Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the ASEAN: Case studies from the Mekong subregion

The report examines the tension between trade growth and environmental sustainability in the Greater Mekong Subregion, highlighting how trade liberalization and infrastructure development contribute to environmental degradation. It identifies a lack of legally binding environmental commitments and weak enforcement capacities as primary obstacles. The document proposes specific measures to combat illegal wildlife and timber trade and suggests mainstreaming climate change into the ASEAN Institutional Framework for Economic Cooperation.

• Trade liberalization programs, driven by WTO and ASEAN Free Trade Agreement memberships, combined with illegal trade in timber and wildlife, are increasing pressure on the environmental sustainability of the Greater Mekong Subregion.
• The development of transportation infrastructure, specifically the nine GMS economic corridors, has led to soil erosion, increased pressure from illegal trade on wildlife, and unsustainable logging.
• Environmental protection is frequently deprioritized during industrialization, and environmental ministries often lack the capacity to design or enforce effective policies. A critical gap is the absence of legally binding and enforceable environmental commitments for intraregional trade and investment.
• To address climate change, the report recommends that trading mechanisms undergo climate risk assessments and that the ASEAN Secretariat mainstream climate change into the ASEAN Institutional Framework for Economic Cooperation.

APA

Dosch,, J. (2010). Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the ASEAN: Case studies from the Mekong subregion. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/balancing-trade-growth-and-environmental-protection-asean-case-studies-mekong

Chicago

Dosch,, Jörn. Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the ASEAN: Case studies from the Mekong subregion. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/balancing-trade-growth-and-environmental-protection-asean-case-studies-mekong.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dosch, |first1=Jörn |title=Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the ASEAN: Case studies from the Mekong subregion |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=28 June 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/balancing-trade-growth-and-environmental-protection-asean-case-studies-mekong |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

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