Collaborative management and climate resilience in transboundary biodiversity landscapes of the Mekong region Protected Areas and Development (PAD) Program – Mekong PAD III

Project Description

The Mekong PAD III project is the third phase of the PAD program. It addresses challenges in protected areas and surrounding landscapes, focusing on transboundary regions shared by Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Biodiversity loss and climate change are degrading ecosystem services vital to local communities and the broader economy. These pressures are especially severe in transboundary areas due to their isolation and the vulnerability of marginalized communities who rely on healthy ecosystems for survival.

PAD III targets seven Transboundary Biodiversity Landscapes (TBLs), which are critical for water security across river basins and catchments. The project aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, build climate resilience, and expand economic opportunities—particularly for women, ethnic minorities, and other vulnerable groups. It does so by restoring degraded landscapes, promoting livelihood diversification and nature-based solutions, strengthening governance and spatial planning, and piloting innovative green financing models.

Objectives, Activities and Results

Mekong PAD III is part of the Protected Area and Development (PAD) program—a collaborative, government-led initiative to enhance development benefits and climate resilience through better conservation of natural capital in and around protected areas. Launched in 2000, PAD is implemented once every decade to assess biodiversity in the Mekong region and take action to halt and reverse its loss, supporting livelihoods, poverty reduction, and key economic sectors. The program is facilitated by ICEM and IUCN.

PAD III aims to halt biodiversity loss, strengthen climate resilience, and expand economic opportunities for local communities—especially women, ethnic minorities, and other vulnerable groups in transboundary landscapes. It focuses on restoring degraded ecosystems, promoting livelihood diversification and nature-based solutions (NbS), improving governance and integrated spatial planning, and piloting innovative green financing models.

client:
DFAT
LOCATION:
Cambodia,Lao PDR,Myanmar,Thailand,Vietnam
TIME:
April 2025
to June 2029

TAGS

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Economics, Project description
Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
Current Projects
The project will operate at regional, national, and local levels, recognizing the transboundary nature of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Regional Activities

  • Biodiversity & Climate Assessment: Synthesizes existing data on biodiversity trends and climate impacts, including habitat and species shifts.
  • TBL Case Studies: Conducts assessments for all seven Transboundary Biodiversity Landscapes (TBLs), covering biodiversity, socio-economics, infrastructure, degradation, institutional capacity, GEDSI, and climate risks.
  • Decision Support System (DSS): A web-based DSS for spatial planning and multi-criteria analysis, hosted by the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
  • Regional Conferences: Two events to share findings, promote collaboration, and discuss regional solutions.
  • Knowledge Products: Reports, policy briefs, training materials, and guidelines to support scaling and cooperation.

National Activities

  • National Working Groups (NWGs): Coordinate TBL planning and engage national agencies.
  • National Workshops: Promote knowledge exchange and identify opportunities for replication, feeding into GMS and MRC regional meetings.

Local Activities: Demonstrations in three TBLs

  • Site Selection: Three TBLs selected based on ecological value, transboundary issues, vulnerability, and climate impacts.
  • Local Working Groups (LWGs): Engage NGOs, communities, and local agencies in restoration planning and implementation.
  • Joint TBL Meetings: Facilitate cross-border knowledge exchange and coordination.
  • Baseline Assessments: Detailed studies on biodiversity, socio-economics, hydrology, and climate using satellite, drone, and participatory tools.
  • GEDSI Integration: Identify and address barriers to participation for women, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups.
  • PAME Assessments: Evaluate and improve protected area management, including cross-border collaboration.
  • Ecosystem Services & Valuation: Assess service health under climate scenarios, analyze markets, and conduct cost-benefit evaluations of restoration.
  • Landscape Restoration: Identify and restore priority areas with community collaboration.
  • Conservation Agriculture: Train farmers in ecological techniques that boost resilience and income.
  • Livelihood Diversification: Explore eco-tourism, processing, and other income-generating opportunities, supported by feasibility studies and business plans.
  • Green Financing: Develop PES and other financing models, with mechanisms for equitable benefit-sharing.

RECENT PROJECTS

  • Cambodia

Support to the Tonle Sap Authority on the State of the Tonle Sap Basin Diagnostic Assessment

  • Lao PDR

Promoting Climate-Resilient Rural Development and Food Security in Southeast Asia – Responsible Forestry Preparation Project

  • Fiji

Developing Climate-Food-Nature Investments in the Pacific – Marine and terrestrial surveys for physical and biological aspects of the environment for five coastal communities in Fiji

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