The livelihoods and quality of life of several hundred million people
who occupy the resource rich Greater Mekong Sub-region are
either directly or indirectly linked to the to the Mekong River. The
lives of the peoples of Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand,
and Vietnam are dependent on the rich natural resources available
as global commons. The imminent revival of economic growth in the
region, likely to accelerate with increased trade liberalization and
investments, will have significant impacts on the livelihoods of communities, on their cultures
and ways of life, and on the ecological balance of this biodiversity rich region. Never has the
need for care, conservation, and sustainable management of the Mekong River Basin been
more imperative.
The Mekong Environment and Resource Institute was established in 1999 as a multidisciplinary
center for research on the Greater Mekong Sub-region. The Institute brings together the diverse
resources and talents of internationally recognized experts who have committed themselves to
assist developing and transitional nations to craft sustainable environmental and resources
management polices to accelerate their economic growth and improve the quality of life of their
people. The Institute joins forces with international communities of academics and policy
researchers through a network of contacts and associations established over more than thirty
years of public and private sector service. The Institute works with public and private agencies
to pioneer policy level research on sustainable and participatory management programs that will
contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources and the
environment in the Greater Mekong Sub-region.
Our mission is to apply the experience, knowledge, and wisdom necessary to formulate and
promote a policy framework for the sustainable management of the Greater Mekong Sub-region,
based on the principles of forest, water, and biodiversity conservation, for the benefit of the
communities that they support - to help preserve them for future generations.
The Institute's staff and centers pursue this mission by performing timely, accurate research on key policy issues and effectively marketing these findings to our primary audiences:
- policymakers in the executive branches of countries in the region
- the region's news media
- academic and policy communities
- international and regional development banks and United Nations agencies
The Mekong Environment and Resource Institute is the world's only privately funded international
policy research group focusing exclusively on the Greater Mekong Sub-region. In addition, the
Institute conducts policy research on a contract basis for international and regional development
banks and United Nations agencies. The Institute's products include publications, articles,
lectures, conferences, web sites and web-based projects and meetings.
To this end, we forge partnerships with research communities, corporations and governments. At the same time, our commitment to working with local people gives us an on-the-ground presence in communities throughout the region. As we seek to expand the frontiers of conservation and sustainable development, we remain true to our original mission: saving the natural ecological balance of the Mekong River Basin for future generations.
