IW: LEARN Case study:The Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Programme

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IW LEARN Case studyThe Mekong Wetlands
Biodiversity Programme

• Peter-John Meynell
• UNDP Team Leader
• 20 November 2004

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Outline of presentation

• Overview of project and its activities
• Environmental flows
• Economic valuation
• Financing mechanisms

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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

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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

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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

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Programme Components

• Regional component
•  4 National components Cambodia, Lao PDR,
  Thailand and Vietnam
•  4 Demonstration sites

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Demonstration sites
Songkhram
Attepeu
Stoeng Treng
Plain of Reeds
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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 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Vegetation zones linked to flood - return periods
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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

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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

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Wetland 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

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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