Collaborative water management

The University has been working with Vietnamese natural resource research and management agencies on a shared approach to river basin management.

Through the Monash Sustainability Institute (MSI), the University has maintained longstanding collaborations with Vietnamese natural resource research and management agencies, including the Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment (IMHEN).

MSI has led collaborative programs involving managers and researchers from Vietnam, Indonesia and India examining a shared approach to river basin management given climate change. This collaboration has involved most faculties, with regular visits between countries by researchers.

Deputy Director General of IMHEN Dr Tran Hong Thai said Australia's Murray-Darling Basin was a good case study for Vietnamese groups.

"When we first came to Monash, we were interested in developing water resource allocation policy given Vietnam's exposure to climate change. We took much of the case study analysis including the work done on the Murray-Darling Basin," said Dr Thai.

"This has now been adopted in our plans for environmental protection in polluted river basins, and plans for water resources management.  It has also influenced our action plan linked to Vietnam’s strategic plan for climate change.

"Since then we have continued our collaboration with MSI which has contributed to research and policy development undertaken by our Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE)." 

The MSI’s Dr Paul McShane said that a cross-collaborative approach was essential for addressing climate change.

“We are interested in the link between research and policy. Climate change is a multidisciplinary problem and potential solutions require an understanding of the economic, social and environmental trade-offs," Dr McShane said.  

"We are now working with MoNRE’s Department of Information Communication Technology (DINTE) to develop knowledge management to better inform policy makers grappling with Vietnam’s extreme exposure to climate change." 

The MSI gratefully acknowledges the financial support of AusAID in this activity.