Environment and Society in the Lower Mekong Basin: A Landscaping Review VOLUME I Pamela McElwee and Michael M Horowitz prepared for the Mekong River Basin Research and Capacity Building Initiative, Oxfam America SEA 15 197-99 by the Institute for Development Anthropology 1999 FOREWORD This review of the literature on the lower Mekong basin peoples and their production systems has been prepared by the Institute for Development Anthropology (IDA) to contribute to Oxfam America's "Mekong River Basin Research and Capacity-Building Initiative." At their meeting at Can Tho University in January 1998, and in Ho Chi Minh City in January 1999, the participating organizations in this initiative, which include Can Tho University, the International Center for Living Aquatic Resource Management, the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, Oxfam America - Southeast Asia Regional Office, and IDA, agreed to focus initially on environmental and socioeconomic dimensions of rural areas in the Mekong Delta. Hence, the review largely considers the literature of that part of the basin in Vietnam and Cambodia, but it also includes upstream materials from Cambodia beyond the delta and from Lao Peoples Democratic Republic. The review is presented in two volumes. The first volume is a substantive discussion of the region as drawn from the literature. It is intended only as a guide to the literature and does not pretend to be comprehensive in any of its sections. The second volume is bibliographic. In order that the material remain fresh, we plan on issuing periodic updatings of the review for the duration of the Initiative activity. Therefore, Initiative partner organizations and other readers are warmly encouraged to share corrections, alternative interpretations of the material, and suggestions on improved organization of the document, and to advise us of additional bibliographic materials. Where these materials are "grey" or "fugitive" limited- circulation documents, we should be most grateful to receive hard copies as well as the Page 1 of 54