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Wetlands of the Lower Mekong Basin present a diverse array of ecosystems and biodiversity, and play a key role in mitigating the impacts of climate change (e.g. through local climate regulation, flood and drought regulation). They support key ecosystem services for the entire Mekong River Basin by regulating and/or improving water quantity and quality; relating sediments and nutrient flows; and providing key spawning areas for fish and other economically important species. Climate change is becoming a pressing threat in this area, with local communities reporting that they are experiencing scarcity of water during the dry season, climatic variability and increased floods, leading to loss of crops, livestock and destruction of houses and infrastructure. 

This “Climate change vulnerability assessment for Beung Kiat Ngong, Lao PDR” study funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland through ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ��’s Mekong Water Dialogues project, aims to identify specific threats to the Beung Kiat Ngong Ramsar site’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and livelihoods as a result of climate change.

The study draws upon previous studies - the “Rapid climate change assessments for wetland biodiversity in the Lower Mekong Basin (ICEM 2012)” and on fisheries, livestock, NTFPs and crop wild relatives and agriculture, conducted by the USAID-funded Mekong Adaptation to Climate Change project in 2013. These studies have to some extent filled the gap for vulnerability assessments of specific ecosystems in the region, but missed out on including information specific to the Ramsar site and its surrounding wetlands.

The “Climate change vulnerability assessment for Beung Kiat Ngong, Lao PDR” study provides an initial vulnerability assessment of the Beung Kiat Ngong wetland as part of the development of a management plan for the Ramsar site. It also contributes to the development of a Global Environmental Facility project – the Climate Adaptation in Wetland Areas, currently being developed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) with support from ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ��.

As part of the study, a series of village discussions on past climate conditions were conducted, with villagers recalling floods in September 2013 that damaged rice fields and houses, thus reducing rice yield. Also reported were droughts in the early wet season in June or July when there was not enough rainfall for rice farming.

Discussions also revealed that there are lower water levels in the dry season and more water in the rainy season. Villagers felt that this would lead to a decline in the fish population and yield losses due to drought and floods.

These findings are congruent to climate change projections which report an overall temperature increase in the region, with a reported 2.5^oC increase in mean annual temperature and a shorter more intense wet season with an annual increase of +175m/yr.

Sectoral vulnerabilities identified include heat stress to rain-fed and irrigated rice in March, April and May, where 50% of days will experience 35^oC temperatures. The heat stress is also likely to affect small holder cattle, buffalo as well as pigs.

The “Climate change vulnerability assessment for Beung Kiat Ngong, Lao PDR” study will support the development of adaptation strategies, thus allowing farmers to plan ahead for possible extreme climactic events.