Rationale

Across the Mekong and Southeast Asia, agrarian change and climate pressures are reshaping rural landscapes, livelihoods, and the environment. Large-scale land concessions in Laos and Cambodia, shifting river flows in the Mekong Delta linked to dam construction, and conservation and climate adaptation projects in upland northern Thailand, the Myanmar–Thailand borderlands, as well as other frontier regions, are transforming access to land, water, and resources by the people. These processes interact with regional geopolitical dynamics, including state agendas, transnational investment, extractive resources, and cross-border infrastructure initiatives, that determine whose interests are prioritized and whose are marginalized.

The workshop encourages participants to reflect on the way agrarian change and environmental transformations shape ways of living with and understanding nature through farming practices, community traditions, state policies, and global climate initiatives. This workshop will highlight how different forms of knowledge and power relations influence perceptions of the environment, and how local experiences can challenge dominant models of governance and justice. This perspective draws on the idea of ontology, recognizing that people hold diverse ways of knowing and relating to nature, which are central to rethinking environmental justice in times of agrarian and climate change.

The workshop will bring together approximately 15–18 early-career researchers, graduate students, development practitioners, and media from across the Mekong Region and Southeast Asia. Through lectures, case-based discussions, collaborative research activities, and reflective dialogue, participants will engage with diverse perspectives on environmental justice. The program also aims to build lasting connections and may serve as a foundation for ongoing scholarly collaboration, research initiatives, and future exchanges.