International Centre for Environmental Management Pty Ltd

ICEM is an independent technical service centre that helps governments, private sector and communities define and implement policies for ecologically sustainable development. ICEM aims to help shape development in ways that reduce poverty and sustain efficient and equitable management of natural resources. ICEM has arranged its technical expertise and services into four fields of focus:
– CLIMATE CHANGE
– WATER
– BIODIVERSITY
– INTEGRATED ASSESSMENTS.
Within and across each field, ICEM has a team of specialists with extensive regional experience. ICEM has developed a range of region specific tools and methodologies that has given us a reputation as leaders in climate change planning, biodiversity conservation, water and natural resources management, and integrated environmental assessments.

ICEM has been involved in water resources survey and management in the Indo Pacific region for over 2 decades, focusing on projects in watershed management, survey and conservation of marine and freshwater habitats, rural drinking water supply and quality, economic valuations of ecosystem services and modelling of hydrology and water availability. ICEM is a leader in the Mekong region for its hydrological modeling work, its flood and drought studies, in understanding wetlands and in studying the effects of infrastructure developments and climate change on water resources and hydrodynamics. We have been extending this work to other regions and countries, most recently in Nepal and Burma.

Organisational Capability

• Advising governments on integrated planning, and management of water resources
• Developing and implementing systems for strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and EIA
• Global leaders in SEA of Mekong mainstream hydropower development
• Spatial assessment methods for climate change vulnerability assessments
• Developing assessments and predictions on the impacts of climate change
• Hydrological modelling and floodplain analysis for deterring flood management strategies
• GIS and spatial analysis for assessing impacts on water resources
• Using economic analysis for options to deal with water pollution
• Experience in South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific
• Association with partner governments, World Bank, ADB and UN agencies

Projects

Technical support to the Mekong Delta Study on the impacts of Mekong mainstream hydropower
The Vietnam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) has commissioned a comprehensive study, involving new field work and technical assessments to develop knowledge to address analytical gaps, so that planning and development of the Mekong River Basin can be shaped by the best advice and evidence on the consequences of Mekong mainstream hydropower. ICEM was commissioned by MONRE and Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) to support the design and management of the Delta Study, monitoring its performance during implementation and providing expert technical support to ensure the project meets international best practice. http://icem.com.au/portfolio-items/mekong-delta-study/?portfolioID=3433
TA-8179 CAM: Mainstreaming Climate Resilience into Development Planning – Package 1 (45283-001)
The project is being implemented as part of the Cambodian Government and ADB’s Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR). The expected impact of the TA is that Cambodia has increased resilience to climate change, which will lead to improved livelihoods. ICEM is designing risk-screening tools that will be applied for projects in irrigation, flood prevention, agriculture, biodiversity, roads, water supply and sanitation, and urban development. Vulnerability assessments incorporating climate information will be performed for projects determined to be at risk in key sectors. ICEM will build sustained institutional and technical capacity to integrate risk-screening and adaption tools into development planning, http://icem.com.au/portfolio-items/mainstreaming-climate-resilience-into-development-planning/
Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (Mekong ARCC) Program
ICEM worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (ARCC) project. ICEM conducted the climate change impact and adaptation study to assess the vulnerabilities to climate change of agricultural cropping regimes, livestock and animal husbandry systems, fisheries and aquaculture, and ecosystems and biodiversity at a basin-wide scale; identify adaptation options for the most vulnerable agro-ecological zones; and draw conclusions to inform pilot site selection and adaptation strategies. ICEM developed a basin “map” showing potential climate change impacts on key agricultural, aquatic, and other natural systems and sectors, under various development scenarios.
Building Resilience in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam
The World Bank in Vietnam commissioned the DELTA (DEveloping Long Term Adaptation) Tools for the Mekong Delta. The project involves the development of a Decision Support Framework (DSF) providing an evidence-based process for integrated regional investment decisions in agriculture, water resource and transport development in the Mekong Delta. ICEM provided the key technical inputs at all stages of DELTA Tools development combining high level GIS and spatial expertise as well as cutting-edge tools development with their extensive experience working in the Mekong Delta. ICEM forged institutional working relationships and data sharing between key academic and government research and planning institutions. http://icem.com.au/portfolio-items/delta-developing-long-term-adaptation-tools-for-the-mekong-delta/
Rivers for life and livelihoods: classification of river health in the Irrawaddy river
The ICEM-led Healthy Rivers Ayeyearwady projects and the IWMI-led Healthy Rivers Salween project are working in full partnership to develop a national river health framework (RHF) for Myanmar using GIS and remote sensing techniques to characterise trends in river health of relevance to government, civil society and the private sector. The visions and needs for a healthy river system will be compiled from different river user groups and an assessment and classification system will be derived to determine the health status and potential of rivers as measured by the condition of specific biological, hydromorphological, physical and chemical elements. http://icem.com.au/portfolio-items/myanmar-healthy-rivers-initiative-mk23-and-mk24/
Strengthening Integrated Water and Flood Management Implementation
ICEM developed national guidelines for best practice based on promoting IWRM principles. A set of planning and implementation guidelines were developed together with a framework for assessing, monitoring, and evaluating water and flood management projects in the context of Thailand’s national water resources management strategies. The project used the Yom River basin as a case study to develop improved basin-level participation processes in water management and strengthen local capacity with IWRM. To facilitate this process, a basin model will be developed which can be used to look at individual and cumulative effects of management options and projects in the basin http://icem.com.au/portfolio-items/strengthening-integrated-water-and-flood-management-implementation/