Forecast Mekong: Navigating Changing Waters

The great deltas of the world are among our most heavily populated and agriculturally productive landscapes, yet these low-lying coastal areas are extremely vulnerable to climate change and development impacts. An international challenge is to transform these vulnerable ecosystems to resilient ones. Through comparative studies and ecological forecasting, such as what is being done with the Mississippi and Mekong Rivers, we can work towards balancing natural landscape functions with economic development to produce healthy ecosystems and sustainable deltas. Forecast Mekong is part of the U.S. Department of State’s Lower Mekong Initiative, which was launched in 2008 by Secretary Clinton and the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to enhance U.S. engagement with the Lower Mekong countries in the areas of environment, health, education and infrastructure.

The U.S. Geological Survey is using research and data from the Mekong River Delta in Southeast Asia to compare restoration, conservation, and management efforts there with those done in other major river deltas, such as the Mississippi River Delta in the United States. The project provides a forum to engage regional partners in the Mekong Basin countries to share data and support local research efforts. Ultimately, Forecast Mekong will lead to more informed decisions about how to make the Mekong and Mississippi deltas resilient in the face of climate change, economic stresses, and other impacts.