Mekong - U.S. Partnership
USAID LEAD Trains Asian Policymakers on Low Emission Development Strategies
The USAID Low Emissions Asian Development program, in partnership with the Asian Greenhouse Gas Management Center and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, held a course from September 24 to 26 in Bangkok on the fundamentals and benefits of low emission development strategies (LEDS).Participants included a group of 20 policymakers and practitioners…
Banners at Rural Southeast Asian Borders Warn Against Wildlife Trafficking
Large banners warning against wildlife trafficking were recently placed at rural border crossings in Vietnam and Laos, displaying warnings to potential traffickers written in both Laotian and Vietnamese. The rural border crossings between the two countries are not secured and transnational smuggling of illicit goods, including wildlife trafficking, occurs regularly. As the trafficking of timber, primates and…
Lao and Vietnamese Officials Exchange Information on REDD+ Study Tour
In a step forward for cross-border and regional collaborative efforts on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+),10 officials from Laos visited Hanoi and Vietnam’s Lam Dong Province the week of September 8 to learn and exchange information on the province’s Provincial REDD+ Action Plan. USAID's Lowering Emissions in Asia's Forests (LEAF) program has…
ARREST Program Launches New Mobile App to Help Combat Illegal Wildlife Trade in Asia
This week the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network, USAID and Freeland launched WildScan, a new mobile application that identifies endangered species. It is designed to help law enforcement officials combat wildlife trafficking, an illicit trade estimated at $19 billion per year and run by organized criminal syndicates.WildScan contains photos and important information for…
Lao Cai Climate Action Plan Approved by People’s Provincial Committee
A Climate Action Plan for the city of Lao Cai has been approved by the People’s Provincial Committee and was formally announced on September 9. The Action Plan outlines eleven key actions that will help the city address challenges stemming from urbanization and build resilience to climate change. These actions range from ones targeting agents…
Regional Learning Group Explores Social Equity Issues of the Lower Mekong Forest
USAID’s Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong (GREEN Mekong) and RECOFTC (The Center for People and Forests) organized the 2nd Regional Learning Group on Equitable Forest Governance from September 9 to 12 in Hue, Vietnam for 20 local government officials in the forestry sector from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.Together the participants explored…
Mekong ARCC’s Lower Mekong Climate Change Study and GIS Data Available
The USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC) program, in coordination with the Greater Mekong Sub-region Environment Operations Center of the Asian Development Bank, has made available a large collection of Geographic Information System (GIS) data generated through the USAID Mekong ARCC Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Study for the Lower Mekong…
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Mekong Climate Change Adaptation Roundtable Strengthens Science-Policy Links
At the end of July, the USAID RDMA Regional Environment Office hosted the 3rd Roundtable Discussion on Climate Change Adaptation in the Greater Mekong Subregion in Bangkok. The event, held in coordination with the Greater Mekong Subregion Environment Operations Center of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and co-organized by the USAID Mekong ARCC project, brought together a core group…
Working Papers Published on Payments for Ecosystem Services in Laos and Thailand
With support from USAID, the Center for International Forestry Research recently published two working papers: “Motivations for Payments for Ecosystem Services in Laos: The Essential Alignment” and “A Review of the Legal and Policy Framework for the Payments for Ecosystem Services in Thailand.”These working papers will serve to inform and promote discussions recognizing the non-tradable benefits of natural resources…
ASEAN-WEN and USAID ARREST Share Best Practices at South Asian Wildlife Enforcement Network Annual Meeting
On August 28, the chairperson of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) and a representative of the USAID-funded Asia's Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (ARREST) Program shared best practices and key lessons from ASEAN-WEN with delegates attending the second Annual Meeting of the emerging South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network…
USAID Links Science and Local Knowledge to Strengthen Community Resilience to Climate Change in the Mekong Delta
From August 19 to 29, the USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change Project (USAID Mekong ARCC) engaged rural communities in the Vietnam Mekong Delta by establishing a nexus between climate science and on-the-ground, community-led adaptation responses. Through the use of participatory tools, USAID Mekong ARCC translated scientific information from USAID’s Climate Study of the Lower Mekong into…
