
different geographical regions of the Mekong Delta. It will help document villagers’ experiences
with changes that arise from dams/dykes development and other threats in food production,
and raise the voices of grass-root communities in the delta. An exchange visit to Laos will be
organized in the third year of the project to share knowledge and concerns with Laotian local
research groups.
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Topic D
Mekong
Title
Implementing cross sectoral negotiations to coordinate Nam Xong livelihoods, ecosystem
services and agricultural intensification
Led By
Mekong Region Futures Institute (Thailand and Laos)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Alex Smajgl - alex.smajgl@mekongfutures.com
Partner Organizations
 Mr. Phousavanh Fongkhamdeng, Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment, Lao PDR
 Dr. Leeber LeeBoaupao, DG National Economic Research Institute, Ministry of Planning
and Investment Lao PDR
Project Summary
Integrating the interactions between river management, agricultural productivity, ecosystem
services, land use change and livelihood status into cross-sectoral negotiations between remains
an acute knowledge gap when designing development interventions in the Mekong region,
including Lao PDR.
The project will facilitate the shared systems learning of Lao PDR decision makers improving
their understanding of livelihood, ecological and economic tradeoffs arising from proposed
water and land development investments to intensify agriculture in the Nam Xong River basin. A
systematic participatory process will investigate, evaluate and coordinate proposed or
impending development interventions and investment decisions; will be conducted with diverse
and potentially competing cross-sectoral interests, and have a specific focus on the tradeoffs
between livelihoods and ecosystem services in the Nam Xong. The National Economic Research
Institute (NERI) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) have identified the Nam Xong as
a river basin where competing and diverse water and land demands occur and are likely to
continue.
DWR will manage Nam Xong water balance modelling, contribute to the modelling of priority
ecosystem services and with guidance from the Mekong Region Futures Institute (MERFI) cofacilitate a series of 5 workshops with representatives from affected communities, the energy,
mining, agriculture and tourism sectors. NERI will conduct a household livelihood survey and cofacilitate workshops. The MERFI will lead, co-design and manage the project and adapt a
dynamic, integrative model that simulates the cross-sectoral interactions between hydrology,
land use, ecosystem services and household livelihoods in response to Nam Xong development
investments to intensify agriculture proposed by workshop participants.
The primary project outputs are the development of a cross-sectoral participatory planning
process that is easily transferable to other river basins; a data set of Nam Xong household
livelihoods; shared and plausible future visions for the Nam Xong; assessment and reporting of
Nam Xong livelihood and ecological system tradeoffs likely to occur as a result of intended
development interventions; a mapping exercise that locates development interventions that
align with ecological attributes and community needs and aspirations; an evaluation of decision
maker systems learning; and a cohort of trained MPI and DWR staff able to independently
provide integrated decision support and conduct cross-sectoral planning for Lao PDR agencies.
10
Irrawaddy
Title
A Landscape Approach to the Upper Ayeyarwady River Basin: Building Inclusive Governance
Processes to Address Resource Conflicts
Led By
Water Security Research Centre, School of International Development, University of East Anglia
(UK)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Oliver Springate-Baginski - Oliver.springate@uea.ac.uk
Partner Organizations
 Friends of Wildlife, Yangon / Myitkyina
 IUCN Myanmar, Yangon
 London School of Economics and Political Science
 University of California, Berkeley
Project Summary
The project will facilitate a landscape approach (LA) to the governance and management of the
Upper Ayeyarwady River Basin (UARB) as a framework for protecting ecosystem services (ES) and
livelihoods in the face of heterogeneous stakeholders and proposed land uses at multiple spatial
scales, within a (post-) conflict arena. The LA, developed and articulated with reference to
poverty alleviation by IUCN (Fisher et al. 2008), is receiving growing international recognition as
a framework for addressing heterogeneous (and sometimes opposing) land uses in deliberative
ways including diverse (and unequally matched) stakeholders. The project will use participatory
action research processes (PAR) and technical assessment to generate valuable empirical data to
feed multi-stakeholder governance deliberations for improved planning and decision-making and
capacity building for more marginalized stakeholders. The project focus and design aims to
facilitate reduced conflict over resources, enhanced river basin and ecosystem health overall,
and specifically clean water supply, and resource-based local livelihoods.
The UARB is an appropriate landscape focus because it is a site of rapid ecological change
and development challenges, and where planning has been hampered by long running armed
conflict and continuing resource conflicts, and where there is still little research-based
knowledge. Comprising the Ayeyarwady RB down to the confluence of the Chindwin and
Ayeyarwady Rivers, the region covers much of northern Myanmar (mainly Kachin and Sagaing
States), and contains terrestrial and riverine ecosystems that provide ES locally and to tens of
millions downstream (CEPF strategy 2012, NBSAP 2011; Birdlife International 2012). Moreover,
the catchment supports local food security (shifting cultivation, sedentary cultivation, fishing
systems), resource-based livelihoods and wellbeing, production forestry and large-scale
hydropower, and agricultural irrigation systems. Recent controversies include rapid growth in
mining (including destructive gold mining using mercury, see KDNG 2007), agribusiness
plantations (Kachin State has the 2nd highest concentration of agribusiness ‘land grabs’ in the
country, see TNI 2012), and planned mega-dams (KDNG 2009).
The project will focus on Kachin State, and will engage with multi-stakeholders, including state
parliament, Kachin civil society and Kachin political parties. Field action research sites will be
selected purposively for case study issues. These will include: 1. Large-scale hydropower dams
(especially proposed Myitsone and N’Mai Hka River cascade); 2. Illegal logging areas,
deforestation and degradation ‘hotspots’; 3 Upland shifting cultivation agro-foods systems; 4.
Land concessions; and 5. Mining including mercury use.
11
Red
Title
Inclusive development paths for healthy Red River landscapes based on ecosystem services
Led By
Delft University of Technology (Netherlands)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Nick van de Giesen - n.c.vandegiesen@tudelft.nl
Partner Organizations
 UNESCO-IHE
 International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
 Ministry of National Resources and Environment (MONRE), National Center for Water
Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI)
 Ministry of Agricultural Development (MARD), Institute of Water Resources Planning
(IWRP)
 Hanoi University of Natural Resources (HUNRE)
 Water Resources University (WRU)
 FutureWater
 VinWater
 GreenID
Project Summary
Fast land use changes in the Red River basin threaten water resources. Urbanization,
deforestation, intensive agriculture etc. cause pollution, ecosystem degradation, enhanced
greenhouse gas emissions, floods and droughts. More inclusive development of land and water
resources is possible with interventions such as sustainable urban drainage, agroforestry and
minimum tillage, but trade-offs between land development and riverine ecosystems remain. It is
a challenge to quantify the impact of interventions, to feed this knowledge into regional and
national planning systems and to incorporate more inclusive practices in private sector
developments. We propose to develop pathways for planning of land and water resources in the
Red River. Pathways that maximize social and environmental benefits of these resources over
the next decades, while being economically viable. We will develop these pathways in a
multilevel stakeholder dialogue, using scenario thinking, and support this process with the
development of tools and frameworks for governing water and land, with a further
development of the Water Accounting (WA, www.wateraccounting.org) that has been
supported by the WLE. The Dah River Basin is selected as case study area, a typical Red River
subbasin important for Hanoi in which land use changes cause adverse pressure related to water
resources, such as flooding, water pollution, etc.
We start with a brainstorm on possible futures in a debate on social media, round tables for
communities, and a drawing competition for children, followed by a brainstorm in a workshop
with stakeholders.
The research performed in the second stage will highlight gaps in data collection. If possible
monitoring systems will be improved to fill these gaps.
In the third stage driving factors will be ordered according to their importance and uncertainty.
We will apply mixed methods and triangulation of data or methods if possible. The results will
be presented and discussed at the stakeholder workshop on scenario development.
The final stage of the project will be the development of decision pathways for land and water
resources in relation to provisional and regulating ecosystem services.
12
Topic E
Mekong
Title
Professional Development of Water Governance and Regional Development Practitioners in the
Mekong Basin
Led By
Mekong Sub-region Social Research Centre, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Ubon Ratchathani University
(Thailand)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Kanokwan Manorom - kmanorom11@gmail.com
Partner Organizations
 Mekong Program on Water, Environment and Resilience (M-POWER)
 Sustainable Mekong Research Network (SUMERNET)
 MA in International Development Studies (MAIDS), Chulalongkorn University
 Myanmar Environment Institute (MEI)
 Vietnam Academy of Water Resources (VAWR)
 Faculty of Development Studies, Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP)
 GMS Centre, Yunnan University
 Mekong River Commission (MRC), Integrated Capacity Building Program
 Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) – Asia
 Australian Mekong Resource Centre (AMRC) – University of Sydney
 The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) (Australia)
 Department of Geography, Ryerson University, (Canada)
 Regional Centre for Sustainable Development (RCSD), Chiang Mai University
Project Summary
Rationale: Within the Mekong basin, water resources are inextricably linked to community
livelihoods and wellbeing, agricultural production and food security, local and national
economies, and various development initiatives that may involve a range of small- and largescale water infrastructure. The extent of high dependence on river resources of communities
located on the banks of the Mekong mainstream and its tributaries have been extensively
identified by many researches. The Mekong Basin population is primarily rural and the livelihood
sources of the majority of the people living in the basin are related to different kinds of natural
resource use. To strengthen governance and increase the likelihood of sustainable and fair
decisions, there is a need for organizations and individuals to strengthen their knowledge and
skills to engage in water-related governance, management, monitoring and research.
Purpose: This project will strengthen and expand relevant capacities of a Mekong-focused
cohort of critical and engaged young scholars and practitioners of water governance and
regional development, and link these to researchers in other Greater Mekong region basins,
through a multi-country/ multi-basin collaborative fellowships program, teaching/training
curriculum on water governance and effective communication. The EoI is designed to collaborate
with comparably designed programs in the Salween; Red; Ayeyarwady basins. The project will
foster collaboration among regional networks and organizations that have common interest and
experience on the programs on professional development such as the M-POWER, SUMERNET,
and the MRC’s Junior Riparian Professional project.
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Salween
Title
Professional Development of Water Governance and Regional Development Practitioners in the
Salween Basin
Led By
Masters on International Development Studies (MAIDS), Faculty of Political Science,
Chulalongkorn University
Project Leader and Contact Info
Carl Middleton - Carl.Chulalongkorn@gmail.com
Partner Organizations
 Mekong Program on Water, Environment and Resilience (M-POWER)
 Sustainable Mekong Research Network (SUMERNET)
 Mekong Sub-region Social Research Centre (MSSRC), Ubon Ratchathani University
 Myanmar Environment Institute (MEI)
 Vietnam Academy of Water Resources (VAWR)
 Faculty of Development Studies, Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP)
 GMS Centre, Yunnan University
 Mekong River Commission (MRC), Integrated Capacity Building Program
 Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) - Asia
 Australian Mekong Resource Centre (AMRC) – University of Sydney
 The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) (Australia)
 Department of Geography, Ryerson University, (Canada)
 Regional Centre for Sustainable Development (RCSD), Chiang Mai University
Project Summary
Rationale: For over six million people, the Nu-Thanlwin-Salween River and its water resources
are inextricably linked to local livelihoods and wellbeing, agricultural production and food
security, and local economies. Recent conflict transformation processes, regional economic
integration, and socio-economic changes are all reshaping the development trajectory of the
river basin. At present, more than 20 large dam projects are at various stages of planning in the
basin, large-scale agricultural investments are increasingly underway, and the basin has been the
focus of various forms of international aid. Compared to the Mekong River, comparatively
limited research on the Salween River has been undertaken. To strengthen governance and
increase the likelihood of sustainable and fair decisions, there is an urgent need to build
knowledge and research capacity within the basin, and to support research networks capable of
informing the rapid changes underway in the basin using evidence-based research.
Purpose: This project will strengthen and expand relevant capacities of a Salween-focused
cohort of critical and engaged young scholars and practitioners of water governance and
regional development, and link these to researchers in other Greater Mekong region basins,
through a multi-country/ multi-basin collaborative fellowships program, teaching/training
curriculum on water governance and effective communication. The EoI is designed to collaborate
with comparably designed programs in the Mekong; Red; Ayeyarwady basins. The project will
foster collaboration among regional networks and organizations that have common interest and
experience on the programs on professional development such as the M-POWER, SUMERNET,
and the MRC’s Junior Riparian Professional project.
14
Irrawaddy
Title
Capacity building and professional development to contribute to improved water governance,
management, and monitoring of the Irrawaddy river basin
Led By
UNESCO-IHE (Netherlands)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Wim Douven - w.douven@unesco-ihe.org
Partner Organizations
 Directorate of the Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems, Ministry of
Transport, Myanmar
 Ayeyarwady River Basin Research Organization, Myanmar
 Yangon Technological University, Myanmar
 Mandalay Technology Ltd, Myanmar
 Network of Asian River Basin Organizations
 International Union for the Conervation of Nature
 Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
Project Summary
Myanmar is emerging from decades of isolation. It is rich in natural resources and eager to
accelerate its economic development. A main challenge for Myanmar will be to manage and
develop the water resources of the Irrawaddy river basin in such a way that environmental and
social values are maintained. The healthy rivers concept e.g. is an explicit part of the recently
adopted Myanmar water policy developed by the National Water Resources Commission
(NWRC). However, because of the isolation from the international world, there is a long gap in
capacity building. This project aims to provide a focussed and sustainable contribution to
strengthening capacities of Myanmar key organizations, water professionals and individuals to
contribute to improved water governance, management, and monitoring of the Irrawaddy river
basin. The project is comprised of four components: a fellowship program, policy engagement,
organizational capacity building and national and regional networking. The components
reinforce each other as is shown in the figure below.
Fellowship program (1)
Develop program and curriculum
Water,
Land
and
Ecosystem
(WLE)
projects
Offer program for professionals
Policy engagement (2)
Organizational capacity building (3)
Cooperate with partners
Develop WM/RBO certification system
Apply WM/RBO certification system
Develop training and curriculum
Offer trainings for professionals
Networking (4)
Organise inception workshop, seminars and staff exchange for professionals
Through these four components and their interactions the project will strengthen the knowledge
and skills about water governance, management, monitoring and research and the researchpolicy interaction in the Irrawaddy basin.
15
Red
Title
Capacity Building and Professional Development of Water Governance and Regional
Development Practitioners in the Red Basin
Led By
Institute for Water and Environment, Vietnam Academy for Water Resources, Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (Viet Nam)
Project Leader and Contact Info
Nguyen Tung Phong - phongicd@gmail.com
Partner Organizations
 Director of Climate Change Institute, MONRE, Vietnam - Professor Duong Hong Son
 Institute for Water Resources Planning, MARD - Ass. Prof. Dr. Bùi Nam Sach, Director
General
 Water Resources University – Prof., Nguyen Quang Kim
 Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, Hanoi, Vietnam - Dr Huynh Thi Lan Huong
 IWMI - Laos - Dr Hoanh, Chu Thai
Project Summary
Rationale: Massive changes in land and water resources are expected in the next two decades in
the Red River Basin, the second important river basin of Vietnam. This has potential to
contribute greatly to development, but also to environmental degradation and further
marginalization of particular groups and their livelihoods. This calls for national, regional and
international wide support for evidence based knowledge to guide this rapid development.
Compared to the Mekong River, comparatively limited research on the Red River Basin has been
undertaken. To strengthen governance and increase the likelihood of sustainable and fair
decisions, there is an urgent need to build knowledge and research capacity within the basin
and support the individuals, academic institutes and research networks capable of informing the
rapid changes underway in the basin using evidence-based research. This opens a great
opportunity for the international communities to support the education system of future newly
structured autonomous universities with more up-to-date curriculum considering emerging
needs in the country and regional economic integration in Greater Mekong Region and
worldwide.
Purpose: This project will strengthen and expand relevant capacities of the Red river basin
focused cohort of critical and engaged young scholars and practitioners of water governance
and regional development, and link these to researchers in other Greater Mekong region basins,
through a multi-country/ multi-basin collaborative fellowships program and organizational
capacity building to improve teaching/training curriculum on water governance and effective
communication. The EoI is designed to collaborate with comparably designed programs in the
Mekong; Red; Salween basins. The project will foster collaboration among regional networks
and organizations that have common interest and experience on the programs on professional
development such as the M-POWER and SUMERNET.
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