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Saving Wetlands for the Future
Shaoxia Cheng on Meeting the Challenges of Wetlands Conservation
After five decades of agricultural expansion, the vast Sanjiang Plain in the People's Republic of China (PRC) has shrunk to a fifth of its original size. Shaoxia Cheng, manager of the new initiative that promises to put wetlands conservation back on track, talks about meeting the challenges with determination.
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Protecting the Sanjiang Plain Wetlands
The Heilongjiang Province in the PRC has embarked on an ambitious project -- to retrieve the massive wetlands usurped by agriculture and bring back lost biodiversity, but without jeopardizing the livelihood of local population. Can the project become an inspiration for PRC and other countries in Asia?
Getting to Know the Mekong WetlandsThe Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) wetlands serve as important resources for the people who live alongside them -- providing fish, waterfowl and other products, livelihood, and water for irrigation and consumption. But conversion of these wetlands into agricultural lands has drastically reshaped the environment, bringing in more environmental risks.
Reconciling People and Nature Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake, one of the most important wetlands in the GMS, is in deep crisis. Growing population pressures, wastewater discharges, agricultural encroachment, harvesting forests for fuel and construction, and overexploitation of fisheries have tipped the scale against the great lake. Can strong cooperation and negotiating mechanism in managing different interests save the situation?
ADB Revises Water Policy Provision on Large Water Resources Projects
ADB's Board of Directors and Management recently approved the amendment to ADB's Water Policy. Paragraph 32 on large water resources project now says stakeholders must be provided with the opportunity to comment on the justification for the project, with their views considered.
How Effective is ADB's Water Policy? ADB plans to answer this question through a comprehensive review of its water policy implementation. The review process, to be led by a Review Panel and informed by a series of in-country and regional consultations, will start in March 2005.
ADB Approves $600 Million Emergency Fund for Tsunami-Affected CountriesADB's Board of Directors have approved the setting up of a multi-donor Asian Tsunami Fund to deliver prompt emergency funding for tsunami-affected countries. The Fund will be used exclusively for prompt restoration of services, among them public services such as water and sanitation. ADB gives $600 million as initial contribution.
ADB Proposed $20 Million in Grants to Tsunami Affected MaldivesADB is offering new assistance of $20 million in grants to help the Maldives' post-tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts. The grant will be used for water supply and sanitation, housing, transport and communication, and power sectors.
ADB Approves Grant to Further Promote Effective Water Policies and Partnerships in the RegionADB continues its work in promoting effective water management policies and practices through a new $5.6 million technical assistance (TA) grant. The TA, financed from the Cooperation Fund for the Water Sector, will focus on better awareness, knowledge management, capacity building, pilot demonstrations, water partnerships and regional cooperation.
NARBO To Share Knowledge on Water Management with South Asian PartnersThe 2nd training on integrated water resources management (IWRM) organized by the Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO) is scheduled on 25-29 April. The training will enable officials and policy makers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to integrate IWRM concepts into their planning processes.
ADB Fulfills Pledge to Afghanistan, Plans $200 Million Annually in AidAfter completing its initial pledge of $500 million for the rebuilding of Afghanistan, ADB now plans an annual assistance of $200 million for 2005-2008, with part of the funds going to community-based irrigation rehabilitation and river basin integrated water resources management.
Water Management in Thailand — Learning from History
Thailand has used its centuries-long involvement in water issues to emerge as a regional leader in water management. Read how its early attempts at taking a participatory approach toward water management laid the foundation for the landmark integrated water resources management program that Thailand enjoys today.
India: Facilitating Irrigation Sector Reform in Chhattisgarh
With the aim of contributing to irrigation reform, ADB funded a pilot and demonstration activity (PDA) to support the formulation of policy documents in Chhattisgarh, India. These include, among others, an irrigation sector reform strategy and revision to the Participatory Irrigation Management Act for discussion and eventual introduction to Parliament.
PRC: Clean River Program for the Urban Poor in Nantai Island
Nantai island has more than 40 inland rivers that have played major roles as drainage systems for sewerage, rainstorms and all discharge to the Min River. ADB has partnered with the Fuzhou Municipal Government in a PDA to get the people involved in keeping the rivers clean. Will their strategy focused on hygiene education do the trick?
People's Republic of China:
Saving Wetlands for the Future
Can a new ADB-PRC government partnership reverse the adverse effects of five decades of agricultural encroachment on the Sanjiang Plain wetlands?
The Greater Mekong Subregion Atlas of the Environment
See interesting maps, remote sensing images, and essential information on one of the most culturally, ethnically, and biologically diverse regions in the world.
Past Experience and Future Challenges What needs to be done to sustainably manage the resources of the Aral Sea basin to the satisfaction of the five countries that share its water? Find out here.
| 1-3 March | International
Conference on Effective Land-Water Interface Management for Solving Agriculture-Fishery-Aquaculture
Conflicts in Coastal Zones (Bac Lieu, Vit Nam) Participants will assess the dependence of farmers and fisherfolk on coastal zone resources, and the ecological implications of resource use. |
| 4-5 March | Working
Conference Women for Water (Soesterberg, The Netherlands) The conference will provide practical solutions for problems that the women groups run into and yield ideas for scaling up and replication of successful approaches. |
| 5-10 March | 3rd Conference on Watershed Management to Meet Water Quality Standards (Georgia,
USA) This conference will focus on current research practices and state-of-the-art theory dealing with watershed management issues as they relate to water quality and emerging environmental regulations. |
| 10-11 March | International
Workshop on the Value of Water - Different Approaches in Transboundary Water Management (Koblenz, Germany) The forum will focus on the following questions: How can cooperation be improved? How can water-related conflicts be solved? And how can socio-economic, cultural, ecological and other values be incorporated into the planning and management of water resources under conditions of water stress? |
| 10-12 March | International
Symposium on the Role of Water Sciences in Transboundary River Basin Management (Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand) The conference aims to improve regional cooperation and facilitate discussion among scientific community in riparian countries. |
| 14-15 March | Water
Safety Congress 2005 (Bournemouth, England) The congress will focus on raising standards and developing water safety excellence. |
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