The Situation In the Lower Mekong Basin, many actors have long been working to promote the sustainable management of natural resources. However, their experiences and lessons are mostly scattered and not systematically shared. In response, SMRP decided to develop a Web-based system for information exchange that would be accessible to people throughout the region. Despite the potential of the Web to reach a vast audience, however, a basic problem remained. In most of the region, the Internet's reach remains restricted.
Prices are high and connection quality is poor.
While for many professionals working in the natural resource management sector, the Web is a new and unfamiliar media. Although charges are coming down, use of the Web remains expensive for the majority of local people. Internet access in Cambodia and Laos is even more expensive. Not surprisingly, most national organizations cannot afford to give their staff Internet access. A survey carried out by SMRP earlier this year confirmed that the Internet plays a minor role in information access and exchange among its partner organizations.