To promote better understanding of its procedural rules on water diplomacy, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) has published a brochure on the Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement, known as PNPCA.

Efforts to rebuild freshwater fish populations in the Mekong and Sekong River Basins are underway with plans in place to establish a joint fisheries management plan between Cambodia and Lao PDR.

As a part of the efforts, fisheries specialists from the two member countries of MRC met in Siem Reap for two days from 13 February to discuss steps for preparing the joint plan for managing five fish species that migrate long distances to both rivers, are valuable for food security, and remain commercially important to both countries.

At the joint management planning meeting, organised under the MRC’s Transboundary Fisheries Management on the Mekong and Sekong Rivers Project, the two teams discussed core elements of the management plan, including management measures for each fish species.

Both countries will further develop and refine the draft plan through consultation workshops at national and local levels to assess takeholders’ views and needs.

“The joint management plan brings the two countries together to better manage our fisheries which will contribute to an increase of fish populations,” said Chanthachith Amphaychith, Deputy Director General of the Lao National Mekong Committee. 

The five whitefish species, considered representative of the health of the freshwater fisheries system in the Mekong and Sekong rivers, include Pangasius larnaudiei, Pangasius conchophilus, Cirrhinus microlepis, Mekongina erythrospila, and Helicophagus waandersi. 

Fisheries experts from Cambodia and Lao PDR said during the meeting that the current catch of these species is dominated by small and medium sized fish, with a notable reduction in large sized fish in the catch.

The experts cited over-fishing, illegal gear use, and habitat degradation as major threats to these freshwater fish species. The project has identified other issues that put pressure on fishery resources such as limited fisheries data and information and limited capacity and resources for fisheries management, and challenges in implementing the existing joint management mechanism.

“Through the joint management plan, we hope we can address these constraints and rebuild populations of these fish species, which will support food security, provide increased recreational fishing opportunities and bring back fresh fish resources in the Mekong and Sekong rivers,” said Chheng Phen, Acting Director of Cambodia’s Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. 

In addition to the joint fisheries management plan, the teams also moved towards identifying an appropriate joint coordination mechanism, including establishment of a joint fisheries management body to implement an action plan. The two countries will review existing transboundary coordination mechanisms and determine national data and information needs for the development of a joint mechanism paper.

The teams planned to meet again in May to further develop these initiatives.

More than 20 participants from the Lao and Thai National Mekong Committees and line government agencies joined a two-day training workshop on geographic information system (GIS) mapping, from 21 to 22 March, in Savannakhet province of Southern Lao PDR.

The training, organised under the MRC-supported Xe Bang Hieng and Nam Kam Wetland Management Project, provided the technical working groups with tools and skills to prepare data and information in a GIS format to support water resources and wetland management and planning in the project’s targeted areas.

During the workshop, the project teams have identified three villages in Savannakhet’s Mak Mee wetland in Lao PDR and 15 areas in Thailand’s Nong Han wetland for data collection and GIS mapping. They also produced two GIS maps for the Mak Mee and Nong Han wetlands.

The GIS maps present key data, formulated from the questionnaires designed by the working group, including on population, land use and wetland boundary. It will support the development of the Mak Mee wetland management strategic plan and the Nong Han wetland management action plan.

The Xe Bang Hieng and Nam Kam wetland management project is promoting sharing of information and knowledge and enhancing expertise on the IWRM tools to support river basin planning, flood management, and sustainable irrigation development.

 

Local residents attend a community video screening in Songkhla Lake Basin, Thailand, on 16 March 2017. Produced by the project teams of the Tonle Sap – Songkhla Lake Basins Communication Outreach Project, the videos capture the role of youth in promoting climate change adaptation measures, sustainable fisheries, and women’s role in natural disaster preparedness. @MRC/Anouvong Manivong

Officials and community people from Cambodia’s Tonle Sap and Thailand’s Songkhla Lake Basin have deepened their understanding of challenges and coping strategies in lake management, thanks to a participatory video exchange initiative initiated by the MRC-supported lakes communication outreach project.

Under this new initiative, launched in November 2016, a second joint video exchange workshop was organised from 14 to 17 March in Songkhla to promote knowledge sharing on healthy lake governance between the two lakes.

During the workshop, more than 20 participants brushed up their filming skills and shot video stories of water and related resources management in Songkhla. One of the videos captured a success story of a community-based fish conservation zone that has helped restore fish populations, leading to better fish catches and improved livelihoods for 260 families in Ban Chong Feun village.

“I am very impressed with the achievements made by the conservation zone,” said Hor Sam Ath, Deputy Chief of Rohalsoung Sde Krom Fisheries Community from Cambodia’s Tonle Sap, who joined the filming workshop.

Located in the middle part of the Songkhla Lake, about 920 km south of Bangkok, the 3-kilometer-wide fish conservation zone has been jointly established and managed by Ban Chong Feun villagers since 1991.

It is dedicated to the family-scale fishing community where illegal fishing gears are strictly prohibited. The community has marked fishing and non-fishing zones and releases 15 kinds of fish and shrimp species into the lake four times a year. These efforts have brought positive results to the community.

“It inspires me to do more for the benefits of my community. I will reach out to community people and government agencies for better collaboration and management of our fish conservation area to rebuild our fisheries resources,” Sam Ath said.  

In addition, the project teams produced two other videos on the role of youth in promoting climate change adaptation measures, and women’s role in natural disaster preparedness.

While women and youth play active roles as advocates for addressing these issues in Songkhla, the Cambodian team said there is limited participation from these two groups in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap.  This joint learning has motivated them to take more action.

“We will advocate to get more youth and women involved in managing our water and related resources,” said Sin Viseth, Director of Department of Exploitation and Conservation Control of Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Authority.

To promote sharing of and discussion on issues captured by the videos, a community video screening was organised in Phathalung province. 

Participants said the videos helped them gain a deeper understanding of challenges facing their communities and how they are addressed. They hope to learn more about local livelihoods and development in Cambodia and Thailand.

In November last year, the sister-lake project organised the first video exchange workshop in Cambodia where the project teams produced four videos on lake management issues in Tonle Sap. The teams will translate and exchange all videos for public screening in both lakes.

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