Economic growth is driving the need for dramatic increases in energy production in the Lower Mekong region, most of which is based on conventional energy sources: coal, natural gas, oil, and large-scale hydropower. The impacts will be far-reaching, both for global greenhouse gas emissions as well as for regional eco-systems, human health, fisheries and livelihoods throughout the Mekong basin. While Lower Mekong countries expect to triple their renewable energy capacity in solar, wind and biomass in the next 10 years, they are starting from a low baseline of only 3,500 megawatts (MW), therefore increased capacity would still only account for a small percentage (less than 10%) of installed capacity.
The Oceans and Fisheries Partnership between the United States Agency for International Development, the “Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center” and the “Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security” works to strengthen regional cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, promote sustainable fisheries and conserve marine biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific region.
DEVELOPING A CATCH DOCUMENTATION & TRACEABILITY SYSTEM
Southeast Asia houses some of the world’s most productive and biodiverse marine ecosystems. These ecosystems provide food and income to over 200 million people in the region; however, unsustainable fishing practices threaten biodiversity, food security and livelihoods. The Oceans and Fisheries Partnership supports the development of a transparent and financially sustainable catch documentation and traceability system to help ensure that fisheries resources are legally caught and properly labeled. This risk-based, electronic system will be applied to wild capture fisheries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region and will be based on the ecosystem approach to fisheries management. The partnership collaborates with technology companies to harness the latest communication and traceability innovations.
CONSERVING MARINE BIODIVERSITY & PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY
To enhance the fisheries sector sustainability and ecosystem productivity, the Oceans and Fisheries Partnership helps regional organizations with harmonizing oversight policies, providing standard training curricula and developing joint initiative on sustainable fisheries and marine biodiversity conservation. Close coordination, communication and collaboration among regional stakeholders will also enhance the effectiveness and implementation of the catch documentation and traceability system.
ENHANCING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND INVESTMENT
To improve transparency in the seafood supply chain and to help ensure successful implementation, the Oceans and Fisheries Partnership engages a variety of fisheries stakeholders and forms new partnerships among governments, regional institutions and the private sector. Developing partnerships in the commercial seafood industry anchors the partnership’s efforts in market realities and provides increased scale and sustainability for project investments.
PARTNERS
The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center is the technical and operational arm for fisheries matters in the region and the Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security is an intergovernmental collaboration to conserve marine and fisheries resources. Both are important partners that will help design and implement project activities with fisheries and environment agencies in the region. Other partners include National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the U.S. Department of the Interior; the UN Food and Agriculture Organization; Tetra Tech ARD; Verite; and the Government of Sweden.
The Oceans and Fisheries Partnership between the United States Agency for International Development, the “Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center” and the “Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security” works to strengthen regional cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, promote sustainable fisheries and conserve marine biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific region.
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) is a five-year project that promotes regional collaboration on forest management to avoid deforestation and forest degradation. Forests in Asia and the Pacific make a significant contribution to reducing the negative effects of climate change since forests are one of nature’s most efficient ways of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it. They also are an important source of income and livelihoods, but are often overused for agriculture, infrastructure and other uses.
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) is a five-year project that promotes regional collaboration on forest management to avoid deforestation and forest degradation. Forests in Asia and the Pacific make a significant contribution to reducing the negative effects of climate change since forests are one of nature’s most efficient ways of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it. They also are an important source of income and livelihoods, but are often overused for agriculture, infrastructure and other uses.
SHARING INNOVATIVE FOREST MANAGEMENT TOOLS
USAID is constantly seeking innovative ways to encourage better forest management and empower communities to contribute to regional and global efforts to address climate change. As part of the Lower Mekong Initiative, the project develops training tools to help Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam reduce emissions from the forestry and land use sectors. These trainings address forest carbon stock assessment, participatory forest monitoring, drivers of deforestation and degradation, gender-integrated planning and leadership. For example, the project is advancing climate change education in Southeast Asia with a climate change curriculum developed with universities across the region.
REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
The project supports governments in developing policies that protect forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also helps local forestry officials to improve measuring forest biomass, monitoring changes in forest carbon stocks and determining economic valuation of forest ecosystem services. All this information is important in prioritizing landscapes for low emission land use planning that balances economic growth, environmental protection, social equity and emission reduction. A disruption in this balance can result in increased emissions of greenhouse gases, ultimately leading to unforeseeable and undesirable climatic changes. The project also identifies incentives and trade-offs in emerging markets to engage the private sector in improving land management.
PROMOTING REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
Partnerships focus on developing common policies and standards in forest management. The project collaborates with existing regional platforms, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use Working Group, to replicate and scale up ways to mitigate deforestation and forest degradation across the region. For example, Vietnam’s Lam Dong province has launched a “Provincial Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) Action Plan and Papua New Guinea” as a way to share its success in undertaking a low emission land use planning process.
PARTNERS
The project is implemented by Winrock International with partnership from SNV–Netherlands Development Organization, Climate Focus and RECOFTC–The Center for People and Forests.
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