Jan 15, 2008. Dr. Antonio P. Contreras of La Salle University, Philippines cited that demand for oriental traditional medicine for plant and animal life, weakness in law enforcements in the borders, presence of rent-seeking political and environmental elites, and illegal capture and trade of wild life (forest products included) are a part of the multifaceted factors that confront transboundary environmental governance in Southeast Asia.

The Mekong Delta.

On top of this, the issues mentioned above (not to mention other related issues: haze and pollution, water governance) are embedded in a highy diverse culture, political/institutional systems of countries heavily drawing resources from the Mekong Delta.

However, these issues can be partially resolved with the intervention of the civil society, one of the major players in the Mekong-related transboundary environmental governance.

Presence of civil society can facilitate active dialogue to come up with forming a sound platform for regional collaboration among the various sectors, including that of giving voice to the marginalized sectors around the Mekong Delta. For example, according to Dr. Contreras, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1997 initiated the Indochina Biodiversity forum which provided venue to facilitate dialogues and partnerships among local actors towards the protection of biodiversity and to increase the stability in border areas. (Lorna C. Malicsi, KMU)