Siem Reap, Cambodia
– The ministerial-level meeting of the Mekong
River Commission (MRC) has agreed to delay
a decision on building the Xayaburi dam
in northern Laos pending further studies
on the impacts of the controversial project.
Ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand
and Vietnam reached the consensus decision
at a meeting of the MRC - an inter-governmental
agency made up of representatives from the
four lower Mekong countries.
The countries agreed to approach the Government
of Japan and other international development
partners to support further studies on the
sustainable management of the Mekong river,
including impacts from mainstream hydropower
development projects.
No timeline has yet
been set for when a final decision will
be reached on the construction of the mainstream
dam that has been criticized for not fully
considering the impacts on biodiversity,
fisheries and sediment flows.
A positive step towards sound stewardship
“Lower Mekong countries have taken a positive
step towards sound stewardship of one of
the region’s most valued and important resources,”
said Dr Jian-hua Meng, WWF’s Sustainable
Hydropower Specialist. “We commend their
decision today to pursue studies that look
holistically at the sustainable management
of the Mekong river.”
“The countries must
now use this delay to properly and fully
assess the impacts of the dam project, using
the best scientific advice and consultative
processes. International consultants contracted
to provide their expertise must adhere to
international best practice and not cut
corners.”
Criticism of the Xayaburi
project has been mounting over the past
year, with concerns centred on the serious
gaps in data and failures to fully account
for the impacts of the dam, particularly
concerning fisheries and sediment flows.
In April this year the
Joint Committee of the MRC did not reach
agreement on the Xayaburi dam and agreed
to defer the final decision to the ministerial
level.
The decision to again
postpone a decision on the Xayaburi dam
project sends a strong signal that the current
risks and knowledge gaps concerning the
dam project cannot be compromised.
“Any further studies undertaken by the lower
Mekong countries must be inclusive of all
stakeholders, transparent and comprehensive,
and any sound recommendations put forward
should be implemented.” added Dr Meng.
One of the world's last
large untamed stretches of river
The Mekong winds 4,800 kilometres down to
the South China Sea, making it the longest
river in Southeast Asia. The Lower Mekong,
one of the last large untamed stretches
of river in the world, supports nearly 60
million people with its rich fisheries.
More than 700 species of freshwater fish
ply its water, including four of the world’s
biggest freshwater fish species, notably
the iconic and endangered Mekong giant catfish.
WWF has been advocating a 10 year moratorium
on lower Mekong mainstream dams until there
is adequate information to assess their
impacts. WWF advises lower Mekong countries
considering hydropower projects to prioritise
dams on some Mekong tributaries that are
easier to assess and are considered to have
a much lower impact and risk.
+ More
China to use dogs to
detect illegal wildlife shipments
Some of the world’s
leading experts on the training and use
of wildlife detector dogs, also known as
sniffer dogs, met last week in Beijing to
exchange information and expertise with
their counterparts among China’s Customs
officials.
The meeting, the first
of its kind to be held in China, was organized
by the General Administration of Customs
of China (GACC) in collaboration with TRAFFIC’s
China Programme.
Illegal wildlife trade remains a concern
in China, and law enforcement poses significant
challenges given the country’s large population,
vast landmass and extensive land and sea
borders.
Trade in threatened
wildlife is regulated under an international
agreement, the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES).
According to Mr Ziming
Wan, a representative of China’s CITES Management
Authority, “CITES recognizes the importance
and necessity of deploying wildlife detector
dogs, and thus encourages those states with
experience in training and using dogs in
this way to share their experience with
others.”
Countries such as Germany, India, Kenya,
Russia, Thailand and the UK all have wildlife
sniffer dogs as part of their detector dog
programmes, and they are proving to be a
highly effective enforcement tool, both
to detect smuggled wildlife goods and to
act as a deterrent.
“We have more than eight years experience
in training and deploying wildlife detector
dogs at airports and are glad to share our
experiences and cooperate with our Customs
colleagues here in China,” said Jane Sharp,
Dog Unit Team Leader of the UK Border Agency,
based at Heathrow Airport.
The meeting was held
in response to the rising number of cases
where illegally traded wildlife products,
such as elephant ivory and agarwood, have
been found at China’s ports.
Officials aim to stop
such trade through the deployment of wildlife
detector dogs. The first dog in China specifically
capable of locating wildlife products is
currently being trained at Beijing’s Drug
Detector Dog Training Center.
“This workshop came just at the right time
for us,” said Mr Xiangying Guan, a Division
Chief of GACC’s Anti-smuggling Bureau.
“Compared to some other countries, China
has been at the early stage in training
and using wildlife detector dogs, but this
workshop has given us the opportunity to
learn from the experts, which will help
us greatly in the development of a wildlife
detector dog programme in China.”
TRAFFIC has previously facilitated the development
of wildlife detector dog programmes in a
number of countries, including Germany,
India and Thailand.
For over a decade, TRAFFIC
and WWF Russia have assisted with the implementation
of such a programme on the Russian side
of the Amur-Heilong border in northeastern
China.
Enforcement officers
from Russia and China recently met in Vladivostock
to learn about the use of sniffer dogs to
detect and deter the trafficking of parts
of tiger, bear and other threatened species.
“This week’s meeting
marks the start of what will surely prove
to be a fruitful collaboration between TRAFFIC
and GACC, which will move the detection
and prevention of wildlife crime in China
to a whole new level,” said Dr Jianbin Shi,
Head of TRAFFIC’s China Programme.
This workshop, which
included participants from China, Germany,
India, Nepal, Russia and the UK, was partly
funded by WWF International.
