Project overview

Fostering Water and Environmental Security in the Ma and Neun-Ca Transboundary River Basins and Related Coastal Areas in Viet Nam and Lao PDR is the first bilateral GEF project of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Viet Nam, focusing on shared rivers of Neun – Ca and Ma. The project is implemented by FAO and executed by IUCN and government partners in Lao PDR and Viet Nam.

These two transboundary rivers are adjacent, with similar-sized basins, comparable characteristics and water and environmental management challenges. Key challenges include:

• Hydropower reservoirs causing significant changes to flow in the main rivers and in tributaries in both basins.

• Deforestation and changes to forest cover impacting flows and sediment loads.

• Agricultural expansion and deforestation.

• Increasing water withdrawals associated with demographic growth and rapid economic development affecting environmental flows.

• Emergency releases from dams during extreme water events contributing to flooding.

Continuing development in the two basins, combined with climate change, is affecting the populated coastal areas due to the degradation of fresh and near-shore marine waters quality, increasing frequency and magnitude of floods and droughts, seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers caused by groundwater overextraction and sea-level rise. The emerging situation poses serious threats to water supply for the expanding coastal populations, their livelihoods (from fisheries and aquaculture) and to coastal habitats, such as mangroves, wetlands and fish refugia.

Objective

Enable Viet Nam and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to address freshwater resource management and ecosystem health in the transboundary Neun – Ca and Ma river basins and coastal zones by creating a constructive environment for transboundary cooperation and action.

Outcomes

• Outcome 1: Consensus among countries on key transboundary concerns, including climate change and variability, reached through joint fact-finding that strengthens transboundary cooperation and promotes coordinated remedial actions.

• Outcome 2: Enhanced water security, environmental sustainability and forecasting capabilities in both basins and their coastal areas achieved through the establishment of transboundary cooperation and information exchange frameworks and mechanisms.

• Outcome 3: Joint actions from countries reinforced by on-the-ground testing of environmentally sound land and water management approaches, policies, practices and technologies, in addition to shared results and experiences.

• Outcome 4: Reversing degradation trends in the two basins reinforced as countries commit to sustaining bilateral cooperation mechanisms and undertaking priority reforms and investments.

• Outcome 5.1: Project outcome sustainability enhanced through reinforcement of relevant national entity  and project interim transboundary cooperation body capacities.

• Outcome 5.2: Benefits from the global to the local level accrue through sharing and dissemination of project experiences and lessons learned.

The project will adopt a source to sea (S2S) approach, link with ongoing initiatives dealing with sectoral aspects, and directly inform the design, assessment, and planning of a range of investments in these sectors.

Duration

November 2023 – July 2028

Location

Hoa Binh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Son La, and Dien Bien provinces in Viet Nam, Xiengkhouang and Houaphan provinces in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.