10.1 TOPIC OVERVIEW AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This section provides an introduction to the inportance of "transboundary" issues in the context of river basins. The section describes the concepts of transboundary impacts, and transboundary resources, and explains how they are related. Explanations are provided for the physical and ecological pathways through which transboundary effects take place including how river ecosystem functions link different parts of the river basin together. The section stresses the importance of transboundary issues to water and biological resource management, and includes observations about the importance of transboundary impacts and resources in the context of the MRC.

After completing this Section, the user should be able to:

• Define and explain the meaning of 'transboundary' within the context of the Mekong River Basin and river ecology.

• Provide examples of transboundary resources and impacts, either positive or negative, for the Mekong basin.

• Explain the ecological or environmental basis for how transboundary effects occur in the Mekong River Basin, that is, why activities in one area can have an impact in another river.

• Explain why transboundary impacts and transboundary resources are important to the MRC.