Online Library

This publication features ADB's support to the provincial authorities of Quang Nam in Viet Nam to scale up the implementation of payments for forest environmental services through a technical assistance financed by the Governments of Sweden and Norway. The project pilot-tested two innovations—the group approach and the use of a geographic information system—to speed up payments for forest environmental services planning and implementation in the province. Starting with five villages in Ma Cooih commune, the initiative expanded to include two more communes in the Song Bung 4 watershed. 

Growing demand for energy goes hand-in-hand with rapid economic development. Since 2005, GDP per capita in the GMS has increased 260% while electricity consumption has nearly doubled. As their economies continue to rapidly grow, all six countries need to utilize additional energy resources to meet increasing domestic demand.  In addition, Lao PDR and Myanmar view energy exports as a major economic opportunity. 

Under Viet Nam’s 2011 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) decree, development plans of five years duration or more, including socioeconomic development plans (SEDP), are required to undergo an SEA. However, implementation of the decree is still relatively weak, with technical SEA capacity one of the major constraints.

EOC representatives were among eighty participants from nine countries that gathered in Jakarta to exchange best practices in land cover and land use assessments, and discuss strategies for building national land cover datasets.

CEP progress in Viet Nam during 2014 and plans for 2015 were the topic of a workshop in Hanoi held on Tuesday 19 August. Around forty participants attended, including government agriculture, environment, energy and planning officials, and international development partners from FAO, GIZ, JICA and Winrock.