Training manual for the JEM of Mekong Mainstream Hydropower Projects: PIT tagging

The Lower Mekong River and surrounding basin are undergoing rapid development pressures, with hydropower a significant growth area. From a basin-scale perspective, information is needed about the availability and condition of the water resources and their linkages with environmental conditions in the basin, how these are changing over time, and how they may change under present and future hydropower developments. These inputs can potentially inform hydropower project siting and design, prediction of changes relating tothe project operation, and development, application and evaluation of mitigation and management measures. This information will provide a common basis for constructive discussions by stakeholders and Member Countries (MCs) on the implications of hydropower development.

To support this need, The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has formulated a programme for the Joint Environment Monitoring of Mainstream Hydropower Projects (JEM). This programme provides Standard Operating Procedures for joint environmental monitoring of Mekong mainstream hydropower projects. The programme provides guidance on what and how to collect robust and standardized information (e.g. hydrology and hydraulics, sediment,water quality, aquatic ecology and fisheries) for making appropriate technical designs, identifying effective and efficient mitigation measures, and promoting sustainable management and operation of Mekong mainstream hydropower projects. A key objective of JEM is to standardise methods to enable comparisons among datasets collected by different countries, which provides a powerful tool for developers.