River systems play a crucial role in local livelihoods since they provide water for agricultural production. The rapid increase in the number of factories impacts these river systems both positively and negatively. While industrial growth provides local communities with employment and income, it...

This paper presents the results of two studies in Lao PDR that assessed people's willingness to pay (WTP) using the Contingent Valuation Methodology (CVM). The first study investigated the WTP of residents for the sustainable development and maintenance of urban parks in the city using Saysetha...

This study from Indonesia finds that building dikes would be the best strategy to protect farmland from rising sea levels that are being caused by climate change. In Indonesia there is considerable concern about the impact this problem will have on large areas of re-claimed coastal swampland in...

This study from Vietnam looks at the pollution problem caused by the processing of agricultural products in the Red River Delta. It also assesses the cost-effectiveness of various pollution control options. The study is the work of Nguyen Mau Dung from Hanoi University of Agriculture and Tran...

This study from the Philippines investigates erosion in one of the country's more developed coastal regions. It finds that this coastline is vulnerable to the impact of erosion and that, if nothing is done, the problem will cause hundreds of millions of Php worth of damage. It also finds that a...

This study from Vietnam looks at the pollution problem caused by fish farming in the Mekong Delta (MD) and assesses a number of treatment options that could bring this pollution down to acceptable levels. The study is the work of a research team led by Ms Vo Thi Lang, from Cantho University in...

Sea erosion is currently affecting many coastal areas in the Philippines. Natural factors such as wind and waves are to blame, as are human activities such as coral reef destruction. The scale and impact of this problem are both expected to become more widespread due to climate change and sea...

Aquaculture is a thriving industry in the Mekong Delta (MD) of Vietnam. Tra fish are the most popular catfish species bred in the region and they have become an important export item. As such they are an economically valuable product for many MD farmers. However, catfish farming is causing...

Many scientists think that a rise in sea levels caused by global warming will be one of the key future environmental challenges facing many low-lying coastal regions. In Indonesia, there is considerable concern about the impact this problem will have on large areas of reclaimed coastal swampland...

Processing agricultural products is of the most important 'handicraft' activities in Vietnam's Red River Delta. It provides jobs, improves household incomes and helps alleviate poverty. However, it also generates a huge amount of waste and is a source of serious pollution. This study analysed...