Publications

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones, are revolutionizing the way we conduct environmental research and management. ICEM has increasingly been applying this technology as part […]

Donor/Partner: Australian Aid (AusAID)    |    Duration: 2017   |    Location: Myanmar 

About: Approximately 15.4 million people, just under 30 % of the population of Myanmar, live in […]

The objective of the Promoting Climate Resilient Rural Infrastructure in Northern Viet Nam project was to demonstrate and promote the application of effective bioengineering measures in […]

This poster was displayed at the 2017 Greater Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy that took place in Yangon, Myanmar in October 2017.

The […]

The Salween and Ayeyarwady are Myanmar’s largest rivers and provide a home and livelihood to millions of people. As the country develops, the relationship between […]

The impact of natural events such as floods, droughts and coastal storms will become more severe as populations grow and the landscape is increasingly modified, […]

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Capacity Development Technical Assistance project Promoting Climate Resilient Rural Infrastructure in Northern Vietnam demonstrated how non-conventional engineering solutions can strengthen […]

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Regional Capacity Development TA 7394-REG was undertaken over 15 months from October 2010. The project focused on enhancing the capacity of five PDMCs’ – Fiji, Marshall Islands, Palau, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste – for adopting and implementing a national climate change adaptation strategy and associated action plans.

In 2014/2015, ICEM conducted a Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) of the proposed Nam Ngiep Hydropower 1 Project (NNP1) in Lao PDR. The overall objective of the study was to assess the climate risk of the proposed Nam Ngiep 1 Hydropower Project (NNP1) in Lao PDR, and to identify measures to increase its climate resilience.

Natural systems are the essential foundation for Mekong town development and rehabilitation. The Resource Kit for Building Resilience and Sustainability in Mekong Towns is a seven-volume kit that promotes the maintenance and use of natural systems as a key strategy for building sustainability and resilience in urban areas. Prepared for the Asian Development Bank by ICEM as part of the award-winning TA 8186, the resource kit is built on the experience and expertise of a wide variety of professionals from the Mekong region and abroad.

> View and download the full Regional Knowledge Sharing Workshop final report with appendices
> View and download the Regional Knowledge Sharing Workshop final report […]

Prepared by ICEM, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and School of Environmental Science and Management (SchEM), the SESA presents a brief history of forest management in Nepal, forest types, and key environmental issues. It also outlines the reality of climate change vulnerability and impacts in Nepal, and highlights some of the important linkages, issues and potential trade-offs when considering strategic options to achieve REDD+.

Prepared by ICEM, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and School of Environmental Science and Management (SchEM), the ESMF provides a framework for effective management of environmental and social issues in implementing the REDD+ Strategy. It seeks to both enhance the environmental and social development benefits of REDD+ actions and projects and mitigate any adverse impacts.

> View and download the Natural Systems and Climate Change Resilience in the Lower Mekong Basin report

This report draws from the past decade of climate change and […]

> View and download the Workshop Report
> View and download Workshop Report Appendices
> Read more about the Workshop
> Read more about the […]

> View and download the Potential Benefits of Sharing Water from Hydropower Reservoir: Case Study from the Central Highlands, Vietnam
> View and download the Water […]

> View and download the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Guidelines for Smallscale Hydropower in Lao PDR Technical Paper
> View more about the Mekong Challenge […]

> View and download the Building Blocks for Renewable Energy Development: Learning and Transferring Lessons from Thailand Working Paper
> View more about the Mekong Challenge […]

> View and download the Potential for Increasing the Role of Renewables in Mekong Power Supply (MK14): Synthesis Report
> View more about the Mekong Challenge […]

> View and download the Impact of Climate Change on Mekong Wetlands and Adaptation Responses: Synthesis Report
> View more about the Wetlands Climate Change Impact […]

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) make a significant contribution to national and local economies and may make up over 30% of the income of individual farming families. They are essential for food security, medical remedies, fiber and furniture, and provide resins and essential oils - the raw materials for pharmaceuticals, fragrances, and other chemicals. Pressures upon land and natural resources have meant that the remaining sources for these natural products are protected areas. There is a strong financial incentive for sustainable management of this resource.

This Social and Economic Assessment complements the other sectoral reports in the USAID Mekong ARCC Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Study by assessing the vulnerability to climate change of two critical sectors of household livelihood systems: health and rural infrastructure. Human health is critical to livelihoods because it is the foundation of productivity in all activities. Inadequate health access limits the capacity of individuals to farm, fish, gather NTFPs, or attend to livestock. Moreover, adequate health ensures the nutritional benefits of food consumption are realized and is an important, but often forgotten, component of food security. The inability of one working member of a household to work due to poor health reduces household income and therefore impacts on the income and food security of all members of a household and potentially the broader community.

This protected areas report provides an outline of protected areas (PAs) and biodiversity in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB), and an overview of threats to PAs other than climate change, including land concessions, infrastructure development, illegal activities, and agriculture. The threats posed by climate change to PAs are then reviewed, followed by a series of case studies of climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation options in four protected areas: 1) Nong Bong Kai Non Hunting Area – Thailand; 2) Nakai Nam Theun - Lao PDR; 3) Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary - Cambodia; and 4) U Minh Thuong National Park – Vietnam.

> View and download the Environment assessment tools for improving the sustainability of development in the Mekong Region Brief

This brief introduces the main environmental assessment […]

The Asia Pacific region is likely to experience significant adverse impacts from climate change. A wide range of challenges must be met, including urban and […]

> View and download the Climate Change Adaptation Methodology (CAM): Infrastructure Guide

This guide describes a practical approach to integrating climate change into conventional infrastructure planning […]

> View and download the Vietnam Case Study
> View more about the Impact of Water Supply Infrastructure on Floods and Droughts in the Mekong Region […]

> View and download the Cambodia Case Study
> View more about the Impact of Water Supply Infrastructure on Floods and Droughts in the Mekong Region […]

> View and download Regional Flood Frequency Analysis for the Mekong Basin: A tool for estimating hydrological characteristics in ungauged catchments
> View and download Regional […]

> View and download Reservoir Flood Risk Index: Assessing the flood risk and capacity for control in Mekong hydro-electric reservoirs
> View and download Reservoir Flood […]

> View and download the Rapid climate change assessment for wetland biodiversity: Guidelines
> View more about the Wetlands Climate Change Impact and Vulnerability Assessment project

This […]

The Mekong River Basin faces a grave threat from climate change. Communities and governments must work together to develop and promulgate adaptation strategies that preserve the lives and livelihoods of some 60 million people. ICEM worked with DAI and SEA START as part of this U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (ARCC) project to generate new data, new approaches and to spur adaptive change in the Mekong River Basin.

The Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Study for the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) was designed to serve as a model approach, describing the impacts on key livelihood sectors of the LMB including agriculture, capture fisheries and aquaculture, livestock, natural systems, health, and rural infrastructure. The Mekong ARCC Climate Study Team has now completed its final revision of this Study by addressing comments raised at the March Final Results Workshop in Bangkok, generated during the period of open public review, and from experts who formally peer reviewed technical aspects of the analysis.

The Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Study for the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) was designed to serve as a model approach, describing the impacts on key livelihood sectors of the LMB including agriculture, capture fisheries and aquaculture, livestock, natural systems, health, and rural infrastructure.

This Headlines document offers a brief synopsis of important findings from the Mekong ARCC Climate Study for the Lower Mekong. It captures main results of climate impacts on crop suitability, fisheries, livestock, and ecosystems and non-timber forest products.

This agriculture sector vulnerability report provides a detailed summary of the issues and trends of climate change by ecozone. Agriculture, a key sector of the economy within the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB), is highly dependent on climate and especially on rainfall frequency and distribution. With more than 1,000 mm of rainfall per year in the LMB, water shortage is not the primary constraint for agriculture. Instead, it is the unpredictability and variability of rainfall distribution during the rainy season that can lead to drought, water stress, and low yields.

This Key Final Results document offers a brief synopsis of the Mekong ARCC Climate Study for the Lower Mekong methodology and key findings. It captures main results of climate impacts on crop suitability, fisheries, livestock, and ecosystems and non-timber forest products.

This fisheries sector vulnerability report provides an overview of the current state of the important capture fisheries and aquaculture systems in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB), focusing on those elements that are threatened by climate change. It also presents a methodology and results for vulnerability assessments, for six climate change hotspots (Chiang Rai, Khammouan, Gia Lai, Mondulkiri, Kien Giang, and Stung Treng).

This livestock sector vulnerability report presents the results of the livestock evaluation components of the Mekong ARCC study. It establishes an initial baseline of the current status, trends, drivers, and tolerances of key livestock production systems in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) and hotspot provinces, then uses this information to develop hotspot province vulnerability assessments, and ultimately adaptation options for livestock throughout the basin.

An important output of the Mekong ARCC Climate Study is the identification of climate change hotspots. By determining the ranges where temperature, rainfall, and soil characteristics at specific geographic locations create conditions that transform ecosystems and alter productivity of crops, livestock, and aquatic systems, a better understanding is gained of how climate change will impact community livelihood and subsistence options.

The purpose of the Wetlands Climate Change Impact and Vulnerability Assessment was to anticipate climate change impact and vulnerability of wetlands in the Mekong Basin, […]

> View and download the VOL 1:  Ho Chi Minh City Adaptation to Climate Change: Executive Summary
> View more about this project and download other reports […]

> View and download VOL 2: Ho Chi Minh City  Adaptation to Climate Change: Main Report
> More about this project and download other reports in […]

> View and download VOL 3:  Ho Chi Minh City Adaptation to Climate Change: Annexes
> More about this project and download other reports in this […]

> View and download the Brief: Review and Analysis of the Pollution Impacts from Vietnamese Manufacturing Sectors
> Find out more about this project
> Read and […]

> Download Ho Chi Minh City Adaptation to Climate Change: Summary Report
> More information and view other reports in the series Ho Chi Minh City […]

> View and download the Strategic Environmental Assessment as a tool to improve climate change adaptation in the Greater Mekong Subregion Brief

The Greater Mekong Subregion […]

This informational poster was developed as a knowledge product to showcase the findings from the USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (Mekong ARCC) program. ICEM managed the climate change impacts on agriculture study as part of this program. The poster demonstrates that adaptation in agriculture is urgently needed in the Mekong Region. The message of the poster is that climate change is projected to seriously affect the lives and livelihoods of more than 42 million people in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) who depend entirely on agriculture.

> Download CAM Brief

The Asia Pacific region is likely to experience significant adverse impacts from climate change. In response to these challenges, ICEM developed an […]

The Mekong River Basin is undergoing  a period of dramatic change with hydropower emerging as one of the predominant drivers. In a region where electricity […]

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This policy brief explores the role of environmental funds for helping control water pollution in Vietnam. Pollution control funds are urgently […]

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This report contains the findings from the initial and rapid assessment of the potential threats and impacts of climate change to the […]

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Hydropower development is proceeding rapidly in Vietnam. The maintenance of ecosystem integrity, including the effects of multiple hydropower schemes within a river basin […]

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Hydropower development is proceeding rapidly in Vietnam. The maintenance of ecosystem integrity, including the effects of multiple hydropower schemes within a river […]

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Hydropower development is proceeding on a rapid and comprehensive scale for maximising power and profits but with only rudimentary or even misleading […]

Biodiversity and Development of the Hydropower Sector: Lessons from the Vietnamese experience:
The use of Strategic Environmental Assessment as an assessment tool:

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Hydropower development […]

> Download: CYSNP Final Report – English Volume I EN

> Download: CYSNP Final Report Supporting Materials – English Volume 2 EN

> […]

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The Mekong River Commission (MRC) launched the regional Climate Change and Adaptation Initiative (CCAI) because of growing concern about the potential effects […]

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This policy brief outlines the critical requirements for the establishment of Vietnam’s  protected areas system. The brief considers the achievements of the past two decades , and recognises […]

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This plan is written for organizations and people who are interested in and committed to conservation and sustainable resource management in the […]

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This ICEM study is an initial contribution to priority setting for climate change adaptation under the Vietnam Government’s National Target Plan to Respond […]

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This Study for Improving Water Quality in the Day River Basin – Capacity Building and Pollution Sources Inventory was undertaken through the DWRM […]

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This SEA was conducted on a plan already approved by the Quang Nam PPC and MOIT – the hydropower development plan for the […]

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Pilot Strategic Environmental Assessment in the Hydropower Sub-sector – Vietnam: Final Report – Risks to Biodiversity from Hydropower in the 6th Power Development […]

> Download Final Report: Analysis of Pollution from Manufacturing Sectors in Vietnam
> Read more about this project
> Read and download the Brief from this project […]

The national biodiversity strategy and action plans of 15 Asian countries are reviewed in this book, produced as part of an ICEM project with IUCN. The natural systems of South and South East Asia are in accelerating decline. Evidence from the 15 countries of the region covered in this book shows that all forms of biodiversity — ecosystems, species and genetic resources — are being lost at unprecedented rates. Rates of degradation in land, fresh water and marine habitats are a reflection of species loss.

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In 1998, six members of the donor environment forum (UNDP, Danida, Sida, CIDA, SDC and the Dutch) agreed to fund a study that […]

ICEM led a technical partnership supporting the four Governments of the Lower Mekong Region in a process of comprehensive studies, piloting and consultation. The Review […]

The MDCC Forum was developed with the support of AusAID and the World Bank as a preparatory activity for the AusAID/ADB Mekong Delta Climate Change […]