Background

Tropical coastal deltas represent one of the most diverse and rapidly changing biophysical regions in the developing world. These deltas are home to large population centers such as Dhaka, Yangon and Bangkok, and are significant centers of agricultural production and industrial development. Coastal deltas also contain critical ecosystems such as mangrove and seagrass, and a rich collection of historical and cultural resources. Human communities in coastal deltas are equally diverse, with the economic circumstances of the technologically-advanced urban centres contrasting sharply against the impoverished conditions that exist in many rural villages.

Historically, land and water management within many coastal deltas has focused on the exclusion of saline water flows that move upstream from the coast during the dry season. Management strategies have included the construction of embankments and sluice gates to ensure freshwater availability for agricultural production throughout the year. However, this approach fails to recognize the diversity of rural livelihoods and ecosystems in coastal deltaic areas, the environmental consequences of altering natural saline water flows, and the emergence of new activities such as shrimp farming that require brackish water. Driven by market forces, the development of coastal aquaculture has been extremely rapid and produced significant social and environmental degradation, but it has also challenged our assumptions regarding land and water management objectives at the brackish water interface in coastal deltas

Coastal hazards are another issue that has challenged the existing land and water management paradigm in Asia’s coastal deltas. Hazards can range from slow incremental events such as shoreline erosion and sea-level rise, to dramatic and highly destructive phenomena such as typhoons and tsunami. Impacts associated with the December 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean and Hurricane Katrina in US have created a strong need for more in-depth knowledge about planning for coastal hazards, and how to protect coastal communities that are least able to shield themselves from these events.

In March 2005, a conference on Environment and Livelihoods in Coastal Zones: Managing Agriculture-Fishery-Aquaculture Conflicts was held in Bac Lieu, Vietnam. The conference supported the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture that is being prepared by the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Participants from 19 countries recognized that this type of conference provided a very useful forum for exchanging knowledge on delta management and creating a bridge between researchers and decision makers. Therefore, a biennial conference series that focuses on natural resource management issues specific to coastal deltas in tropical regions was proposed.

Delta 2007 will examine the state of tropical coastal deltas with a particular focus on agriculture-fishery-aquaculture-environment conflicts and coastal hazards experienced in developing countries. The conference is forward-looking and will identify both research priorities and planning, management and governance strategies that promote environmental sustainability and improve the socio-economic conditions of marginalized rural communities.

Delta 2007 will be of interest to a wide range of individuals such as land and water resource researchers, coastal resource managers, and decision-makers involved in coastal planning initiatives. Selected papers presented at the conference will be published as refereed proceedings.