Title: IW: LEARN Case study:The Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Programme
1IW LEARN Case studyThe Mekong Wetlands
Biodiversity Programme
- Peter-John Meynell
- UNDP Team Leader
- 20 November 2004
2Outline of presentation
- Overview of project and its activities
- Environmental flows
- Economic valuation
- Financing mechanisms
3Limitations 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
4What 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
5What 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
6Programme Components
- Regional component
- 4 National components Cambodia, Lao PDR,
Thailand and Vietnam - 4 Demonstration sites
7Demonstration sites
Songkhram
Attepeu
Stoeng Treng
Plain of Reeds
8How 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 the
impacts of flow regimes upon wetlands and
livelihoods - Biodiversity assessments and mapping in support
of regional and national planning - Flagship species Irrawaddy Dolphin, Siamese
Crocodile, Mekong Giant Catfish, Sarus Crane - Support to international conventions Ramsar,
CITES, CBD
9How 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
10How 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
11Environmental 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
12Environmental 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
13Environmental 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
14Vegetation zones linked to flood - return periods
15Environmental 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
16Environmental 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
17Wetland valuation
- Show that wetland resources and functions have
real values - Fish for subsistence and commercial value
- Wetland products rice, algae, medicinal 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 EIAs to
highlight losses trade-offs
18Wetland 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
19Ecotourism 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?
20Financing 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
21Financing 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
22Economic 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
23Economic 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