Stories of Change from the Mekong Region

The document details the impact of SUMERNET's research projects across the Mekong Region, focusing on flood risk reduction, urbanization, green tourism, forest conservation, and water governance. It highlights the network's growth from 14 to over 60 institutes and its shift toward cross-border collaboration and 'Outcome Mapping' to ensure research findings influence policy and improve local livelihoods.

• A project on the Cambodia-Vietnam border developed a Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) to assess flood impacts on natural, human, physical, social, and financial capital, finding that poor households suffer the most. This led to institutional changes, including training courses for Vietnam's Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (DARD) and the provincial Flood Control Programme.
• Research on urbanization in Thailand and Lao PDR identified that urban areas in the Mekong Region are growing at rates 2.5 times the national population growth averages, with 31% of the population currently living in urban areas and an expected increase to over 50% by 2050.
• A low-carbon urban tourism project in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Hue, Vietnam, used the Bilan Carbone tool to identify transportation as a major GHG source. In Chiang Mai, this led to a Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) campaign aimed at increasing biking areas from 4% to 10% in the inner city, with an expected annual CO2 reduction of 230-570 tons.
• A study on Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) in Vietnam helped develop the legal framework for a national policy, focusing on institutional arrangements and revenue generation. The research also explored potential applications for PFES in Cambodia and Lao PDR through 'model forest partnerships'.
• Research on contract farming in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Thailand found that the system does not directly benefit small-scale rural farmers, who often must negotiate with large-scale quota holders to participate. However, the study influenced private firms to create new schemes for small land holders to access credit and markets.
• A project on climate risks in the deltas of Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam emphasized the role of gender and socio-economic class in vulnerability. The findings were used to make local government disaster risk management plans more gender-sensitive by highlighting how gender relations affect access to risk-reducing resources.
• A REDD+ research project in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand provided technical inputs for national strategies. In Cambodia, a team member authored a technical working paper on the National Framework for Safeguards Information System, which informed the national REDD+ strategy.
• The 'Chindwin Futures' program in Myanmar is working to establish the Chindwin River Basin Organisation (RBO) to manage water resources sustainably. The RBO aims to coordinate water management, support integrated water resources management (including drought and sedimentation), and build public awareness.
• A project on recovering regional wetlands used 'co-production of knowledge' to restore agro-ecological systems. Activities included participatory zoning of wetlands affected by the Rasi Salai dam in Thailand, documenting the value of floating rice in Vietnam, and supporting organic rice production in Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR.
• Over ten years, SUMERNET expanded its membership from 14 to over 60 institutes and more than 130 individuals. The network shifted from producing mainly grey literature in Phase 1 to generating over 100 project products, including approximately 20 peer-review publications in Phase 2.

APA

Daniel, R. (2016). Stories of Change from the Mekong Region. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SUMERNET-2016-10yrs-Stories-of-Change.pdf

Chicago

Daniel, Rajesh. Stories of Change from the Mekong Region. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2016. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SUMERNET-2016-10yrs-Stories-of-Change.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Daniel |first1=Rajesh |title=Stories of Change from the Mekong Region |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=January 2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SUMERNET-2016-10yrs-Stories-of-Change.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{daniel2016stories, author = {Daniel, Rajesh}, title = {{Stories of Change from the Mekong Region}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SUMERNET-2016-10yrs-Stories-of-Change.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }