What is the programme about: Based upon the principle that conservation can only be achieved through promotion of sustainable use of wetland resources. Goal: Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wetland Biodiversity in the Lower Mekong Basin. Purpose: To strengthen regional, national and local capacities for conservation and sustainable use of wetlands in the Lower Mekong Basin.

1. IW: LEARN
Case study:The Mekong Wetlands
Biodiversity Programme
Peter-John Meynell
UNDP Team Leader
20 November 2004

2. Outline of presentation
• Overview of project and its
activities
• Environmental flows
• Economic valuation
• Financing mechanisms

3. Limitations of this
presentation
• Mekong Wetlands Programme is
only just starting – July 04
• Just learning how to make it work
• Little actual experience to report
BUT:
• Environmental flows
• Economic valuation
• Development of financing
mechanisms
are MWBP significant components

4. What is the programme
about?
Based upon the principle that conservation
can only be achieved through promotion
of sustainable use of wetland resources
Goal
• Conservation and Sustainable Use of
Wetland Biodiversity in the Lower
Mekong Basin
Purpose
• To strengthen regional, national and
local capacities for conservation and
sustainable use of wetlands in the Lower
Mekong Basin

5. What do we aim to do?
- Address the root causes of
wetland loss and degradation
1. Encourage multi-sector planning at
national and regional level
2. Strengthen wetland policy and
economic frameworks
3. Collect information and increase
awareness about importance of wetlands
and threats
4. Build human capacity and strengthen
technical resources
5. Use four sustainable resource use
demonstration projects – one per
country

6. Programme Components
• Regional component
• 4 National components
Cambodia, Lao PDR,
Thailand and Vietnam
• 4 Demonstration sites

7. Songkhram
Attepe
u
Stoeng
Treng
Plain of
Reeds
Demonstration sites

8. How do we do this?
At regional level
• Development of guiding principles for wetland
conservation and sustainable use – reaching
agreement and acceptance by the four
governments
• Environmental flows – testing scenarios for th
impacts of flow regimes upon wetlands and
livelihoods
• Biodiversity assessments and mapping in suppo
of regional and national planning
• Flagship species – Irrawaddy Dolphin, Siamese
Crocodile, Mekong Giant Catfish, Sarus Crane
• Support to international conventions – Ramsar
CITES, CBD

9. How do we do this?
At national level
• Strengthening networks of
national expertise
• Support to Ramsar Convention
• Recommendations for sectoral
policies
• National Wetland Action Plan
development, review and
implementation
• Raising awareness amongst
decision makers

10. How do we do this?
At demonstration site level
• Wetland management planning,
strengthening the provincial process
• Community-based management of
wetland resources
• Enhancing sustainable livelihoods
• Economic valuation and development of
financing mechanisms for sustainable
wetland management
• Communications, education and training
of national, provincial and community
organisations

11. Environmental flows
• Moving away from simplisitic
concepts of minimum flow
requirements, even at
different times of year
• Developing an understanding
of what flows are required
for different ecological and
livelihood functions

12. Environmental flows –
process 1
• The MRC Water Utilization Programme has
developed a hydrological model of the Lower
Mekong Basin which can predict the flow
consequences of development scenarios.
• Development scenarios include:
– Higher development scenario
– Lower development scenario
– Present day scenario
• These scenarios have implications for flows in
the river, generally:
– Higher dry season flows
– Lower wet season flows
– Changes in frequency of flooding levels

13. Environmental flows –
process 2
• Using the adapted DRIFT techniques developed
in South Africa
• Identify the key assets in terms of:
– River geomorphology,
– Ecosystem functions
– Biodiversity,
– Natural resources, - fisheries, vegetation
– Livelihoods.
• Carry out field studies on the Mekong
mainstream
– find out asset locations in relation to river
and flooding levels
– accurate height range measurements for
these assets are critical

14. Back Dynamic
Tree -Shrub
Lower Dynamic
Upper
lower Wet Bank
Aquatic
580
300
200
120
400
80
50
Q
1:20
1:2
IV
II, III
Vegetation zones linked to flood - return periods

15. Environmental flows –
process 3
• Predict consequences of the different
scenarios
• Use valuation to show economic and
social consequences
• Feed the information into the Basin and
national planning processes
• Ensure development decisions are made
with better awareness of the
consequences and trade-offs

16. Environmental flows -
learning
• Process is about capacity building
– Dialogue between riparian countries
to develop common understanding of
scenarios and assets
– Teams of national experts will carry
out the studies, guided by
international experts
– Interpretation of the consequences
as a learning experience

17. Wetland valuation
• Show that wetland resources and
functions have real values
– Fish for subsistence and commercial
value
– Wetland products – rice, algae, medicina
plants, frogs, snails, insects, building
materials etc
– Functions such as flood regulation,
groundwater recharge, water
purification, habitat for spawning and
breeding
• Use these values in planning and EIA
to highlight losses & trade-offs

18. Wetland valuation –
learning and guiding
• Research and training to expand capacity to
incorporate economic values into Environmental
Impact Assessments in LMB countries.
• Less formal training – more on-the-job
continuous involvement of key staff of MWBP
with government and NGO partners
• Assessing market potential for wetland based or
non-wetland alternative income generating
activities to guide the MWBP in livelihood
activities
• e.g. silk rearing in rural communities in Stoeng
Treng

19. Ecotourism for the
Irrawaddy Dolphin
• Potential development of ecotourism to protect
Irrawaddy dolphin population
– need to understand livelihood impacts of
tradeoffs faced by local communities.
• What is the cost to local fishermen of giving up
certain fishing activities that endanger the
dolphin?
• If local communities give up fishing activities
which endanger dolphins, who will reap the
benefits from tourism dollars?
• What institutional arrangements are needed to
ensure that those who bear the costs of dolphin
management also benefit?

20. Financing mechanisms
• Economic valuation should not stop here: it is a
tool to contribute to:
– Policy review and development
– Economic incentives
– Financing mechanisms
for improving and sustaining long-term wetland
resource management
• MWBP is developing a strategy for these in each
country
• Examples include:
– Financing for Ramsar site management
– Financing for Community fishery management in
Stoeng Treng

21. Financing for Community fishery
management in Stoeng Treng
• Possible to assess costs, benefits and
distribution of Community Fishery Management –
comparing CFM and non-CFM - but not very easy
• Partial valuation of wetland resources indicates
need to consider alternative livelihood
strategies
• Build qualitative evidence:
– Many stakeholders that benefit from
wetland resources – on and off-site
– Interactions between stakeholders influence
how resource is used and best managed
– Extent of power relations and influence
between these stakeholders

22. Economic valuation and
financing mechanism –
lessons learnt
• Important to relate economic
valuation to the context
• Define the issue to be addressed
clearly
• Question need for comprehensive
evaluation – target studies
carefully

23. Economic valuation and
financing mechanism –
lessons learnt
• Need for back-up information from
other disciplines – hydrology, ecology,
fisheries, livelihood etc.
• Consider relation to policy and planning
needs
• Need to pull in other sectors, including
Ministries of Finance and Trade