BIOGRAPHY
Dr Thong Anh Tran is a human ecologist with extensive work experience in mainland Southeast Asia. His research looks into climate-development dynamics in the Mekong region, with a particular focus on (transboundary) environmental governance, agrarian change, livelihood resilience, climate change adaptation, social learning, rural innovations, and institutional change. His research has been published in Global Environmental Change, Environmental Science and Policy, Land Use Policy, Asia Pacific Viewpoint, Environmental Policy and Governance. He is an Associate Editor for Society and Natural Resources and also an editorial member of Journal of Flood Risk Management and International Journal of Water Resources Development.
Presentation Summary
Evolving pathways towards water security in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: An adaptive management perspective
The interplay of climate change, upstream hydropower development, and state-led water engineering interventions for agricultural production has profoundly transformed the waterscapes of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). This study aims to examine how these factors are triggering adaptive water management, drawing on a qualitative study of two water-scarce provinces in the delta. The analysis reveals that the state’s investment in large-scale water infrastructure in support of food security and demands for rice exports contributes substantially to the bio-physical transformation of waterscapes and water scarcity. The evolving pathways towards water security present salient evidence of adaptive water management that gives priority to water retention.
However, it raises a question whether this ad-hoc solution could effectively address the delta’s acute water scarcity and water security over the long term. The study calls for the reframing of the water governance framework that should be grounded on the holistic understanding of transboundary and in-situ climate-development dynamics. In the particular context of the coastal zones, harmonising divergent views and interest between local governments and agrarian communities in the equitable management of water resources for water-based livelihoods across ecological zones (e.g., freshwater versus saltwater) makes an equally important contribution to leveraging efforts towards achieving water security.