implemented by - mekong river commission · implemented by lesson #4 enhance the role of the...

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATERSHEDSIN THE LOWER MEKONG BASIN

(SUMALOM-NAM TON)Implemented by

L E S S O N # 1S H I F T F R O M S E C T O R - T O M U LT I - S E C T O R -R U N M A N A G E M E N T

»» Enhanced cooperation between government agencies (Department of Water Resources in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Agricultural Extension and Cooperatives in the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.)

»» Enhanced collaboration between administrative/governance levels (National/Province-Prefecture/District/Village)

»» Strengthened dialog between stakeholders

»» People, water and other resources operate as one system. For better water resource management, nature, people and the economic context need to be considered holistically.

»» One challenge is to find a balance between water resource protection and economic development at global/national (hydropower, roads, urbanisation, etc.) and local/individual level (household income,agro-industrial production, logging, etc.)

WHAT?

WHY?

S O L U T I O N SB U T . . .

» “Integration” calls for complex arrangements that hamper or delay implementation.

» Co-ordination between different administrative levels (national, provincial/prefectural, several districts, villages) and cooperation between various technical agencies require time and energy.

» De-centralisation through more involvement or allocation of more responsibility to local communities.

» Participation of civil society and private enterprise on management committees.



L E S S O N # 2U S E P A R T I C I P AT O R Y WAT E R - & L A N D - U S E P L A N N I N G

»» Integration of all aspects of natural resources in local planning.

»» Working concretely at village level: face real situations and find solutions through discussion, negotiation and technical recommendations.

»» People make their living based on eco-systems – land, water, forest and other resources cannot be treated separately.

WHAT WORKED WELL

WHY?


» Planning alone is not sufficient. Good plans and good reports are not sufficiently useful – circumstances are ever changing and people need to be reminded their commitments.

» Adaptive management that responds to follow-up: an iterative process of planning, changes in context or needs, and subsequent adjustment to plans.



L E S S O N # 3TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH: INTEGRATE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

»» Link forest plantation, protected areas and agriculturual activities to watershed management.

»» Consider alternative livelihoods.

WHAT?

1. The different activities supported by the project were chosen based on:»» an analysis of the watershed conditions (threats and priorities) through

measurement, studies or physical conditions, elaboration of the watershed profile, and

»» the PWLUP: socio-economic and environmental issues identified and ranked by the villagers

2. Training and extension: »» Enable different agricultural methods and techniques for farmers so that they

can decrease the cost of production and labour, while increasing yield»» Provide technical service and inputs for agricultural production to farmers in

remote areas 3. Creation of water quantity and quality monitoring systems (increase

knowledge)4. Updating of the watershed profile

HOW?


» Need updates on the status and conditions of the watershed to adapt the actions and the planning.

» Communication channels need to be put in place.

» Water quality data is collected and stored but data needs to be analysed so as to better inform decision-makers.

» Actions and measures should be taken: who has the authority to take decisions? How should these decisions be taken? How to finance them?

» Mainstream the budget and plan in the multi-year programmes of various administrations.

» Call for and engage the private sector and/or civil society networks for financing?



L E S S O N # 4ENHANCE THE ROLE OF THE COMMUNITIES, CIVIL SOCIETY & PRIVATE BUSINESS TOGETHER WITH GOVERNMENT SERVICES

An information system (GIS database) is insufficient: beyond mere data collection, the information should be analysed and thereafter efficiently and regularly utilized and made available to decision-makers.

»» The watershed committee should gather all stakeholders – not only administration/government but entrepreneurs, citizens representatives, etc.

»» Volunteering by those with an interest in the watershed, especially those who live or have their businesses there, should be encouraged.

WHAT?

HOW?


» Integrated Water Resource Management requires a close follow-up and dialog with all actors. This is expensive and requires the allocation of steady financial resources to cover operating costs (payment of staff, transportation, material and equipment). International cooperation projects provide financial support. However sustainability needs to be infused, in order to achieve lasting impacts..

» Liaising with and mentoring local organisations, villages, etc is a necessity.

» Decision-making should take place close to the village level. The watershed committee is an important decision-making organisation but not sufficient. There is a gap between the political/administrative level of decision and the conflicts of interests encountered daily by the inhabitants in the field, which could be resolved through dialogue and devolved decision-making.



S T R A T E G Y

INTEGRATION OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Design project interventions based on the characteristics of the watershed and on PWLUP. Characteristics of the watershed: About 90% of the base flow originates from the upper north-western part. This then is the focal intervention area for watershed management activities, including afforestation, irrigation, etc. Identification of main problems to tackle through PWLUP: In each village, people are invited through PLWUP to identify and rank the difficulties and problems regarding land and water, and to suggest solutions.

SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

PILOT INTEGRATED APPROACH TO LAND AND

WATER MANAGEMENT:

»» Communities manage their natural resources more effectively and

sustainably

»» Farm households improve their farm and forestry production

»» Multi-stakeholder watershed management is established

From 2010 to 2017, the “Sustainable Management of Watersheds in the Lower Mekong Basin “ (SUMALOM) project piloted watershed management approaches in the Nam Ton watershed, covering one of the most representative watersheds in Lao PDR. Activities in various areas of watershed planning, management and conservation were implemented with a view to creating capacity, documenting lessons learned and, in the future, being able to elaborate watershed guidelines.

BUILDING AN ADEQUATE FRAMEWORK FOR PROPER WATERSHED MANAGEMENT BASED ON IWRM PRINCIPLES

The planning process was based on a five-year cycle corresponding to that of the National, Provincial and District planning already exercised in Lao PDR. The major assumption was that an operational “Nam Ton Watershed Committee” (NTWC) – an inter-district and multi-stakeholder platform – could be built progressively with the support of the project as an appropriate coordination framework to accompany the three cycles of (1) capacity- and awareness-building, (2) watershed dialogue-building, and (3) Nam Ton Watershed Committee creation and consolidation.

implemented by - mekong river commission · implemented by lesson #4 enhance the role of the...

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