MRC No. 21/08
Vientiane, Lao PDR
November 18, 2008
More than 60 participants from Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, and Viet Nam gathered at Lao Plaza Hotel, Vientiane, today for the Regional Consultation Meeting on the establishment of Plans of Action for Watershed Management in the Lower Mekong Basin.
The two-day meeting, which is organised by the Mekong River Commission (MRC)-GTZ Watershed Management Project is the fourth in a series of meetings, which bring together experts from the region to discuss options for improving the enabling environment in watershed management.
The Regional Consultation Meeting serves a twofold purpose. Firstly, and most importantly, it is the round table of the project’s institutional development component. And secondly, this gathering creates an opportunity for discussion and validation of the project’s latest developments.
In this year’s meeting the main topic is the establishment of an action framework, the so called ‘Plan of Action’ for selected pilot watersheds in the four countries. The framework shows what can be done to improve first of all the availability of sufficient water with a minimum required quality in the watersheds together with other ecological, economic, social, and cultural functions.
For preparing this framework a basic assessment of social, economic and ecological watershed assets was carried out and documented in the form of a watershed profile. A joined committee of local and national experts identified a set of important issues impairing watershed functions. These issues were discussed in a participatory process with the watershed’s stakeholders. The committee proposed a first list of actions to be taken. These are the basis for the next steps to be taken.
For more information please contact:
MRC-GTZ WSMP: Dr. Petra Schill, Program Coordinator, MRC-GTZ
Watershed Management Project,
Fax +856 21 263 263 Ext 4402 Tel +856 21 263 263 Ext. 4401
Mobile: +856 20 550 3722
Email: schill@mrcmekong.org
Dr. Ulrich Hoesle, MRC-GTZ WSMP Technical Advisor,
Fax: +856 263 263 ext 4402 Tel: Tel +856 21 263 263 Ext.
4047
Email: hoesle@mrcmekong.org