Activity
Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project (2011 onwards)
One of the major successes of CEP Phase I was the scaling up of its biodiversity conservation corridor pilot work. In 2011, ADB approved grants and loans worth $69 million for Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam under a new project to further engage local communities in the sustainable management of important biodiversity landscapes.
Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study II (2007 to 2011)
CEP provided technical and financial support to the Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study II (APFSOS II), which began in 2007. Led by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, the outlook studies provide a benchmark for monitoring change, and predicting future trends, for forestry in the GMS and broader Asia-Pacific region.
An SEA of the North-South Economic Corridor Strategy and Action Plan (2008 to 2009)
The North-South Economic Corridor (NSEC) – linking Kunming to Bangkok, Kunming to Hanoi, and Hanoi to Nanning – is one of the flagship investments under the GMS Economic Cooperation Program.
Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in GMS rural communities
Rural communities in the GMS are particularly vulnerable to climate change. While there is considerable indigenous knowledge within communities on managing climate-related risks, understanding how a community’s vulnerability profile will change from climate and non-climate risks is essential for empowering local people to develop strategies for a climate-resilient future.
GMS Development Maptool
To create synergy and avoid duplication, development planners need to know what projects other organizations are doing and where they are doing them. Without this knowledge, opportunities to maximize impact and use resources efficiently will be missed.
A tourism SEA in the Golden Quadrangle (2011 to 2012)
In recent years, the border region around the Golden Quadrangle, involving PR China, Lao PDR, and Thailand, has received attention for potential tourism development. There is increased tourism development in the Xishuangbanna area and in Northern Lao PDR (both ecotourism and cultural tourism) and this area has been designated as a key development priority under the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy.
SEAs for power development planning in Viet Nam (2007–2011, 2014)
Viet Nam has a rapidly growing demand for electricity, with current growth rates of around 15% per annum expected to continue, or increase, for the foreseeable future. This reflects Viet Nam’s rapid progress in economic development and the country’s growing income, urbanization and changing consumption patterns.
An SEA of the tourism sector in Cambodia (2007 to 2009)
From the mid-1990s to 2006, following years of conflict, tourist numbers in Cambodia grew at around 20% per year and in 2006, generated $1.5 billion in revenues.
Carbon neutral transport corridors feasibility study (2010-2012)
With support from ADB, ‘economic corridors’ are being developed across the GMS to improve transport connectivity and facilitate trade. An upsurge in traffic and development along these corridors is leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions and environmental changes. These need to be carefully managed to ensure environmental sustainability.