Sustainable development

MEKONG RESOURCES FORUM III: Development Impacts and Resilience in Agriculture and Forestry in the Mekong Region

The third Mekong Resouces Forum with tittle: "Development Impacts and Resilience in Agriculture and Forestry in the Mekong Region" was held on 15 – 16 June 2017, in Hoa Binh, Vietnam by PanNature in co-operation with ADDA, the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), and Vietnam-Lao-Cambodia Association for Economic Cooperation Development (VILACAED). There were about 100 participants from community and non-state organizations in the Lower Mekong region, research and academic institutions, representatives from governmental agencies, media and other interested parties took part in the event. The main objectives of the forum: To share issues, concerns, lessons learned, good practices and perspectives in agriculture and forestry sectors in relation to resilience and adaptation to environmental changes at different levels; and To discuss and promote better development alternatives and approaches in order to secure fair and equitable access to natural resources, improve livelihoods and quality of life and ensure sustainability of our living environment.

Vietnam’s Social Media Shaping New Environmentalism

Pressure from the international donor community and local shareholders, resulted in some successful policy changes, but the new environmental laws failed to provide any legal enforcement to ensure compliance. In fact, five years ago the Environmental Performance Index listed Vietnam in the top ten worst countries for air pollution. Because of Vietnam’s environmental enforcement weakness, a litany of damages to the land and water continues to mount: two thirds of Vietnam’s forests are in decline, mainly due to massive illegal logging; air pollution increases daily due to the growing number of motorbikes; wastewater is released untreated; and industrialization pollutes rivers and streams. It’s no wonder that Vietnam has witnessed the emergence of prominent non-governmental organizations like People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), Centre for Water Resources Conservation and Development (WARECOD), ECO Vietnam Group, Green Innovation and Development Centre, and Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW), to name a few.

Workshop: Sustainable Agricultural Investment of Vietnamese Businesses in the Mekong Sub-region

Acknowledging the environmental and social risks of overseas agriculture investment, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, People and Nature Reconciliation and Oxfam in Vietnam have conducted research to rapidly assess the reality of agricultural investment in Laos and Cambodia. It aims to identify the problem and mobilize the Pioneer Enterprise Group to initiate development of Voluntary Guidelines to mitigate environmental and social risks for Vietnamese enterprises investing in the agricultural sector in the Mekong sub-region. This workshop on “Sustainable Agricultural Investment of Vietnamese Businesses in the Mekong Sub-region” is organised based on this research and the draft Voluntary Guidelines for Enterprises. The organisers hope that the workshop would be a forum for enterprises, government agencies, and civil society organisations to exchange experience and solutions to finalize the Voluntary Guidelines and contribute to Vietnam’s overseas investment policy.

PRCF Vietnam and PanNature Start Collaboration on Forest Governance and Biodiversity Conservation

On February 8th 2017, People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF) and People and Nature Reconcilliation (PanNature) signed an agreement to jointly undertaking work on biodiversity conservation and forest governance in Vietnam. The geographical scope of this agreement shall be Vietnam, with particular focus on sites such as Tuyen Quang province and the Central Highlands.

Protect the Mekong together

Whether it is for power generation or irrigation, all upstream developments on the Mekong River put Vi?t Nam at risk as the last downstream country, experts said yesterday. Hence all countries in the Mekong River basin should rethink their approaches and adopt measures to minimise impacts on communities and the ecosystem, said Tr?nh Lê Nguyên, director of People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), a Vietnamese non-governmental organisation.

Viet Nam should adopt EITI for resource management

Implementing the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) will help Vi?t Nam fight corruption in the resources extraction sector, participants were told at a workshop held yesterday in Hà N?i. EITI is a global standard for governance when it comes to a country’s oil, gas and mineral resources, and is implemented by governments in collaboration with companies and civil society. Countries implementing EITI disclose information on tax payments, licenses, contracts, production and other key elements around resource extraction.

Environmental protection an urgent issue in Vietnam

Trinh Le Nguyen, director of PanNature, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting natural diversity and improving human well-being, said significant shortcomings remain prevalent in the evaluation of the environmental impact of business operations in Vietnam. Several steps in the assessment process were conducted with subpar methods while opinions from local residents were ignored, Nguyen continued. He noted that the two mandatory phases in evaluating a facility’s impact on the environment include a general and a more detailed assessment.

Saving the Highlands from drought

Intensifying the protection of forests in the Central Highlands from encroachment by hydro power plants, illegal deforestation and unplanned agricultural development would be the key to preserving water in this drought hit region, experts have said.

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