The Indonesian and Southeast Asia Studies Group invites you to
Natural resource management in the Mekong subregion: What factors drive and influence decisions?
Presented by: Andrea Haefner, PhD Candidate, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University
Natural resources and especially water governance plays a major role in the Mekong subregion affecting 70 million people living on the river banks. The Mekong River is the largest river in Southeast Asia and the eighth largest in the world. It has enormous economic and ecological resources as well as political significance extending to the six riparian countries (China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam). The Mekong region is facing a steady increase in hydropower projects in recent years as a result of rapid economic development of the riparians fostering the need for cheap and renewable energy. The Lao PDR plays a pivotal role in these developments as it is one of the poorest countries in the region which has a geographical beneficial role for hydropower expansion.
The central question of this presentation will focus on the key factors driving decision-making regarding large infrastructure projects and its impact on the region. It will do so by using the Xayaburi dam in the Lao PDR– the first mainstream dam on the Lower Mekong – as a case study and will highlight some of the key challenges regarding natural resource management linked to the role of power distribution and regional institutions.
Andrea Haefner recently submitted her PhD at the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University. Her research focuses on international relations in the Asia Pacific region, with a specific interest in the Mekong subregion. Her research looks at the salient changes in the Asia Pacific‘s security patterns and the rise of non-traditional security issues on the region’s security agenda. Andrea’s PhD thesis is on transnational river basins (the Mekong, Danube and La Plata River Basins) and examines the potential for balanced cooperation in asymmetrical power relations with a focus on the role of institutions. Andrea previously worked with the German local government and international organizations in Southeast Asia.
- Friday 12 June 2015
- Griffith University, Nathan campus, Macrossan Building (N16), meeting room 1.44
- 2:30 – 4:00pm
Numbers are limited and reservations are essential. To RSVP contact Natasha Vary on (07) 3735 5322 or events-gai@griffith.edu.au by 5.00pm Wednesday 10 June 2015.
The Indonesian and Southeast Asia Studies Group provides an informal but informative forum to hear relevant interpretations on developments in Southeast Asia. It is jointly hosted by The Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, and the School of Political Science and International Studies, and School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics, University of Queensland.
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RSVP on or before Wednesday 10 June 2015 , by email events-gai@griffith.edu.au , or by phone 37355322