An outstanding feature of the lower Mekong region is the dynamic energy of its natural systems and how intimately tied most of the population is to that seasonal force. Productivity in agriculture and fisheries, for example, depends on annual floodplain inundation and nutrient dispersal. The immense scale and impact of this natural cycle is well illustrated in the annual flooding of Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia and the Mekong River Delta which it shares with Vietnam. The satellite photographs below show the Great Lake increasing four times in area, from 2,500 km2 to 10,000 km2 during the wet season, connecting it to a vast network of wetlands throughout Mekong. | Review of Protected Areas and Development R e g i o n a l R e p o r t Regional Report on Protected Areas and Development L o w e r M e k o n g R i v e r R e g i o n Review of protected areas and development in the four countries of the Lower Mekong River Region Regional Report on Protected Areas and Development November - 2003 Published by ICEM Indooroopilly Queensland Australia The PAD Review publications have been made possible by funding from Danish International Development Assistance Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation Australian Agency for International Development Asian Development Bank Royal Netherlands Government and Mekong River Commission. Copyright 2003 International Centre for Environmental Management Citation ICEM 2003. Regional Report on Protected Areas and Development. Review of Protected Areas and Development in the Lower Mekong River Region Indooroopilly Queensland Australia. 197 pp. ISBN 0 975033 25 5 Design and layout Patricia Halladay and Kimdo Design Maps by Shaska Martin Cover photos Theun Hinboun Dam under construction Lao PDR by Stuart Chape Other photographs by Stuart Chape pp. 14 15 48 51 53 61 80 81 105 119 125 133 134 155 158 163 Chris Flint pp. 26 101 110 112 123 Paul Insua-Cao pp. 85 Shaska Martin pp. 61 65 69 Thailand Tourism Authority pp. 41 49 71 74 87 88 92 93 93 98 99 127 127 136 139 145 162 182 Tran Viet Duc pp. 109 Iris Uyttersprot pp. 42 70 73 91 104 113 121 124 160 WWF Ben Hayes pp. 17 29 140 154 167 171 Printed by Kimdo Design Hanoi Available from ICEM Environment Program 70 Blackstone Street Mekong River Commission Indooroopilly 4068 Queensland Secretariat Australia PO Box 1112 364 Preah Telephone 61 7 38786191 Monivong Boulevard Fax 61 7 38786391 Phnom Penh Cambodia The designation of geographical entities in this book and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of ICEM or other participating organisations concerning the .
