dialogues Robert Mather, … · Robert Mather, World Conservation Congress, Jeju . ... Mekong Delta...

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INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE MEKONG WATER DIALOGUES www.iucn.org/asia/mekong_dialogues Robert Mather, World Conservation Congress, Jeju 09 September 2012

Transcript of dialogues Robert Mather, … · Robert Mather, World Conservation Congress, Jeju . ... Mekong Delta...

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

MEKONG WATER DIALOGUES www.iucn.org/asia/mekong_dialogues Robert Mather, World Conservation Congress, Jeju 09 September 2012

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FISHERIES FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS • Lower Mekong most productive

inland fishery in the world – accounts for between 2 to 10% of GDP of each Mekong country

• Main source of animal protein for 60 million people, valued at >$3 billion/year at first sale

• Large proportion of productivity (40-70%) is based on long-distance migration

• 3 migration systems • natural seasonal changes in

hydrology are crucial migration triggers

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Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) ADB-facilitated program for economic development: • transportation corridors • integrated national markets • local economic development • foreign investment • >305 projects, >$30 billion

ASEAN Economic Community

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• Habitat fragmentation • Habitat loss • Increased spread of commercial agriculture into remote areas • Improved infrastructure = illegal wildlife & timber trade is

increasing

Road Development

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• “cash crops” for China, Thailand, global markets • Vietnam is leading exporter of coffee, pepper, rice,

cashew, rubber • Laos – rubber for China, sugar for Thailand • Cambodia – large scale commercial concessions in

high value conservation areas

Agriculture & Plantations

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• Rapid growth - gold, bauxite … • Gaps in legislation • Priority landscapes affected • Water pollution

Mining

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Threats: Hydropower

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What we knew when we started….

13,000 species of freshwater fish in the world – over 1,000 known from this region, but only 76 assessed

5,000 species of freshwater

molluscs described by science -no species in this region assessed

6,000 aquatic plant species

in the world – only 5 species assessed in this region

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All/Threatened/data-deficient freshwater species

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Threats to Rivers, wetlands and freshwater species that undermine food security and local livelihoods

Species invasion

Water

pollution Over-

exploitation

Flow

modification Habitat

degradation

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UNDERLYING GOVERNANCE ISSUES 1

Inadequate policy and/or law, institutions, and/or processes at national and regional levels Well-intentioned but poorly implemented

laws/norms, institutions and processes, often caused by lack of capacity Mandates of different agencies are often

unclear and overlapping Planning is done on a sectoral basis with

limited cross-sectoral collaboration

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UNDERLYING GOVERNANCE ISSUES 2

Mechanisms to promote involvement of civil society stakeholders in wetlands and river basin planning and management are lacking (sub-national, national and trans-boundary ) Many rivers and wetlands have no or

unclear legal status and are effectively open-access resources Traditional management practices and

customary governance mechanisms breaking down because of modern external pressures

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MEKONG WATER DIALOGUES Goal and Objectives

• Aims to improve water governance in the Mekong Region as a way to enhance livelihood security as well as human and ecosystem health

• Seeks to facilitate transparent and

inclusive decision-making around water resources

• Promotes collaboration between

government, private sector and civil society

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GOVERNANCE

• who has the power to make decisions that affect wetlands and wetland users and how those decisions are made

• who has the power and responsibility to implement those decisions and how those decisions are implemented

• who is held accountable, and how, for

implementation.

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GOVERNANCE • Components of Governance - Policies - Laws and other norms - Institutions - Processes • Qualities of Governance - predictability/rule of law - transparency - participation - accountability

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Process and Progress in Phase I. • National Working Groups • Desk study reviews • Stakeholder workshops • Local and national dialogues • Policy reform

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Main Outputs and Activities September 2008 - August 2010

Dialogues and Workshops

– Cambodia: Tonle Sap fishing communities workshop and Tonle Sap National Dialogue

– Laos: workshop on Wetlands and River Basin Orgnaisations – Vietnam: water pollution dialogues at commune level – Vietnam: Mekong Delta Wetlands Governance workshop – Thailand: RBO sharing and exchange – Thailand:Tai Baan Research sharing and exchange – All countries ground-water issues workshops

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Main Output and activities September 2008 - August 2010

Knowledge Products (studies, publications)

– Water Governance Situational Analysis in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam – Laos Participatory Irrigation Study – Vietnam Craft Village Pollution Study – Vietnam Groundwater Study – Cambodia Tonle Sap Harmonisation Study – Cambodia Phnom Penh Water Utility Study – Thailand IWRM lessons learned paper – Siphandone: The Mekong Under Threat

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Main Outputs and Activities September 2008 - August 2010

Policy Outcomes and Impacts – Lao PDR : stakeholder input to Decree on RBO – Lao PDR: National Water Policy/Strategy – Lao PDR: Ramsar Accession and site designation – Cambodia: contribution to momentum for government

action on Tonle Sap at the highest level – Regional: contribution to MRC Basin Development

Planning Process, MRC Summit statement by PMs of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, etc.

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EXPECTED RESULTS FOR PHASE II (September 2010-December 2014)

1. NWGs participate in the management of water resources and use shared knowledge and improved consensus to contribute to decision making at the national and regional level

2. Livelihood concerns of local communities integrated into decision making in river basin organisations, and wetlands through multistakeholder dialogues

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RESULTS FOR PHASE II (continued)

3. Learning on participatory water governance collated and communicated by the project is used by various stakeholders in policy and practice in the LMR

4. Strategic partnerships and alliances are established at the regional level to promote water governance policies that support livelihood security, human and ecosystem health in the Lower Mekong region

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Legal and Policy Reform Achievements and ongoing efforts since September 2010

• Stakeholder input in new Water Law (2012) in Viet Nam • Stakeholder input in New Water Law in Lao PDR (ongoing) • Stakeholder input in water related laws in Thailand (ongoing) • Cancellation of commercial fishing lots in Tonle Sap • Designation of new Ramsar sites (Lao 2; Vietnam 3+1; Cambodia 2

under discussion) • Emerging for remaining period: - Peoples Draft of Water Law in Thailand - Wetlands Law in Thailand - Ratification of UN Convention on non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses

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Institutional and process-related achievements and ongoing work since September 2010 • Establishment of National Ramsar Committee and sub-

national teams in Lao PDR • Development of participatory management planning

process for Ramsar sites in Lao PDR • Development of participatory monitoring process for

Beung Chmmar former fishing concession in Cambodia • Promotion of “Tai Baan” research approach to

additional areas of Thailand with government budget support

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Cross-cutting issues: gender, ethnicity, climate change • Encourage women and ethnic minority groups to

participate in National Working Groups • Women-only workshops and ethnic minority workshops

on water issues in Thai watersheds and Lao wetlands • Information on project interventions disaggregated by

gender • Collaboration with MRC Climate Change Adaptation

Initiative (eg study on climate change impacts on wetlands)

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Conferences and Events

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Collaboration with Regional and Global Partners • MRC/GIZ/IWMI/IUCN Conference on watershed

management • IUCN/Ramsar Secretariat Regional Capacity-building

on Ramsar implementation • Mekong2Rio Conference • Leverage of additional financial support for “spin-off”

activities • Developing “Great Rivers Partnership” for the Mekong

with WWF and TNC • Collaboration with IWMI and the Challenge Programme

on Mekong Hydropower movie

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Thank You