“When you are laboring for others let it be with
the same zeal as if it were for yourself.”      
Confucius

Tenent 1: View problems as opportunities for success.

Global climate change, loss of biodiversity, and other major problems are usually described as horrors. However, they may also be seen as opportunities in that they are driving humanity to realize that we can alter our climate changing behaviors, document and prevent loss of biodiversity, and address the other issues. The projects of the Changing Mekong Program are positive in outlook and expect success in the development of opportunities for local communities.

Tenent 2: Understand that problems and solutions come at different scales.

Complex questions do not have a single answer. Difficult problems don’t have just one solution. Important insights are often found in the scale of the situation. Identifying the appropriate scale is a key issue that the Changing Mekong Program will be addressing within all of its projects.

Tenent 3: Maintain high ethical standards.

The ethical codes and standards of the institutions, scientific societies, and organizations participating in the program will be taken seriously in the planning and execution of projects. There will be no tolerance for inappropriate use of funding such as bribery or misappropriation of money even if it means that funds must be returned to donors and projects cancelled. Researchers will follow all cultural, national and international laws and rules governing their research and other activities.

Tenent 4: Involve local personnel in all aspects of research.

Knowledge, skills, interests and capabilities of people from many backgrounds are to be valued and respected. If there is a critical gap that limits local participation, then the project is responsible to develop local expertise by acquiring education or experience that is needed. Project leadership and decision making must be local because the long-term results will be felt locally.

Tenent 5: Use minimal “touch” to initiate change.

The best form of change is one that comes from within. To be successful, this involves recognizing local authority structures and networks and working within them to share ideas and resources. It also involves assisting in the development of new compatible and synergistic networks. Throughout all project activities there should be a minimal effort to encourage people to change and a maximal effort to identify exisiting models and structures that are already functional. Reinforcement of traditional structures and institutions that can serve as effective means for conservation, research management, and other changes that are determined to be needed is often very successful in the long term.

Tenent 6: Invest in the future so that more is left behind than when the program started.

There are many forms for the legacy of a project. Some of these are material, such as an enhanced herbarium, or long-term monitoring equipment. Other types of legacy are a better informed population, lasting networks of collaborators, and improved social conditions. All aspects of the program are concerned, from the start, with producing a viable legacy.

Tenent 7: Create situtations where competition brings out the best in people, projects and institutions.

Opportunities for participation in projects should be widely advertised and promoted in order to allow selection of the best entrants for inclusion. An open selection process will also encourage the development of individual skills, understanding of the research process and the identification of critical research needs. The goal is to develop the best research and best results for the benefit of people in the Mekong region. Competition will ensure that the best people are selected for this task.