Reports

MK3: Optimising Cascades aimed at identifying the potential for multiple use of water in cascades of hydropower reservoirs, and at making suggestions for coordinated and […]

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 ADB Capacity Development Technical Assistance project Promoting Climate Resilient Rural Infrastructure in Northern Vietnam is demonstrating how green infrastructure and bioengineering solutions can strengthen rural […]

Rapid economic development has seen Vietnam’s energy demand grow at a rate of 13-15% per annum over the last decade, leading to chronic and severe power shortages, and plans for extensive hydropower development. The Vu Gia – Thu Bon River Basin in central Vietnam will be one of the first areas to see increased hydropower development with 8 major and at least 34 minor hydro installations planned for completion over the next 10 years.

> View and download the report, Vietnam’s vanishing wildlife: the new threat of climate change 

Climate change threatens species-rich habitats in protected lands in Vietnam. Temperature […]

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.

In 2012, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) contracted the consortium of ICEM–International Centre for Environment Management (ICEM) and Economic Consulting Associates (ECA) to undertake a […]

ICEM conducted this strategic environmental assessment (SEA) with the MARD Directorate of Forestry and the World Bank within the framework of negotiations on a Public Investment Reform Development Policy Loan between the World Bank and the Government of Vietnam. The SEA offers a rapid assessment of three Provincial Forest Protection and Development Plans (FPDPs) and provides guidance for the development of the National Forestry Master Plan 2010–2020 and wider decision making in the forestry sector in Vietnam.

> 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 […]

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> View and download the Potential Benefits of Sharing Water from Hydropower Reservoir: Case Study from the Central Highlands, Vietnam
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> 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 Review of CARE’s Community Based Mangrove Reforestation and Management Project

Throughout Vietnam and the wider region, mangrove forests have been removed […]

> 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 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 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 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.

Download the SEA of Hydropower on the Mekong Mainstream: Summary of the Final Report

Download Full Report: SEA of hydropower on the Mekong mainstream […]

> View and download the VOL 1:  Ho Chi Minh City Adaptation to Climate Change: Executive Summary
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> View and download VOL 2: Ho Chi Minh City  Adaptation to Climate Change: Main Report
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> View and download VOL 3:  Ho Chi Minh City Adaptation to Climate Change: Annexes
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> View and download The Case of a Combined Cycle Power Plant – Final Report

This report was produced as part of the ADB project: O […]

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> More reports in this Special Reports Series
Over the past few years, investors and developers mostly from China, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have […]

Donor / Partner: ADB |    Duration: 2011-2012   |    Location: Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta Bridges: Rapid Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment (VA Study) is part of […]

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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 […]

> 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 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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This Report on the Status of Strategic Environmental Assessment in the Greater Mekong Sub-region was prepared as a benchmark and guide to 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
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> 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 […]