Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in ASEAN

This report examines the tension between trade and investment liberalization and environmental protection within the Mekong subregion of ASEAN, highlighting the inadequacy of current multilateral efforts and the heavy reliance on foreign donors for environmental policy initiatives.

• The Mekong subregion, consisting of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, faces a conflict between trade liberalization—driven by WTO and ASEAN Free Trade Agreement memberships—and environmental sustainability. This pressure is exacerbated by illegal trade in timber and wildlife products.
• Environmental protection and sustainable resource use are frequently deprioritized during industrialization. There is limited evidence that multilateral efforts from the Mekong River Commission or the Asian Development Bank-GMS program have successfully balanced economic interests with environmental concerns.
• Environmental and sustainability policies in the region are primarily driven by foreign donors rather than internal government commitment, which is attributed to a lack of societal pressure. While the ASEAN Secretariat's new Public Outreach and Civil Society Division is a positive step for state and non-state actor communication, there is a need for greater regional ownership and improved coordination between donors and ASEAN member states.

APA

Dosch,, J. (2010). Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in ASEAN. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/balancing-trade-growth-and-environmental-protection-asean-environmental-issues

Chicago

Dosch,, Jörn. Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in ASEAN. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/balancing-trade-growth-and-environmental-protection-asean-environmental-issues.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dosch, |first1=Jörn |title=Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in ASEAN |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=13 July 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/balancing-trade-growth-and-environmental-protection-asean-environmental-issues |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dosch2010balancing, author = {Dosch,, Jörn}, title = {{Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in ASEAN}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = jul, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/balancing-trade-growth-and-environmental-protection-asean-environmental-issues}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }