Simon Hardy, Rivers and Heritage Assistant at the Loire Valley Task Group’s International Centre, took part in this assessment mission for the “Loire-Niger-Mekong River-to-River Cooperation Project” (Foreign Office/Loire Valley Task Group), one of whose aims was to revise the scale of the project’s main components.
This assessment mission has made it possible to expand some of
the cooperative ventures with the partners listed here:
-
the Centre Region
-
the Chinon District Development and Planning Agency (ADUC)
-
the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Nature Park (PNR LAT)
-
the International Centre for Cooperation in Agronomics Research for
Development (CIRAD)
-
the Development Research Institute (IRD)
-
the Loire Shipping Museum at Châteauneuf-sur-Loire
Through the involvement of these partners and of the Laotian
institutions associated with the project (Nabong Agriculture
Faculty, "Heritage House" in Luang Prabang, the WREA, &c.), the
Loire Valley Task Group was able to strengthen the
following components:
Component I: institutional support
for planning and managing river districts
·
Setting up project information and monitoring workshops (IRD,
CIRAD, and their science partners): March to June 2009
·
PNR
training in park management, and support for the executive board of
the Eco-valley Programme): May 2009
·
Setting up IGS tools: training, procurement of equipment: April
2009
·
Research on developing and protecting river corridors (Mali and
Laos): April to August 2009
Component II: Experimenting with
techniques for conserving and managing natural environments in
river districts
·
start
of riverbank structure works, pools around Luang Prabang (end of Yr
2)
·
preliminary research and crop trials (CIRAD, Nabong Agriculture
Faculty): starting March 2009
Component III: Dissemination -
sharing experience
·
Dissemination and sharing of experience: setting up an exhibition
in the Loire Valley showing various aspects of the Mekong river:
June 2009
·
Raising awareness and motivation of those involved (Year 2)
·
Disseminating knowledge: uploading the research to the Interne,t
and ensuring proper use is made of it there (Year 2)
Land management and natural heritage conservation in river corridors