IUCN - Water and Wetlands

Mekong Days in Washington

The Mekong Region is a massive ecosystem that is the lifeline for more than 60 million people across six countries. In the Lower Mekong Basin, it provides fish to more people than any other river in the world. More than 150 hydropower dams are currently planned, under construction, or commissioned for the Mekong and its tributaries. If constructed, the dams will radically alter the basin’s hydrology, ecology and, consequently, the lives of millions who depend upon it. How can these seemingly opposite demands be met?
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22 Mar 2013 | Article
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A group of villagers from Mekong River provinces protests in front of the headquarters of Ch Karnchang, the Thai company contracted to build the controversial hydroelectric Xayaburi dam in Laos.

After Xayaburi, it's time for some 'hydro-diplomacy'

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Xayaburi dam in Laos on Nov 7 marked the symbolic end to a long and contentious international campaign to delay the dam's construction until further studies into its potential trans-boundary impacts were complete. … | Vietnamese

05 Feb 2013 | News story
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Students voting for "doesn't love hydropower" at HUST

Students face to face with dam development

On November 29-30, 2012, IUCN, in cooperation with the Goethe Institute, organized two screenings of a 52-minute documentary on the winners and losers from hydropower development in the Mekong Region. The film was shown at the Vietnam National University (VNU) and Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST). … | Vietnamese

31 Dec 2012 | News story
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Journalists interviewing water specialist on the field trip

Training journalists in the Mekong Delta

On December 5-7, IUCN Viet Nam organized a media training course the water resources management issues in Mekong Delta for 15 journalists. It was held in Dong Thap Province and included a field trip to Sa Rai Town, Tan Hong District, Dong Thap Province. The course was supported by the IUCN-coordinated Mekong Water Dialogues (MWD) and U.N. Democracy Fund (UNDEF). … | Vietnamese

28 Dec 2012 | Article
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Mekong film screening at Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand

Mekong River Development Needs Greater Transparency

New film “Mekong” explores the dynamics of hyrdropower up and down one of the world’s great rivers and takes a balanced views of sensitive’ topics. …

27 Nov 2012 | News story
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Collecting Lepironia grass in Phu My Commune, Kien Giang Province

Viet Nam wetlands: selected case studies

Here are four wetlands management case studies supported by Mangroves for the Future (MFF) and other IUCN projects. They also appear on a poster. …

08 Oct 2012 | Fact sheet
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The status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity in Indo-Burma

The United Nations World Charter for Nature (1982) states that “every form of life is unique, warranting respect regardless of it’s worth to man, and, to accord other organisms such recognition, man must be guided by a moral code of action.” It also states that “…man must acquire the knowledge to maintain and enhance his ability to use natural resources in a manner which ensures the preservation of the species and ecosystems for the benefit of present and future generations.” Most will recognize that, in the context of development planning, we now rarely respect nature, and we lack sufficient knowledge of biodiversity to inform decision making processes. This is certainly the case in the Indo-Burma region which is recognized as a global hotspot of biodiversity and has long been noted for the exceptionally high diversity of species within its inland waters.
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13 Sep 2012 | Article
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A boy striving to escape from the flood in Mekong Delta

A story of unintended consequences: lessons for the Mekong Delta

At a meeting of foreign ministers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on July 13, 2012, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated: "I'll be very honest with you. We made a lot of mistakes. We've learned some hard lessons about what happens when you make certain infrastructure decisions and I think that we all can contribute to helping the nations of the Mekong region avoid the mistakes that we and others made." …

02 Aug 2012 | Article
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Southeast Asian Student Documentary Award - Call for Entries

SEADocs – The Southeast Asian Student Documentary Award is a competition to encourage the art of documentary filmmaking in the region as a platform to engage with pressing social and environmental issues. … | French

06 Jun 2012 | News story
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Opening ceremony for the forum on the Mekong River Delta

Celebrating wetlands in Vietnam

The 4th Forum on “Nature and culture conservation for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta” was held on 21 July 2012 in the city of Cao Lanh, Dong Thap province, Vietnam. On the following day, a ceremony was organised to celebrate the Listing of Tram Chim National Park as the country’s 4th Ramsar Site and the number 2,000 site worldwide. …

30 May 2012 | Article
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