CRP5 - SUBPROGRAM ON BASINS Relevant Research at WorldFish in Greater Mekong Region

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CRP5 - SUBPROGRAM ON BASINSRelevant Research at WorldFish in

Greater Mekong Region

Yumiko Kura and Eric Baran1st Basin SRP Meeting, ILRI Ethiopia

Campus, 28-29th May 2012


Which Basin SRP themes does WorldFish’s research address?

• Understand and consider resource variability in basin management

• Invest in water infrastructure• Allocate and manage basin water and land to raise

productivity, improve equity and safeguard ecosystem services

• Introduce and consistently follow the principles of benefit-sharing

• Pay attention to the political economy of policy selection


WATER-ENERGY-ENVIRONMENT NEXUS Trade-offs between hydropower and

freshwater fish biodiversity

Local fisheries studies(importance in fisheries)

Location of dams

Highland

Flooded

Habitat loss resulting from dams

RISK OF LOSS FOR SPECIES S1Overall risk for species (conservation)

Risk for local fishery production (food security)

Migration rangeswithin the Mekong river system

Total 800 species known

250 species with known migration patterns

50 commercially important migratory species

Global distribution


22 families, 151 species

12% endemics, 5% introduced, 83% native

HIGH MOUNTAINS



LOW MOUNTAINS

PLATEAU ISLANDS, WETLANDS



FLOODPLAINS



DELTA





Freshwater fish biodiversity in the Lower Mekong Basin


Baran E., Saray Samadee, Teoh Shwu Jiau, Tran Thanh Cong. 2011. Fish and fisheries in the Sekong, Sesan and Srepok River Basins. Mekong Challenge Program project MK3 “Optimizing the management of a cascade of reservoirs at the catchment level”. WorldFish Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 61 pp.

Importance of individual sub-basins formigratory fish and fishery production


Fukushima M. and Baran E. (Eds) Forthcoming. Mekong fishes and their future - Atlas of migratory fish and dam development.

Hydropower potential of Mekong sub-basins

and future water development scenarios


Ziv G., Baran E., So Nam, Rodríguez-Iturbe I., Levin S. A. 2012 Trading-off fish biodiversity, food security, and hydropower in the Mekong River Basin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 109 (15): 5609-5614.

Trade-offs between hydropower, migratory

fish diversity, and fishery production


Trade-offs between mainstream dams, fish resources, food security

Baseline Scenario in 2000: 1 Chinese dam, 15 dams on tributaries, 2.1 million tonnes of fish produced (15% of the world’s freshwater capture fish), at least 38% of the catch based on long distance migrants

3 Future Scenarios in 2030: 6 Chinese dams, 71 dams on tributaries, 6 to 11 Lower Mekong mainstream dams, from 23 to 81% of the Mekong Basin barred to migrations

Fish loss forecasted if 6 mainstream dams are also built : 270,000 - 600,000 tThis represents the total freshwater production of North + South America in 2008 (525,470 t)

Fish loss forecasted if all 11 mainstream dams are built: 550,000-880,000 tThis represents 1-2 times the aquaculture production of Europe in 2008 (458,693 tonnes), or more than half the total livestock production of Thailand + Laos + Cambodia in 2009 (1,348,503 t)

Fish loss forecasted with 71+6 but no LMB mainstream dams: 210,000 - 540,000 t This represents the marine catch + aquaculture production of UK in 2008 (453,243t), or the total annual meat production of Bangladesh in 2009 (373600 t)

2030 scenarios compared to 2000 baseline


• Strategic Environmental Assessment of Hydropower on the Mekong Mainstream – commissioned by the Mekong River Commission to facilitate broader dialogue among the 4 member countries regarding the proposed 11 hydropower dams on the mainstream

• Recommendation for the deferment of mainstream hydropower development for at least 10 years until more scientific knowledge becomes available for better impact assessment and mitigation measures

2012 Award by the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) for its impact on the decision-making process

Impacts on Policy and Decision-Making


CHALLENGE PROGRAM ON WATER AND FOOD - Mekong Basin Development Challenge

• Started in mid 2010, continues to 2013 • Aims to reduce poverty and foster development through management of

water for multiple uses in large dams and small reservoirs• Coordinated research projects:

– MK1: Optimizing reservoir management for livelihoods– MK2: Water valuation– MK3: Land and water management in catchments with

cascades of dams– MK4: Water governance– MK5: Coordination and change– MK6: Hydropower governance and multi-stakeholder

platforms• Working in three countries:

– Cambodia – Sesan/Srepok catchments– Laos – Nam Theun Himboeun catchment– Vietnam – Sesan catchment


• Overall Project Objective: Assess the value of water in its various uses and estimate costs and benefits associated with different water management strategies

• Research Questions:– 1) What is the value of alternative and multiple uses of

water relative to a narrower focus on hydro-electric power generation or irrigation?

– 2) to what extent can declines in the value of water, as a result of being used for alternative purposes, be mitigated to sustain the value of water for hydropower?

Mekong Project 2: Water Valuation


Human ImpactHydropower development

Dam Reservoir

Flow diversion Human Impact- Coping strategies and

adaptation: over harvesting; change in land use etc..

Physical Characteristics of

Surface Water

Changes in :

Where the water is- River- Reservoir- Seasonal wetlands

When water is available/accessible- Flow regime

- Seasonal flooding patterns

Water Quality

- Sediment load

Will determine the habitat

Freshwater/Wetlands ecosystem goods and

services

- Flood control

- Nutrient Retention

- Fish and aquatic plants and animals quantity and diversity:

- Availability: when; where

- Quantity

Use value

- Direct use

- Indirect use

Non use value

Option value

Livelihood Systems- Who benefit from what

water use/value gains?

- Who bear the cost of what water use/value losses?

- Relative importance of each water value to stakeholders - all year around, seasonal?

- Level of dependency on livelihood derived from particular water value

- What social/institutional structure affect the water access?

Water Value

Water and water services that contribute to local livelihood and its relation to the physical status of water. Adapted from Springate-Baginski et al. 2009

Mekong Project 2: Organizing Framework

Emphasis of Assessment


- Fisheries

- Other aquatic resources (plants, mollusk etc…)

- Irrigation/recession agriculture/river bank gardens

- Domestic use (drinking, washing)

- Urban water supply

- Hydropower

- Aquaculture

- Water for livestock

-Transport

- Fertilization/sediment transport

- Fish habitats/migration routes

- Spiritual and religious values

- Biodiversity

- Recreational values

Economic Values of Water

Use Value

Direct Use Value

Indirect Use Value

Non - Use Value

Or existence values

Values assessed in Cambodia

Values assessed in Lao

Values assessed in Vietnam

Values need be measured at appropriate scale - local, basin-wide, national, global


Linking hydrology with water values derived locally

• Proximity and access to the reservoir in the full supply level and low supply level

• Current pattern of water values derived from reservoir and tributaries

• Potential for increasing total water value of the reservoir and its tributaries through multiple use


Mekong Project 2: Water ValuationCountry: CambodiaSite: Upstream and downstream of proposed Lower Sesan 2 dam

What is assessed/importantLocal Provincial National

Direct Use Important Assessed Important Assessed Important Assessed- Fisheries X P X X P- Other aquatic resources (plants, mollusk etc, …) X P - Irrigation/recession agr/river bank gardens X P ? - Domestic use (drinking, washing) X P - Urban water supply ? X - Hydropower X P- Aquaculture - Water for livestock X P

Indirect Use- Transport X P - Soil fertilizaton/sediment transport X ?- Fish habitats/migration routes X X X

Non-use- Spiritual and religious values X P - Biodiversity/Ecosystem - Recreational values


• Vietnam: principle of multi-use and benefit sharing being introduced to provincial/district level water user sector development plans, the potential of multi-use reservoirs for increased local benefit, and the need for sectoral coordination are clearly recognized in the context of increasing water competition.

• Cambodia: the need for more comprehensive EIA/SIA, and resettlement and compensation program design, including allowing the local community access to the new reservoir, is being recognized by the provincial authority.

• Lao PDR: multiple use potential of hydropower reservoir is actively explored by some power companies, but requires a lot of data, inter-sectoral coordination, support services for local livelihoods. Lessons can be shared with countries such as Cambodia that have very limited experience developing hydropower projects.

Preliminary Lessons and Impacts on Policy and Decision-Making


Implementation through Diverse Partnerships

National Institute of Environmental Studies (Japan), Ubon Ratchathani University (Thailand), Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute (Cambodia), WWF (Lao), Princeton University (USA), Mekong River Commission, Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (France), Natural Heritage Institute (USA), IWMI (Lao), International Center for Environmental Management (Vietnam), International Food Policy Research Institute (USA), Culture and Environment Preservation Association (Cambodia), Department of Livestock and Fisheries (Lao), Central Institute for Economic Management (Vietnam)

CRP5 - SUBPROGRAM ON BASINS Relevant Research at WorldFish in Greater Mekong Region

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