Regional Environmental Governance in Peninsular Southeast Asia: NGOs and Transborder Cooperation on Conservation

• In Event: Environmental Challenges in South and Southeast Asia: Conflict, Cooperation and Exploitation

Abstract

In addition to efforts at environmental governance at the global and national level, over the past decade there have been a rising number of regional initiatives that attempt to provide a more pragmatic and effective approach to addressing environmental issues with transnational dimensions. Transborder conservation zones using “people participatory” models of sustainable development are part of this trend. Such initiatives have involved a complex collaboration among a variety of stakeholders located in and operating at multiple levels (local, national, regional, global) and include host country states/governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), foreign donor states, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local community groups. This paper examines this sort of subregional environmental conservation in peninsular Southeast Asia and explores how regime type, institutional design and political culture can influence outcomes. Using the case of the Mekong Biodiversity Conservation Corridor Initiative (BCI), the paper focuses on the role of NGOs in promoting and executing environmental conservation in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. What sort of role did NGOs play in the creation of BCI? How and why have NGOs varied in their success in executing the initiative? Has BCI been more successful in countries with more democratic regimes and has the institutional design of BCI either hindered or aided collaborations? Through a detailed study of interactions between NGOs, states, IGOs and other actors involved in BCI, the paper illuminates similarities and differences found in the four countries and the complex mix of factors which ultimately influences how multi-level environmental governance transpires.

Author

• Kim D. Reimann, Georgia State University