DOCSLIB.ORG

Environmental and Social Management Plan for Nakai-Nam Theun Catchment and Corridor Areas

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Environmental and Social Management Plan for Nakai-Nam Theun Catchment and Corridor Areas Page 1 of 6 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR NAKAI-NAM THEUN CATCHMENT AND CORRIDOR AREAS PREFACE Lao PDR holds some of the most important biodiversity resources in Southeast Asia, yet it is one of the poorest countries in the world. This poses, on the one hand, a dilemma: achieving conservation objectives while meeting the urgent development needs of people. On the other hand, it also presents an opportunity to develop and implement strategies for conservative use of natural resources as a basis for sustainable development. Seizing this opportunity is no easy task, and most countries have failed to achieve sustainable development as a result of over- exploitation and depletion of their natural resource base. The Government of Lao PDR has made substantial and impressive progress in the development of one the most comprehensive protected area systems in South and Southeast Asia since the issuing of Decree 164. The value of the biodiversity conserved in these areas (currently about 12.5% of the country's land area) is enormous. Further, the areas which have been set aside have other critical values, in particular as a source of water for human consumption, agriculture and energy. However, the challenges to build upon the opportunities provided by the setting aside of these conservation areas are considerable. All of the areas have resident communities, are subject to intensifying unsustainable resource use, and have limited management capacities at national, provincial and district levels to ensure that conservation objectives are achieved. If these challenges are not met then the future of biodiversity conservation and the additional benefits provided by protected areas for national development is gloomy. The Lao Government has taken the important first steps in meeting these challenges, but it will require the concerted application of the Government and its partners to make sure that innovative solutions are found and implemented. In many ways the Nakai-Nam Theun area symbolises facing biodiversity conservation and development in Lao PDR. It is an area of outstanding biodiversity conservation significance and natural beauty, and offers the prospect of forging important links at the international conservation level through dialogue with Viet Nam on transborder biodiversity issues - including the potential for joint World Heritage nomination of the Sai Phou Louang/Truong Son Range. At the same time its water resources are about to be tapped for hydropower energy, through the Theun-Hinboun dam, and potentially through the Nam Theun 2 dam. It contains impoverished people, high value timber and wildlife for commercial trade, and it is a rugged area with difficult management constraints. It is also an area of remarkable ethnic diversity and cultural vulnerability. Achieving a balance between conservation and human development needs in Nakai-Nam Theun will play a critical role in the formulation of effective conservation management throughout Lao PDR. This Environmental and Social Management Plan for the Nakai-Nam Theun area is the outcome of seven months of intensive work and consultation undertaken by the IUCN Project Team. This has comprised social, ethnographic and wildlife surveys in the Nakai-Nam Theun NBCA and proposed extension and corridor areas. It has also involved consultation with communities and officials at local, district, provincial and national levels throughout the course of the project. This has included two formal national public consultations, in January and July 1997, to which the Government invited participants from interested international agencies and NGOS within and outside Lao PDR. Throughout, the project was overseen by an interministerial Steering Committee which met four times. The consultations which were held after the release of the first draft Management Strategy in June, as well as other comments received from various parties, have been taken into account in the preparation of this plan. One of the major outcomes of the consultative process has been a decision to produce more of a "synthesis document." The critical challenge facing conservation management throughout the world, and especially in Lao PDR, is to integrate environmental conservation concerns and approaches with social issues and the needs of indigenous and rural people. This plan attempts to provide a clear direction on how this can be achieved in Nakai-Nam Theun. Inevitably, the complexity of social, cultural, economic and environmental issues in the project area has resulted in an equally complex, lengthy, management planning document. Six project reports contribute to the Management Plan: Page 2 of 6 1. Cultural Diversity and Socio-Economic Development in the Context of Conservation. A Social Action Plan. 2. A Conservation Action Plan for the Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis Four Technical Reports in the following disciplines: 3. Ethnography; 4. Socio-economics; 5. Botany-Plant Ecology; and, 6. Wildlife Despite the length and complexity of this document, it must be remembered that a plan which has been prepared relatively rapidly should not be seen as a detailed "blueprint". Its purpose it to provide a clear analysis of key issues, assess various options, and identify appropriate goals and objectives as a strategic basis for the more detailed work which must follow. In 6ther words, this plan only represents the "end of the beginning" - it is the start of a process which will take years, and considerable resources, to bring to a successful outcome. That outcome will be the effective conservation of one of the world's most valuable biodiversity areas, in conjunction with the improved social development and cultural conservation of the areas resident peoples. Stuart Chape IUCN Representative - Lao PDR July 1997 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS IUCN gratefully acknowledges an enormous amount of assistance which the Study Team received during the preparation of this plan and particular thanks are due to the NT2 Project Management Team at the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts. The preparation of the plan would not have been possible without the guidance and assistance of the Science Technology and Environment Organisation (STENO), the Team's counterpart Organisation. STENO's task in organising the three, sometimes four, field teams which often worked independently, was a formidable one and the Study Team is most grateful to the large number of STENO staff who worked tirelessly on the team's behalf. Counterparts from other agencies also assisted and they too, are gratefully acknowledged, in particular those from the Centre for Protected Areas and Watershed Management (Department of Forestry) and the Institute of Cultural Research. The Provincial Administrations of Khammouane and Bolikhamxay Provinces were deeply involved in the study and their flexibility and positive response to many last- minute requests for assistance and counterparts, made the field work all possible. Similarly, thanks are due to the staff of BPKP whose logistical support enabled the field teams to reach isolated locations and communities. No acknowledgment is complete without a sincere but unheard thanks to the many village leaders and villagers who uncomplainingly provided much time and assistance to the field teams, at a time, when for many of them their particular circumstances were most difficult. Finally, a separate and specific thank you to the WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY (WCS), which as IUCN's partner in the preparation of this plan, contributed above and beyond their agreement. WCS's experience together with a professional and practical approach to the wildlife conservation issues of the Nakai-Nam Theun area, significantly enhanced the comprehensiveness of this Management Plan. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables and Figures List of Annexes Preface Page 3 of 6 Abbreviations and Acronyms Summary Part I -Background to Plan Formulation and Management Principles 1 INTRODUCTION - PLAN FORMULATION 1 1.1 The Purpose of the Plan 1 1.2 Timeframe of the Plan 1 1.3 The Structure of the Document 1 1.4 Study Reports 2 2 PREPARATION OF THE PLAN AND THE PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT 3 2.1 Current Study 3 2.2 Team Experience 3 2.3 The Planning Process 3 2.4 The Principles of Management 4 3 DESIGNATION AND STATUS OF THE NAKAI-NAM THEUN CATCHMENT 7 AND CORRIDOR AREAS 3.1 The Nakai-Nam Theun Catchment and Corridor Areas 7 3.2 Buffer Zones 8 3.3 Legal and Administrative Framework 8 3.4 Status of Management in the Nakai Nam Theun NBCA 9 Part II - The Setting of the NNT Conservation Area 4 THE SETTING OF THE NAKAI NAM THEUN CONSERVATION AREA 1 4.1 Administrative Setting 1 4.2 Soils 1 4.3 Land Use 1 4.4 Climate and Meteorology 1 5 NATURAL RESOURCES 5 5.1 Topographic Features of the NNT Conservation Area 5 5.2 Vegetation and habitats 6 5.3 Fauna 8 5.4 Summary of conservation significance 11 6 THE ETHNO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT 12 6.1 Ethnographic Overview 12 6.2 Demographic Overview 15 6.3 Existing Infrastructure and Community Services 17 6.4 Existing and Proposed Land and Resource Use Developments 20 7 VILLAGER LIVELIHOODS AND THE CURRENT USE OF NATURAL 29 RESOURCES 7.1 Agroecosystems 29 7.2 Agricultural Practices 30 7.3 Land Tenure 33 7.4 Commerce 33 7.5 Utilisation of Forest Habitats 33 7.6 Hunting and Other Exploitation of Wildlife 36 Page 4 of 6 7.7 Trans International Border Incursions 38 8 PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURAL 40 HABITATS AND WATERSHED PROTECTION 8.1 Introduction 40 8.2 Direct Threats to Natural Habitats, Biodiversity and Watershed Protection 40 8.3 Vulnerable
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Letters from the MEKONG TIME for a NEW NARRATIVE on MEKONG HYDROPOWER
    Time for a New Narrative on Mekong Hydropower Letters from the MEKONG TIME FOR A NEW NARRATIVE ON MEKONG HYDROPOWER by Richard Cronin and Courtney Weatherby OCTOBER 2015 1 © 2015 The Stimson Center All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent from the Stimson Center. Photo credits: Courtney Weatherby: front cover, page 17, 36, and back cover Rich Cronin: pages 12, 14, 15, 28, 31 Brian Eyler: pages 4, 20, 24, 26 International Rivers: page 22 NASA Observatory: page 34 STIMSON 1211 Connecticut Avenue NW, 8th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Tel: 202.223.5956 | Fax: 202.238.9604 www.stimson.org Time for a New Narrative on Mekong Hydropower CONTENTS Introduction 5 Background 7 Xayaburi and Don Sahong Dam Projects: Site Visits and Findings 13 Xayaburi Dam Site Visit 15 Don Sahong Site Visit 17 Emerging Need for a New Narrative 21 The China Factor 25 Recommendations 29 Conclusion 35 About and Acknowledgements 38 3 Letters from the Mekong THE CURRENT NARRATIVE IS OVERLY PESSIMISTIC… A NEW AND MORE NUANCED VIEW IS REQUIRED. Villages in the Siphandon region 4near the Don Sahong Dam site. CRONIN & WEATHERBY Time for a New Narrative on Mekong Hydropower INTRODUCTION This issue brief – the second in Stimson’s “Letters from the Mekong” series – examines the current status of mitigation efforts at Laos’ Xayaburi and Don Sahong dam projects and the relevance of the existing narrative surrounding hydropower development on the river’s mainstream. Based on extensive research on the status and expected impacts of these projects, the authors of this brief have concluded that the current narrative of inev- itability surrounding the future of the Mekong is increasingly at odds with what is in fact a very fluid situation.
    [Show full text]
  • Summary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Nam Theun 2
    SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT NAM THEUN 2 HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT IN THE LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC November 2004 CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 14 November 2004) Currency Unit – Kip (KN) KN1.00 = $0.000093 $1.00 = KN10,773 ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Asian Development Bank AFD – Agence Française de Développement CIA – cumulative impact assessment EAMP – Environmental Assessment and Management Plan EDL – Electricité du Laos EGAT – Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand EMO – Environmental Management Office EMU – Environmental Management Unit HCC – head construction contractor HCCEMMP – Head Construction Contractor’s Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan HIV/AIDS – human immunodeficiency virus/acute immunodeficiency syndrome IUCN – International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Lao PDR – Lao People’s Democratic Republic MRC – Mekong River Commission NNT – Nakai Nam Theun NPA – national protected area NTFP – nontimber forest product NTPC – Nam Theun 2 Power Company Limited RMU – resettlement management unit ROW – right of way SDP – Social Development Plan SEMFOP – Social and Environment Management Framework and First Operational Plan SESIA – Summary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment SIA – Strategic Impact Assessment STD – sexually transmitted disease STEA – Science, Technology and Environment Agency WMPA – Watershed Management and Protection Authority WEIGHTS AND MEASURES µg – microgram cm – centimeter El – elevation above sea level in meters ha – hectare kg – kilogram km – kilometer km2 – square kilometer kV – kilovolt l – liter m – meter m3 – cubic meter m3/s – cubic meter per second masl – meters above sea level mg – milligram MW – megawatt ºC – degree Celsius NOTES (i) Throughout this report, the Lao words Nam, Xe, and Houay are used to mean “river” and Ban to mean “village”.
    [Show full text]
  • Nam Theun 2 Dam Laos
    Nam Theun 2 dam Laos Sectors: Hydroelectric Power Generation On record This profile is no longer actively maintained, with the information now possibly out of date Send feedback on this profile By: BankTrack Created before Nov 2016 Last update: Nov 1 2015 Contact: Tania Lee, International Rivers Ame Trandem, SOMO Project website Sectors Hydroelectric Power Generation Location This project has been identified as an Equator Project About Nam Theun 2 dam The US$1.45 billion Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project, in the small Southeast Asia country of Lao PDR, is involves a 39-meter high dam on the Theun River, a major Mekong tributary, and a 450-square kilometer reservoir on the Nakai Plateau. Water is diverted to a powerhouse before being released into another Mekong tributary, the Xe Bang Fai River. Nam Theun 2 has forcibly displaced 6,200 indigenous people living on the Nakai Plateau and affects more than 110,000 people whohave historically depended on the Xe Bang Fai River for fisheries, agriculture, transportation and water supplies. Thousands of other Lao villagers have lost land and resources for the construction of Nam Theun 2's downstream channel and transmission lines. This project is built with the stated intention of generating revenue for the Lao government by exporting over 90% of the electricity generated to neighboring Thailand. However, as a result of the complete lack of transparency of how revenues are being used by the authorities, there is no possible way to gauge how much money is being invested back into affected communities. Latest developments Latest update Jan 1 2013 What must happen International Rivers has been monitoring the implementation of Nam Theun Hinboun Corporations' (NTPC) social programs for resettled villagers on the Nakai Plateau and the situation of people living downstream, along the Xe Bang Fai River.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Nam Theun 2 Compliance with World Commission on Dams Strategic Priorities
    An Analysis of Nam Theun 2 Compliance with World Commission on Dams Strategic Priorities Executive Summary By Aviva Imhof, International Rivers Network and Shannon Lawrence, Environmental Defense Updated February 2005 The World Commission on Dams (WCD), an independent, multi-stakeholder process sponsored by the World Bank and IUCN, was established to review the development effectiveness of large dams and assess alternatives; develop a framework for assessing options and decision-making processes for water and energy services; and develop internationally acceptable criteria and guidelines for planning, designing, construction, operation, monitoring, and decommissioning of dams. In November 2000, WCD Commissioners released their final report, Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making. The World Bank has stated that it will use the WCD report “as a valuable reference to inform its decision-making process when considering projects that involve dams.”1 Additionally, World Bank donors, in the 2002 report of the Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) 13th Replenishment, “noted the Bank’s early support for the World Commission on Dams and asked that IDA take into account the core values and strategic priorities suggested by the WCD for preparing and evaluating dam projects.”2 In November 2004, IUCN members – including governments and non-governmental organizations – adopted a motion on “Financial institutions and the World Commission on Dams recommendations.” This recommendation urges financial institutions to assess all proposed dam projects in the context of WCD strategic priorities and to decline support for dam projects that do not respect WCD strategic priorities.3 It is with these statements in mind that the following analysis has been prepared.
    [Show full text]
  • THE MEKONG and the WATER POLITICS of CHINA and SOUTHEAST ASIA Milton Osborne Lowy Institute Paper 02
    Lowy Institute Paper 02 river at risk THE MEKONG AND THE WATER POLITICS OF CHINA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA Milton Osborne Lowy Institute Paper 02 river at risk THE MEKONG AND THE WATER POLITICS OF CHINA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA Milton Osborne First published for Lowy Institute for International Policy 2004 by Longueville Media PO Box 102 Double Bay New South Wales 1360 Australia www.longmedia.com.au [email protected] Tel. (+61 2) 9386 0081 Copyright © Lowy Institute for International Policy 2004 Greater Mekong Subregion Map No. 4112 Rev. 2 January 2004 reproduced with permission from the UN Cartographic section. Upper Mekong Map reproduced from Osborne, M. The Mekong, Allen & Unwin Australia, 2001 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or recording), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Cover and text design by Shane Grantham Printed and bound in Australia Typeset in Esprit Book 10 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data Osborne, Milton, 1936- . River at risk : the Mekong and the water politics of Southeast Asia. Bibliography. ISBN 1 921004 02 9. 1. Mekong River. 2. Mekong River Valley - Social conditions. I. Lowy Institute for International Policy. II. Title. (Series : Lowy Institute for International Policy ; no. 2). 915.9 Greater Mekong subregion Milton Osborne has been associated with the Southeast Asian region since being posted to the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh in 1959.
    [Show full text]
  • New Means, Old Ends? World Bank Governmentality in Thailand and Lao People's Democratic Republic
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-2012 New Means, Old Ends? World Bank Governmentality in Thailand and Lao People's Democratic Republic Nicholas Ryan Zeller [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Politics and Social Change Commons Recommended Citation Zeller, Nicholas Ryan, "New Means, Old Ends? World Bank Governmentality in Thailand and Lao People's Democratic Republic. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2012. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/1224 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Nicholas Ryan Zeller entitled "New Means, Old Ends? World Bank Governmentality in Thailand and Lao People's Democratic Republic." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Sociology. Paul K. Gellert, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Rachelle Scott, Damayanti Banerjee Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) New Means, Old Ends? World Bank Governmentality in Thailand and Lao People’s Democratic Republic A Thesis Presented for the Master of Arts Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Nicholas Ryan Zeller May 2012 Copyright © 2012 by Nicholas R.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Nam Theun 2 Compliance with World Commission on Dams Guidelines
    An Analysis of Nam Theun 2 Compliance with World Commission on Dams Guidelines by Aviva Imhof May, 2001 International Rivers Network 1847 Berkeley Way Berkeley CA 94703, USA Tel: 510-848-1155, Fax: 510-848-1008 Email: [email protected] Web: www.irn.org An Analysis of Nam Theun 2 Compliance with WCD Guidelines Page 1 Introduction to the World Commission on Dams The World Commission on Dams (WCD) was an independent body sponsored by the World Bank and IUCN, chaired by South African cabinet minister Kader Asmal, and including representatives from both the dam industry and anti-dam people’s movements. The WCD’s mandate was to review the development effectiveness of large dams and assess alternatives; develop a framework for assessing options and decision-making processes for water and energy services; and develop internationally-acceptable criteria and guidelines for planning, designing, construction, operation, monitoring, and decommissioning of dams. Despite their many differences in background and political perspective, the 12 Commissioners managed to agree on a final report, Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision- Making, which was released in London in November 2000.1 The report found that: · large dams have forced 40-80 million people from their homes and lands, with impacts including extreme economic hardship, community disintegration, and an increase in mental and physical health problems. Indigenous, tribal and peasant communities have been particularly hard hit. People living downstream of dams have also suffered from increased disease and the loss of natural resources upon which their livelihoods depended; · large dams cause great environmental damage, including the extinction of many fish and other aquatic species, huge losses of forest, wetland and farmland, and the release of greenhouse gases; and · the benefits of large dams have largely gone to the already well off while poorer sectors of society have borne the costs.
    [Show full text]
  • The Effects of Hydropower Dams on the Hydrology of the Mekong Basin, April 2014
    SOK 5: The Effects of Hydropower Dams on the Hydrology of the Mekong Basin, April 2014. STATE of KNOWLEDGE The Effects of Hydropower Dams on the Hydrology of the Mekong Basin Compiled by: Jory Hecht and Guillaume Lacombe Key Messages Overall, the projected hydrological impacts of hydropower This State of Knowledge paper sets out to summarize exist- will be stronger than those of climate change. Some studies ing research on how hydropower development will affect suggest, however, that increases in irrigation withdrawals the hydrology of the Mekong River. Hydropower develop- will nearly compensate for the dam-induced increases in ment is expected to modify the hydrology of the Mekong dry season flow within a few decades. River and many of its tributaries by reducing and delaying wet season flows, and increasing dry season flows. The The hydrological impacts of land cover change taking place magnitude of these changes varies by location within the at the same time as hydropower development have only Mekong Basin, and is uncertain because there are differ- been demonstrated in tributary basins. The difficulty of ences among hydrological models and dam development acquiring reliable long-term land cover datasets makes it scenarios. hard to determine the effects of land cover change on the hydrology of the entire basin. Increased dry season flows downstream of dams will provide more opportunities for irrigation, navigation and hydro- Most studies on the hydrological impacts of hydropower power production. Conversely, many ecosystems and live- development in the Mekong attempt to model potential lihoods adapted to natural flow extremes may be affected.
    [Show full text]
  • Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project: Risky Business for Laos
    Nam Theun 2 dam site, Nam Theun 2 November 2007 Hydropower Project: RISKY BUSINESS FOR LAOS he US$1.45 billion Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project (NT2), in the small TSoutheast Asian country of Laos, has been marketed as a model dam project and a panacea to cash-strapped Laos’ development woes. But other hydropower projects in Laos tell a different story: villagers lose the farmlands, forests, and fisheries on which they depend, and often receive too little, too late in return. The unlucky ones receive nothing at all. And the electricity gets sent across the border to Thailand. Nam Theun 2’s construction is nearing completion and the project I Will this be a repeat of past mistakes? The Lao govern - is expected to generate power by the end of 2009.Yet as water ment’s troubled dam history, especially in terms of managing begins to rise behind the Nam Theun 2 dam, key questions remain: resettlement and mitigating environmental impacts, does not augur well for a project as large, complex and risky as Nam I How will people feed their families? Nam Theun 2 has Theun 2. forcibly resettled more than 6,200 indigenous people. The large reservoir will leave them with only one-third of the I Will revenues trickle down? The World Bank and the land they once used for farming, grazing and collecting forest Asian Development Bank (ADB), which are supporting Nam products. Nam Theun 2 will also devastate a downstream Theun 2, claim that revenues from its power exports will be river system on which more than 120,000 people depend for used to help the poor.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impacts of Hydropower Dams in the Mekong River Basin: a Review
    water Review The Impacts of Hydropower Dams in the Mekong River Basin: A Review Akarath Soukhaphon 1,*, Ian G. Baird 1 and Zeb S. Hogan 2 1 Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; [email protected] 2 Department of Biology and Global Water Center, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-414-368-7465 Abstract: The Mekong River, well known for its aquatic biodiversity, is important to the social, physical, and economic health of millions living in China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. This paper explores the social and environmental impacts of several Mekong basin hydropower dams and groupings of dams and the geographies of their impacts. Specifically, we ex- amined the 3S (Sesan, Sekong Srepok) river system in northeastern Cambodia, the Central Highlands of Vietnam, and southern Laos; the Khone Falls area in southern Laos; the lower Mun River Basin in northeastern Thailand; and the upper Mekong River in Yunnan Province, China, northeastern Myanmar, northern Laos, and northern Thailand. Evidence shows that these dams and groupings of dams are affecting fish migrations, river hydrology, and sediment transfers. Such changes are negatively impacting riparian communities up to 1000 km away. Because many communities depend on the river and its resources for their food and livelihood, changes to the river have impacted, and will continue to negatively impact, food and economic security. While social and environmental impact assessments have been carried out for these projects, greater consideration of the scale and cumulative impacts of dams is necessary.
    [Show full text]
  • The Politics of Scale, Position, and Place in the Governance of Water Resources in the Mekong Region
    Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All UNF Research Unifying Negotiation Framework 2005 The Politics of Scale, Position, and Place in the Governance of Water Resources in the Mekong Region Louis Lebel Chiang Mai University Po Garden Chiang Mai University Masao Imamura Chiang Mai University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/unf_research Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Lebel, L., P. Garden, and M. Imamura. 2005. The politics of scale, position, and place in the governance of water resources in the Mekong region. Ecology and Society 10(2): 18. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Unifying Negotiation Framework at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All UNF Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Copyright © 2005 by the author(s). Published here under license by the Resilience Alliance. Lebel, L., P. Garden, and M. Imamura. 2005. The politics of scale, position, and place in the governance of water resources in the Mekong region. Ecology and Society 10(2): 18. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol10/iss2/art18/ Research, part of a Special Feature on Scale and Cross-scale Dynamics The Politics of Scale, Position, and Place in the Governance of Water Resources in the Mekong Region Louis Lebel1, Po Garden1, and Masao Imamura1 ABSTRACT. The appropriate scales for science, management, and decision making cannot be unambiguously derived from physical characteristics of water resources. Scales are a joint product of social and biophysical processes. The politics-of-scale metaphor has been helpful in drawing attention to the ways in which scale choices are constrained overtly by politics, and more subtly by choices of technologies, institutional designs, and measurements.
    [Show full text]
  • Compensation and Livelihood Restoration at Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project Network for Sustainable Hydropower Development in the Mekong Region
    Published by: Case Study Compensation and Livelihood Restoration at Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project Network for Sustainable Hydropower Development in the Mekong Region Case Study Compensation and Livelihood Restauration at Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project Case Study: Compensation and Livelihood Restauration at Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project Page 5 Table of Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 14 2 Case Study Scope ....................................................................................................... 23 3 Resettlement Policy Framework ................................................................................... 24 3.1 Involuntary Resettlement in Lao PDR ................................................................... 24 3.2 Donor Resettlement Policy .................................................................................... 25 3.3 Compensation ....................................................................................................... 26 3.4 Integrated Resource Development Plans for the Affected Population ................... 27 3.5 Indigenous People/Ethnic Minorities ..................................................................... 27 3.6 National Policy ...................................................................................................... 28 3.6.1 National Policy on Sustainable Hydropower ......................................................... 28 3.6.2 Compensation and
    [Show full text]