4. Diversity of Communities and Natural Resource Management

Rational:

The Mekong River is a major river in South East Asia, originates from Tibetan Plateau and runs through China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to South China Sea. Mekong River has been feeding millions of peoples that are rich of cultural diversity, with her abundant natural resources in the river basin. Mekong region is one of the regions that comprised of numerous ethnic groups. Land and forestry has been significant for local people due to agriculture is their fundamental livelihood. Fishery is also very important for their livelihood particularly in Lao PDR and Cambodia. Livelihood of local people has been relied on land, forests and rivers for generation to generation. Relationship between people and natural resources has been varied in different parts of region according to their local wisdom on natural resource management. Beside geography and natural resources, different historical and political background of each country in the region has been varied and affected to local people consequently. Since colonialism to the Cold War, our region was clearly divided into two main political camps of communism and democracy. Political conflicts and violence of civil wars has been with our painful memories until nowadays. Different political situations in each country are still complex and connected to each other. Burma is one of an obvious example of complicated political issues in our region.

Obviously seen that political problem is one of the main factors of natural resource exploitation in our countries. Particularly when Mekong Region has been opened for the world market and liberization in the name of ‘development’. Various economic cooperation such as Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), Ayeawady- Chao Phraya- Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMEC) has been driving economic changes in our region dramatically. Trades and investments have been attracted from through out the world by abundant resources, cheap labor, weak environmental protection standard and poor governance. Not only those transnational companies (TNCs) from other regions, but also demands of raw material from industrial sector in China, Vietnam and Thailand become one of the factors of rapid changes. Mega development projects have been constructed through region such as roads, dams, power plants, mining, navigation, gas pipeline and so on. Current destructive practices including conversion of forestland to large-scale mono-crop or agri-business plantations areas which have affected to the livelihood of local communities. Including illegal logging has become both national and regional issues when forest products from Lao PDR, Burma and Cambodia have been serving demands in Thailand, Vietnam and China. As the results, competition and conflict on natural resource have emerged in every level. Impacts from mega-development projects will bear consequences to marginal minority communities including future generations not only in the temporal but long term costs. These are the shared issues and concerns that both present and future generations of the Mekong region will face the challenges.

According to ASEAN will be another mechanism to accelerate economic force in our region together with other international financial institutions and organizations such as World Trade Organizations (WTO), World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) that has been driving our world economy. As youth will play a very important role for further development of our region, we will take part of this opportunity to learn more from each other. In order to build up understanding and awareness of different issues regarding development and natural resource management. With the aim that we will be able to seek for alternatives to development in our region, the Region of Diversity that can not use only ONE mainstream model to deal with our problems. Toward genuine sustainability and justice in our motherland, Mekong Region.

Host Organizations:

1) Cambodia: Mlup Baitong , Cambodian Volunteer for Society (CVS), Urban Poor Development Fund (UPDF), Youth for Peace (YFP), and Khmer Youth and Social Development (IKYSD)

2) Lao PDR: Dokchampa Group, Lao Youth Network (LYN)

3) Vietnam : Social Policy Ecology Research Institute(SPERI)

4) Thailand: Thai Volunteer Service (TVS)

5) Burma: Burma Partnership and KESAN

Objectives

1. Youth are able to share situations and experience on natural resource management and development issues in their own countries
2. Youth are able analyze the problems and identify possible areas for collaborating and networking among each other
3. Youth are able to recommend development direction and alternatives to development and natural resource management at individual, national, regional and ASEAN level.

Process:

· Presentations 5 topics (10-15 minutes for presentation and discussion)

1) Fishery resource in Mekong River: Power development and trans-border issues in Lao PDR

2) Dams in Vietnam and impacts on youth: Regional connections

3) Eco-authoritarian conservation and ethnic conflict in Burma

4) Youth and Community Base Forestry Management in Cambodia

5) Overview of Mega-development and Impacts on Local Peoples and Environment

· Big group discussion

· Analysis by resource person

· Conclusion

Participants: 50 participants

- Youth and students

- Peoples’ organizations

- NGOs workers

Logistics arrangement: LCD/projector

Translator: NEEDED