ADB Releases Second Edition of the Greater Mekong Subregion Atlas of the Environment

ADBDecember 2012: In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program, initiated in 1992, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched the second edition of its GMS Atlas of the Environment.

The Atlas highlights progress made in GMS countries on reducing poverty, stimulating economic growth, improving infrastructure connectivity, and promoting trade and investment. It also outlines the challenges faced by the rapidly-growing subregion in pairing further development with environmental protection and sustainability.

The Atlas features six sections, focused on the interactions between people and the environment in GMS countries: Cambodia, China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. The first three sections provide details of the subregion, consisting of: a GMS profile, outlining the geography, economy and social conditions of countries in the subregion; people of the GMS, describing the cultures and diversity in the subregion, including their dependence on natural resources; and environment and natural resources, detailing the states of the geology, rivers and wetlands, seas and coasts, and biodiversity.

The Atlas also contains sections that explore the challenges of development and opportunities for response, with chapters on: development in the GMS, including in the agricultural, energy and transport sectors; challenges and responses, including human resources development, climate change and natural disasters, and regional cooperation; and information resources, pointing to additional data sources and information on the subregion. [Publication: GMS Atlas of the Environment - 2nd Edition]