In Asia: Weekly Insight and Features from Asia

In the aftermath of the global food price crisis of 2007-08, world food prices have been steadily rising, reaching an all-time high in January since the United Nations began recording in 1990. Coupled with cries from the Arab world for “bread and freedom!” food security has at last penetrated mainstream debate and high-level policy making. While food security has until recently been classified as a “non-traditional security” topic, current discussions have been prominent, loud, and often vehement enough to take on the visibility and attention usually accorded to the “traditional” security issues – particularly transnational crime and terrorism.

The huge spike in food prices in 2008, accompanied by food riots in several of the hard-hit countries, has re-awakened interest in food-related issues. Photo by Karl Grobl.

No longer is food security the province of the usually sleepy, backwater agricultural ministries – it has acquired a new prominence. Now, more often than not, food security involves ministries of trade, foreign affairs, and the agencies concerned with national security and defense.

This development has both positive and negative results, of course.

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For over one million people, Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake is the pulse of life. Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake is a natural floodplain reservoir and drains into the Mekong River via the Tonle Sap River. Every year, the lake observes a phenomenal natural occurrence: the Mekong rises and flows into the Tonle Sap, expanding its area over five times, from roughly 3,000 square kilometers to16,000 square kilometers. The Tonle Sap – where entire families play vital roles in harvesting fish – is an astoundingly rich, hydrological force for Cambodia’s rural citizens who depend on the lake’s bounty of life.

Locals harvest fish on Cambodia's Stung Sen River, a major tributary of the Tonle Sap Lake. Concern about the potential removal of fisheries from hydropower dams are particularly strong in Cambodia, where as much as 80 percent of national animal protein consumed comes from fish. Photo: Nicolas Axelrod/asiamotion.net

Last month, I represented The Asia Foundation at the monthly Technical Working Group of Fisheries at Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. Aside from dialogue on fish catches in the Tonle Sap and the impending climate change implications on fish species, the group also discussed the ongoing dam question: With the planned construction in 2015 of 12 mainstream hydropower dams on the Mekong River – eight in Laos, two at the Laos-Thai border, and two in Cambodia – what will be the impact on fish and Cambodian livelihoods? Many raised concerns that fish species could decrease, the natural flow of sediment may decline, the nutritional health of Cambodians – whose primary protein comes from fish – might fall, and livelihoods dependent on fishing might diminish. But, the facts behind these concerns are still vigorously debated, both among ordinary citizens and in decision-making circles.

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Mongolia has an abundance of natural resources, from vast grasslands and forests to endangered species and enviable reserves of minerals and energy resources. This abundance underlies the country’s rich cultural heritage, wild beauty, and potential for economic prosperity.

But the very same resources that provide Mongolia such potential are at grave risk: According to Mongolia’s 2008 State of the Environment report, 3,526 hectares of land near rivers were contaminated by industrial waste and mining; 14,565 hectares were damaged as result of mining explorations; and 200,000 hectares were polluted by mercury or cyanide. Increased industrial activity has unleashed a range of water quality issues, such as surface water pollution and altered water distribution.

As mining companies contend with Mongolia’s unstable investment climate and inadequate infrastructure, adopting responsible mining principles may be low on the priority list.

Mongolia’s government agencies struggle to effectively monitor Mongolia’s river quality due to its expansive territory, large number of rivers, and lack of overall capacity. As mining companies contend with Mongolia’s unstable investment climate and inadequate infrastructure, adopting and implementing responsible mining principles may be low on the priority list. While a small number of mining companies are taking the lead to develop international best practices in community engagement and in reclamation, the majority of companies have yet to break ground in these arenas.

How Mongolia’s government and civil society work together will affect whether this trend continues. The country’s extraordinary mineral wealth has the potential to underpin sustainable and broad-based development. But, if developed irresponsibly, and without involving Mongolian citizens, these very resources could become a “curse,” as has happened in other developing countries facing similar challenges with governance and corruption.

Although nearly 550 non-governmental organizations working on environmental issues are registered in Mongolia, many groups are grappling with how to improve their capacity, attract funds, and best target their important activities in a systematic and sustainable way. Several groups including the Mongolian Nature Protection Civil Movements Coalition (MNPCMC) and the Mongolian Environmental Civil Council (MECC) – both formed in 2008 – are working to advance cooperation across environmental NGOs and appropriately engage with the government.

While civil society is highly interested in environmental issues related to the mining industry, such as over-withdrawal of scarce water resources, it is still seeking effective means to engage constructively in decision-making with the government to address local concerns. And, although licensing information is made public and mining companies are required to conduct Environmental Impact Assessments, citizens remain under-informed about their rights and responsibilities and how mining might affect their communities.

Recently, however, things are looking up for civil society and the environment here in Ulaanbaatar. On January 26, the Environmental Parliament – set up by a group of NGOs and supported by the Ministry of Nature, Environment, and Tourism – conducted its very first meeting to provide a mechanism for debate on environment-related issue in the country. The Asia Foundation’s “Engaging Stakeholders for Environmental Conservation” (ESEC) program will provide much-needed support to Mongolia’s civil society and grassroots organizations in these efforts by supporting this mechanism, among others, and by building the capacity of NGOs to advocate effectively toward strengthening the policy and legal frameworks for responsible resource use. As a neutral facilitator, the Foundation will continue to work with the government, industry, and civil society at both the central and local levels toward responsible resource use. To date, key actors in these sectors, including the Water Authority and the Mineral Resources Agency, have expressed hope that such activities will continue to build the momentum for constructive engagement by civil society in environment issues. This is by all measures a step in the right direction for the preservation of Mongolia’s natural resources – and its livelihood.

Read more about The Asia Foundation’s environment program in Mongolia.

Angie Woo is The Asia Foundation’s environmental conservation program director in Mongolia. She can be reached at awoo@asiafound.org.

International climate negotiations began this week in Cancun, Mexico, with little fanfare or expectation of reaching a binding agreement on reducing rising global temperatures. The Cancun Summit builds on last year’s disappointing but massive Copenhagen climate talks in Denmark. Since then, governments have done little to follow through on their pledges to reduce greenhouse gases inscribed in the inherently weak, non-binding “Copenhagen Accord” document. Despite good intentions, recent studies by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) show that even if countries fully followed through on their promises, we would still only reach 60 percent of the emissions reductions needed to keep global average temperatures within two degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels (the temperature above which dangerous and irreversible changes can occur to Earth’s life support systems). The planet’s temperature is now firmly on a path of rising by three degrees Celsius by the end of the century. As the planet warms, countries will have to quickly find ways to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, but increasingly, they will also need to invest in innovative and cost-effective ways to adapt to a changing climate. Nowhere will this need for adaptation be more acute than in South Asia, particularly with regard to its water resources.

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India’s Marwar region, located in the Great Indian Thar Desert, is the most densely populated arid zone in the world. While most deserts have three to four inhabitants per square kilometer, this region has 84 to 90. It covers an area of 13.5 million hectares comprising seven districts in Rajasthan State, India. The economy of the region has traditionally revolved around animal husbandry and subsistence agriculture, mostly rain-fed, while its primary ecological resources have been mostly rain-fed water bodies, pastures, grazing lands, and sacred groves. Rainfall varies from 100-300 mm. Climatic extremes such as droughts are a recurring phenomenon.

In Rajasthan, one of India's most vulnerable states to climate change, water resource management is critical. Above, women collect water from a beri, a shallow recharge well that provides naturally filtered water.

Not surprisingly, conservation and water resource management is critical in the Thar Desert, as it seriously affects not only the availability of water for drinking and household use, but for other sectors such as agriculture, sanitation, and health. People in the region, particularly women, walk up to six hours a day across the desert under scorching sun to fill a 20 litre urn with water.

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The signs of climate change are already evident in Mongolia as in many other countries in the world. Mongolia’s fragile ecosystems, pastoral animal husbandry, and rain-fed agriculture are extremely sensitive to climate change. As such, Mongolia’s traditional economic sectors and its people’s nomadic way of life are highly vulnerable to climate change.

In the winter of 2009, about 6 million of the country's roughly 44 million livestock, and a large number of wildlife, died because of the heavy and continuous snowfall and temperatures dropping below minus 40 degrees Celsius in most provinces of Mongolia.

Mongolia joined the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in1993 and the Kyoto Protocol in 1999. The Government has taken considerable steps toward the implementation of the UNFCCC, by accomplishing the required commitments such as the Initial National Communication (INC), Technology Needs Assessment (TNA), and the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) to address climate change and other legal commitments.

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I arrived in Cambodia during the dry season in February. A few months later in May, the rainy season was just around the corner. Like many places, the passing of the year there is defined by these seasonal transitions. Cambodia’s rice farmers rely on rainwater to feed their crops, and Cambodia’s fisherman anticipate the natural shift in the Mekong River:  as water levels increase from greater rainfall, the river reverses direction. Flowing from north to south during the dry season, the Mekong then begins to flow south to north during the rainy season – a unique characteristic of the river that contributes to its rich biodiversity and fish populations.  These seasonal changes govern the livelihoods of Cambodia’s rural communities.

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For a group of environmental professionals who recently visited the U.S. from seven different countries in Asia, management of water resources was a unifying concern.

The delegation embarked on a nine-day study tour, organized by The Asia Foundation’s Asian American Exchange (AAX) and flew to Washington State to explore water resource issues along the Columbia River.

Participants from seven Asia country's visit the Grand Coulee Dam to study water resource management issues.

In different ways, each of the study tour participants is a leader in helping to address critical environmental concerns in their respective countries: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

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Under a blazing sun and temperatures rising to nearly 90 degrees, Mongolia’s Prime Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar and all 12 of his cabinet members held their August 27 cabinet meeting seated at tables and chairs set up in the sand in the middle of the Gobi Desert, 415 miles south of the capital Ulaanbaatar.

The Gobi Desert stretches across 30 percent of Mongolia's land. Last week, cabinet members gathered here for a cabinet meeting to draw attention to global climate change. Photo by Flickr user Munkho Gehrke, used under a Creative Commons license.

Wearing green “Save Our Planet!” baseball hats, the ministers met for one hour to discuss Mongolia’s national response to climate change and issue a statement pledging to fight against global warming.

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Despite tremendous economic growth achieved over the past two decades, hunger continues to beset much of Asia. Estimates show that there are 850 million hungry people globally. Of this total, at least 550 million are in Asia, indicating that some 16 percent of all Asians are in a state of hunger. This is a stubborn challenge for Asian governance.

The efficiency and productivity of the food and agriculture sector has immense bearing on the welfare of entire populations. Above, workers shift grain bags at a mill factory in Cambodia. Photo by Karl Grobl.

Food security for all can only be attained if the problem of hunger is recognized as a shared challenge – one that can only be overcome by better sharing of resources and communication, as well as coordination among nations through regional and global integration and the fostering of open trade and exchange, particularly of agriculture and food.

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