Regionale Kooperationsstrukturen am Mekong. Die institutionalisierte Regelung von Konflikten um natürliche Ressourcen

Abstract The rapid economic growth and development which characterizes the mainland Southeast Asian countries in the Mekong River Basin, is based largely on the exploitation of natural resources, with the Mekong River and its natural resources playing the most important role. However, the increasing exploitation of these natural resources and the growing pressure on these due to population growth and other developments in the river basin are likely to lead to problems among the different resource users. This will pose particular problems due to the transboundary nature of the river - with actions of one riparian stte necessarily affecting other states. Hydropower development and climate change are most liable to cause conflicts of interests. This paper focuses on the Mekong River Commission (MRC) as an institutionalized body for river basin management and analyzes its contribution to the resolution of the aforementioned problems and to the mitigation of water resources-related conflicts.