Environmental Change and Agricultural Sustainability in the Mekong Delta

Environmental Change and Agricultural Sustainability in the Mekong Delta PDF Author: Mart A. Stewart
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 940070934X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
The Mekong Delta of Vietnam is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. The Mekong River fans out over an area of about 40,000 sq kilometers and over the course of many millennia has produced a region of fertile alluvial soils and constant flows of energy. Today about a fourth of the Delta is under rice cultivation, making this area one of the premier rice granaries in the world. The Delta has always proven a difficult environment to manipulate, however, and because of population pressures, increasing acidification of soils, and changes in the Mekong’s flow, environmental problems have intensified. The changing way in which the region has been linked to larger flows of commodities and capital over time has also had an impact on the region: For example, its re-emergence in recent decades as a major rice-exporting area has linked it inextricably to global markets and their vicissitudes. And most recently, the potential for sea level increases because of global warming has added a new threat. Because most of the region is on average only a few meters above sea level and because any increase of sea level will change the complex relationship between tides and down-river water flow, the Mekong Delta is one of the areas in the world most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. How governmental policy and resident populations have in the past and will in coming decades adapt to climate change as well as several other emerging or ongoing environmental and economic problems is the focus of this collection.

Environmental Change and Agricultural Sustainability in the Mekong Delta

Environmental Change and Agricultural Sustainability in the Mekong Delta PDF Author: Mart A. Stewart
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 940070934X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 456

Get Book

Book Description
The Mekong Delta of Vietnam is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. The Mekong River fans out over an area of about 40,000 sq kilometers and over the course of many millennia has produced a region of fertile alluvial soils and constant flows of energy. Today about a fourth of the Delta is under rice cultivation, making this area one of the premier rice granaries in the world. The Delta has always proven a difficult environment to manipulate, however, and because of population pressures, increasing acidification of soils, and changes in the Mekong’s flow, environmental problems have intensified. The changing way in which the region has been linked to larger flows of commodities and capital over time has also had an impact on the region: For example, its re-emergence in recent decades as a major rice-exporting area has linked it inextricably to global markets and their vicissitudes. And most recently, the potential for sea level increases because of global warming has added a new threat. Because most of the region is on average only a few meters above sea level and because any increase of sea level will change the complex relationship between tides and down-river water flow, the Mekong Delta is one of the areas in the world most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. How governmental policy and resident populations have in the past and will in coming decades adapt to climate change as well as several other emerging or ongoing environmental and economic problems is the focus of this collection.

Water and Power

Water and Power PDF Author: Mart A. Stewart
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319904000
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
This book brings together a talented international group of scholars, policy practitioners, and NGO professionals that explores a range of issues relating to environmental, developmental, and governing challenges on the Mekong, one of the world’s greatest rivers and, alas, one of the most endangered. The book is divided into three sections devoted in turn to historical perspectives on the Lower Mekong Basin. Issues relate to livelihood strategies, environmental threats, and adaptation strategies; and various aspects of river governance, with individual authors treating questions of governance at different levels of refraction and in different registers. The result is a fresh and innovative collection of essays, which, taken together, provide much-needed new perspectives on some of the most important and seemingly intractable environmental and development issues in contemporary Asia.

Living with Environmental Change

Living with Environmental Change PDF Author: W. Neil Adger
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134604203
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Book Description
Vietnam and the neighbouring countries of Southeast Asia face diverse challenges created by the rapid evolution of their social, economic and environmental systems and resources. Taking a multidisciplinary perspective, this book provides a comprehensive assessment of the Vietnamese situation, identifying the factors shaping social vulnerability and resilience to environmental change and considering prospects for sustainable development.

The Mekong Delta System

The Mekong Delta System PDF Author: Fabrice G. Renaud
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400739621
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 466

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Book Description
This book about the Mekong Delta presents a unique collection of state-of-the-art contributions by international experts from different scientific disciplines about the characteristics and pressing water-related challenges of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The Mekong Delta belongs to one of the areas, which are to expect the largest challenges concerning environmental change and climate change induced sea level rise . The Delta acts as the “rice bowl” of Southeast Asia and is home to over 17 Million people, who need to cope with ecologic as well as socio-economic changes linked to the rapid economic development of the country. Annual floods, severe droughts, salt water intrusion, degrading water quality, tropical cyclones, hydrologic changes due to hydropower projects in the upstream of the Mekong, coastal erosion, and the loss of biodiversity are some of the problems in the region. Heterogeneous resource management responsibilities, and the fact that the Mekong – and thus also the Delta – is influenced by six countries aggravate the situation. Integrated water resources management and fostered cooperation and information exchange are pressing needs for the sustainable development of the Delta.

Climate Risks, Regional Integration, and Sustainability in the Mekong Region

Climate Risks, Regional Integration, and Sustainability in the Mekong Region PDF Author: Louis Lebel
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789670630250
Category : Agriculture
Languages : en
Pages : 405

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Book Description
"Rapid economic growth coupled with current and projected climate risks are challenging livelihoods and ecosystems in the Mekong Region. In some locations unsustainable development has created or deepened vulnerabilities to climate change as well as global, regional, and transborder socioeconomic processes. More accessible and appropriate information is urgently needed on ways to reduce the negative aspects of development and adapt to the impacts of climate change in this region. This book improves our understanding of the linkages between drivers, opportunities, and constraints on the sustainability of the Mekong Region's ecosystems - at the transboundary, subnational, and local levels. Economic integration, urbanization, and climate change have impacts that vary greatly among locations. Hence, one key lesson in this book is that it is important to tailor policies and actions to specific places and communities, paying particular attention to the most vulnerable sections of the population, and the capacities of local actors. These multi-site and -country case studies provide much stronger tests of the merits and limitations of common policies than studies carried out in a single country, underlining the benefits of collaborative research."--Website.

Water Resources and Food Security in the Vietnam Mekong Delta

Water Resources and Food Security in the Vietnam Mekong Delta PDF Author: Tuyet L. Cosslett
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3319021982
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
The Mekong River has been a main source of conquest, conflict, and cooperation in the Southeast Asian region. Much has been written on the vital and critical importance of the Mekong River fresh water to the sustainable economic development of the Mekong Delta. This book selects the Mekong Delta as a case study of regional cooperation for water and food security for not only for Vietnam but also for the world in a new century of global economy. It focuses not only on the Mekong Delta as an integral part of the River but also on Can Tho City and its 12 provinces that produce over 50 percent of the country’s rice output and 60 percent of total fishery output. The book takes a micro approach to examine how each province is adapting to the twin threats of mainstream dams construction and climate change, reducing fresh water flows and increasing saline infusions on its present and future economy. Finally, it reviews the roles of international institutional arrangements, namely the Mekong Committee and the Mekong River Commission, in promoting regional cooperation among the riparian states for political and economic development of the Mekong Delta.

Climate change, water and agriculture in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Climate change, water and agriculture in the Greater Mekong Subregion PDF Author:
Publisher: IWMI
ISBN: 9290907282
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
The impacts of climate change on agriculture and food production in Southeast Asia will be largely mediated through water, but climate is only one driver of change. Water resources in the region will be shaped by a complex mixture of social, economic and environmental factors. This report reviews the current status and trends in water management in the Greater Mekong Subregion; assesses likely impacts of climate change on water resources to 2050; examines water management strategies in the context of climate and other changes; and identifies priority actions for governments and communities to improve resilience of the water sector and safeguard food production.

The Water-Food-Energy Nexus in the Mekong Region

The Water-Food-Energy Nexus in the Mekong Region PDF Author: Alexander Smajgl
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461461200
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
​This Brief provides a cross-sectional analysis of development-directed investments in the wider Mekong region. The wider Mekong region includes Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Chinese province of Yunnan. Evidence highlights that a few critical dynamics, including human migration, natural resource flows, and financial investments, generate a high level of connectivity between these countries. Such high levels of connectivity increase complexity and the potential for ripple effects of national decisions. The emerging links between countries can unfold in financial investments, migration, or the flow of resources. As these links intensify the regional connectivity increases and over time a highly connected region can emerge, as experienced by the Mekong region.​ This Brief also contains a chapter at the end of the book featuring numerous charts and diagrams further illustrating the impact of development activities in the area.

Beautiful Floods

Beautiful Floods PDF Author: Judith Ehlert
Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster
ISBN: 364390195X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Floods are generally perceived as natural hazards. This book, in contrast, portrays the 'beautiful floods' of the Mekong Delta, which annually constitute a substantial resource for people's rural livelihoods. With a focus on floods, the book employs a 'lifeworlds' analysis to investigate dynamics of environmental and livelihood knowledge among farming and fishing communities, and it demonstrates that rapid agrarian change has both positive and negative impacts. (Series: ZEF Development Studies - Vol. 19)

Sustainable Development of Rice and Water Resources in Mainland Southeast Asia and Mekong River Basin

Sustainable Development of Rice and Water Resources in Mainland Southeast Asia and Mekong River Basin PDF Author: Tuyet L. Cosslett
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811056137
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
This book highlights rice and water resources security in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam – countries that share the international Mekong River, which is a source of both regional cooperation and conflict. It discusses the topography, population, economy, rice production and rice trade of these four riparian countries, and analyses the impacts of climate change, El Nino and La Nina, and the construction of Mekong mainstream dams on water resources and rice productivity. Further, this publication assesses the role of the Mekong River Commission, a river basin organization responsible for the sustainable development and water resource management of the Mekong, and examines regional cooperation frameworks such as the Lower Mekong Initiative, and the Mekong-Japan Summit. The book then explores the emerging role of China in promoting the Lancang-Mekong cooperation between China and Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in developing the Mekong River Basin, which could determine the future water and rice security of the region.