Study Report on Wetland Agriculture and Water Management in the Mekong Region
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Study Report on Wetland Agriculture and Water Management in the Mekong Region Final report Study Report on Wetland Agriculture and Water Management in the Mekong Region (LOA/RAP/2018/57) Final report by Dr. Avishek Datta Prof. Rajendra P. Shrestha Dr. Hayat Ullah Asian Institute of Technology Dr. Li He Dr. Yuji Niino Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Asian Institute of Technology Bangkok, 2020 Required citation: Datta, A., Shrestha, R.P., Ullah, H., He, L. and Niino, Y. 2020. Study Report on Wetland Agriculture and Water Management in the Mekong Region. 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Cover photograph: ©FAO/Li He ii Contents Page Executive summary v Introduction 1 Overview of wetlands in the Mekong Region 1 Socio-economic information of the Region 2 Importance of wetlands and water management 3 Threats 3 Wetland agriculture 4 Water management policy, incentives and technical tools 7 Background of the baseline study 9 Wetland agriculture and water management in Thailand 11 Introduction 11 Overview of wetland in Thailand 13 Current wetland management in Thailand 20 Issues and challenges for sustainable wetland agriculture 23 Recommendations and moving forward 27 Case studies and lessons learned 28 Wetland agriculture and water management in Viet Nam 34 Introduction 34 Overview of wetland in Viet Nam 35 Current wetland management in Viet Nam 39 Issues and challenges for sustainable wetland agriculture 41 Recommendations and moving forward 44 Case studies and lessons learned 45 Wetland agriculture and water management in Cambodia 50 Introduction 50 Overview of wetland in Cambodia 50 Current wetland management in Cambodia 55 Issues and challenges for sustainable wetland agriculture 59 Recommendations and moving forward 62 Case studies and lessons learned 63 Wetland agriculture and water management in Lao People’s Democratic Republic 65 Introduction 65 Overview of wetland in Lao People’s Democratic Republic 65 Current wetland management in Lao People’s Democratic Republic 69 Issues and challenges for sustainable wetland agriculture 71 Recommendations and moving forward 75 Case studies and lessons learned 76 References 81 iii Executive summary The Mekong Subregion, with the Mekong River spanning the countries of Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, Myanmar, People’s Republic of China, and Viet Nam, is a critical area in terms of food security, poverty alleviation, and environmental aspects. It is a home to more than 60 million people, with agriculture as the most important economic activity in the region, owing to the rich natural resources and ecosystems found in the Mekong Basin. The Basin contains many and varied wetlands that perform wide-ranging functions and sustain key social, economic, and cultural values. Wetlands also play a vital role in supporting the livelihoods of local people, providing a productive environment for agriculture, aquaculture, capture fisheries, non-fish aquatic goods, and tourism revenue. Wetlands can be used to manage flood waters in the wet season and to improve soil moisture conditions. In agriculture, wetlands with regular water availability are used to mitigate the problem of low crop yields, especially in areas characterized by low and erratic rainfall, and frequent droughts. The Mekong River Commission (MRC) report (2016) indicated that, according to estimates made in 2003, Cambodia has lost 45 percent, Lao People’s Democratic Republic 30 percent, Viet Nam 99 percent and Thailand 96 percent of their original natural wetland areas. Under FAO initiative on eco-friendly water management for sustainable wetland agriculture, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), as the service provider, prepared the Study Report on Wetland Agriculture and Water Management in Mekong Region study report on wetland agriculture and water management in the Mekong Region for further program formulation. The overall objective is to review the current water management in relation to agriculture and identify the good practices and experiences of water management as a win-win solution for agriculture production and wetland conservation and recommend program formulation on eco-friendly water management for sustainable wetland agriculture. The expected outcome of the overall initiative is sustainable use of wetland to stress both productive and ecological functions of agriculture. The outputs aim to provide the solution as a win-win strategy for wetland and agriculture through eco-friendly water management, which will contribute to the ecological health, function and integrity of the Mekong Wetland Agriculture Ecosystem. Country consultation workshops were conducted for Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Viet Nam to increase awareness on the issues of sustainable wetland management, and identify the threats, gaps and needs, priorities, and way forward towards sustainable use of wetlands in the Mekong Region. HIGHLIGHTS Inventory and map. A comprehensive inventory with updated maps can facilitate monitoring and classification of wetlands in the region. Most of the countries lack updated maps and latest inventory of the wetlands. An updated inventory will determine the demarcations and boundaries of protected sites and wetlands of importance. Policy and legal framework. There is no single policy that pertains to management of wetland agriculture, with legal framework governing wetlands management founded upon various pieces of legislations. This fragmented approach reflects the complex institutional framework and does not provide a clear legal basis for the holistic and integrated management of wetland. This resulted in overlapping of responsibility and poor communication and coordination among government line agencies. Current legislations and policy should be revised to integrate sustainable management of wetlands in agriculture, which could include mechanisms for benefit sharing, and strict compliance of penalties and violations. A single central agency could be appointed to serve as a focal entity for wetland