Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the Mekong: Key issues

This fact sheet examines the challenges of balancing trade liberalization and environmental protection in the Mekong Subregion. It highlights the gap between regional policy rhetoric and actual implementation, the impact of illegal trade on biodiversity, and the dominant role of foreign donors in driving environmental agendas within trade policy.

• Mekong states are pursuing extensive trade liberalization driven by WTO membership and the ASEAN Free Trade Area, which increases pressure on environmental sustainability. Specific examples of this tension include the development of hydroelectric power and regional power grids.
• Illegal trade in timber and wildlife significantly undermines regional environmental sustainability. The illegal wildlife trade involves tens of thousands of species and hundreds of millions of individual plants and animals, leading to sharp population declines for Asian elephants, tigers, pangolins, and freshwater turtles and tortoises.
• While regional visions like 'Green ASEAN' and the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community 20092015 promote environmental goals, there is no comprehensive agenda for reconciling trade and environment. Implementation is hindered by country-level political obstacles and member states blocking Secretariat initiatives.
• Efforts to mainstream environmental issues into trade and investment are largely steered by foreign donors, such as the European Commission, rather than subregional organizations like the Mekong River Commission or the Greater Mekong Subregion, which are hampered by mistrust and lack of transparency.
• Corruption and vested interests impede environmental agreements, such as the 2002 ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which remains unratified and unimplemented due to opposition from Indonesia regarding interests in Borneo and Sumatra.

APA

Dosch, J. (2010). Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the Mekong: Key issues. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/balancing_trade_mekong.pdf

Chicago

Dosch, Jörn. Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the Mekong: Key issues. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/balancing_trade_mekong.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dosch |first1=Jörn |title=Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the Mekong: Key issues |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/balancing_trade_mekong.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dosch2010balancing, author = {Dosch, Jörn}, title = {{Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the Mekong: Key issues}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/balancing_trade_mekong.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }