Adopting advanced Earth Observation technology to address transboundary river basins challenges in Viet Nam and Lao PDR
Fostering Water and Environmental Security in the Neun-Ca and Ma Transboundary River Basins and Related Coastal Areas is the first bilateral GEF project between Lao PDR and Viet Nam. It aims to address freshwater resource management and ecosystem health in the transboundary Neun-Ca/Ma river basins and coastal zones by creating an enabling environment for transboundary cooperation and action.
Photo: Living with nature in the upper Ma river in Houaphan Province, Lao PDR © IUCN Viet Nam/Rien Dam
Photo: IUCN staff participating in PEOPLE-ECCO activities at the BIOSPACE25 conference in Frascati, Italy © IUCN Viet Nam
Photo: Participants at European Space Agency Office © PEOPLE-ECCO project
The two transboundary rivers are similar in size and face similar water and environmental management challenges: hydropower reservoirs causing significant changes to flows; agricultural expansion, forest loss and degradation that impact flows and sediment loads; and increasing water withdrawals associated with rapid economic development, particularly downstream.
State-of-the-art Earth Observation (EO) technologies are being used to analyse ecosystem characteristics that impact water security. The analysis will cover agricultural land use change, agroforestry expansion, forest restoration, and forest connectivity.
IUCN is a partner in the European Space Agency-funded Pioneering EO Applications for the Environment-Ecosystem Conservation (PEOPLE-ECCO) project as an Early Adopter during Dec 2024 - Oct 2026. The partnership aims to develop practical tools to establish clear processes and methodologies for critical ecosystem discovery and high-priority site identification for conservation, starting with a pilot site in Son La Province (the upper catchment of the Ma river) and possibly scaling up to the entire Ma/Ca river basins through the following interventions:
Explore the applicability of applications developed by PEOPLE-ECCO in the Ma/Ca river basins for assessing and monitoring Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) and Essential Ecosystem Service Variables (EESVs) that impact water and environmental security such as the loss of natural forest cover, land use and land cover changes on steep slopes, tracking ecosystem services, and supporting agroforestry policy effectiveness by monitoring the transition from monoculture plantations to sustainable agroforestry systems.
Integrate the training courses provided by PEOPLE-ECCO to build capacity of Ma/Ca project partners and stakeholders. Discuss with Ma/Ca stakeholders the ways to use cutting-edge EO data platforms introduced during the BIOSPACE25 conference for mapping, assessing, monitoring, and evaluating ecosystem goods and services.
Agricultural land in the upper Ma river basin in Son La Province, Viet Nam © IUCN Viet Nam/Jake Brunner
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