The Mekong Environmental Symposium 2013 in Ho Chi Minh City was a full success. On the first day of the symposium over 400 stakeholder, decisions maker, scientists, and other Mekong experts joined the event. Three Vietnamese Vice Ministers (MOST, MONRE, MARD), as well as vice ministers of environment and high ranking delegates of the other Mekong riparian countries as well as the CEO of the Mekong River Commission joined the event. Also on the scientific days on the 6th and 7th of March over 350 people attended.
The Symposium offered a well-rounded platform to exchange on topics such as Mekong Basin hydrology, hydropower impacts, aquatic ecology, landuse dynamics, rural livelihoods, as well as knowledge management and information sharing. It was underlined by all that the Mekong Basin – one of the largest international river basins worldwide – needs much applied research, knowledge exchange, and also political and donor attention, so that the challenges the Basin is facing can be addressed. For a sustainable future of this basin joint efforts towards transboundary basin management enabling an equilibrium between socio-economic development on the one hand and the protection of natural resources on the other hand must be undertaken.
See also the photo gallery here.