USAID Mekong ARCC Climate Study for the Lower Mekong Basin: Key Final Results
Project introduction
The USAID Mekong ARCC project is a five-year program (2011-2016)funded by the USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) in Bangkok and implemented by DAI in partnership with the InternationalCentre for Environmental Management (ICEM),World Resources Institute (WRI), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Asian Management and Development Institute (AMDI).
The project focuses on identifying the environmental, economic and social effects of climate change in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB), and on assisting highly exposed and vulnerable rural populations in ecologically sensitive areas increase their ability to adapt to climate change impacts on water resources, agricultural and aquatic systems, livestock, and ecosystems. USAID Mekong ARCC is headquartered in Bangkok and supports climate change research and adaptation initiatives in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR.
The Key Final Results publication draws from and summarizes the methodology and key basin-wide results generated by the USAID Mekong ARCC Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Study and updates the Key Initial Results document prepared in March 2013. This publication employs maps, charts, and graphics to provide a snapshot view of how projected climate changes in the Lower Mekong Basin would impact key livelihood sectors. Complete information on the USAID Mekong ARCC Climate Study can be found in the full report and summary report.
Adaptation Measures
Adaptation measures are necessary throughout the LMB to mitigate the impacts of climate change; and there is a growing sense of urgency for the implementation of such measures as temperatures continue to rise, precipitation patterns shift more significantly from baseline conditions, and the combined effects of increased flooding and sea level rise affect greater land surface areas.
Ecosystems and Community-based Adaptation
The completion of the USAID Mekong ARCC Climate Adaptation and Impact Study for the LMB is not an end point but instead serves as a tool in linking research and on-the-ground adaptation action that increases the adaptive capacity of local communities.Through partners, USAID Mekong ARCC is assisting communities at 5 sites in Thailand, Lao PDR and Vietnam to better understand and prioritize climate risks and take action that strengthens their resilience to food and livelihood insecurity resulting from climate change (see figure below for process of incorporating Study results into community planning). Successful adaptation will require flexibility and a diversity of approaches to adapt to shifting conditions.
Drawing from report