IUCN has completed an internal draft of the Interim Strategic Action Programme (SAP), Version 1.0, for the Cambodia–Mekong River Delta Aquifer. This first version will be shared with government partners and project stakeholders during Q4 2025 as part of the ongoing process to build a joint framework for sustainable groundwater governance.

On 10 June 2025, the CMDA Project released its official standee and flyer, approved by FAO and produced by IUCN, in three languages—English, Vietnamese, and Khmer—to ensure accessibility and inclusion for stakeholders across the transboundary aquifer.

On 27 February 2025, IUCN joined a Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) workshop in Hau Giang Province, Viet Nam with key stakeholders in groundwater sustainability in the Mekong Delta. Hosted by the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), the workshop brought together 60 representatives from MONRE’s CMDA Project Management Unit (Vietnam), Hau Giang Water Supply and Sewerage Joint Stock Company (HAWASUCO), Deltares, WWF Viet Nam, National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI), and Department of Water Resources Management (DWRM) to discuss the role of MAR in securing the region’s groundwater resources.

On 17-18 February 2025, IUCN organised a visit to the Boeung Prek Lapov (BPL) Protected Landscape in Takeo Province as a part of GEF Cambodia Mekong Delta Aquifer (CMDA) project. We were joined by staff of the CMDA National Project Management Unit (Ministry of Environment), Provincial Department of Environment, Institution of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), UNESCO, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), and NatureLife.

CMDA Update: Exploring Natural Wetlands' Role in Groundwater Sustainability

On 15 March 2025, IUCN launched the CMDA Project Fanpage to connect directly with water users, farmers, women, and ethnic groups in Cambodia and Viet Nam, ensuring communities are at the center of transboundary groundwater management.

On 12 February 2025, the CMDA Project Management Unit visited Can Tho University’s Dragon Institute in Viet Nam to strengthen collaboration on sustainable groundwater management. Led by CTA Bob Bower with National Coordinator Minh Le Viet and Administrative Leader Pham Thi Minh Thu, the team joined faculty, researchers, and students to discuss groundwater depletion, saline intrusion, and the role of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) in the Cambodia–Mekong Delta Aquifer. The exchange highlighted shared research, policy insights, and technical solutions that will inform the CMDA Strategic Action Plan for transboundary groundwater governance between Viet Nam and Cambodia.

On 29 November 2024, the Cambodia-Mekong Delta Aquifer (CMDA) project, through funding provided by IUCN from GEF, sponsored a national consultation workshop in Phnom Penh to finalise Cambodia’s Environmental Protection Strategic Plan (EPSP) 2024-2028. This one-day workshop was a significant step in addressing key environmental challenges, including waste management, ecosystem degradation, and climate change, while promoting sustainability and environmental stewardship.

On 25-26 November 2024, an IUCN team visited two Cambodian provinces that border Viet Nam: Prey Veng and Svay Rieng. The visit aimed at better understanding the groundwater monitoring networks in southern Cambodia, forming foundations for future transboundary groundwater information sharing. The visit was part of the Strengthening the Sustainability of the Transboundary Aquifer in Cambodia and the Mekong Delta (CMDA) Project, funded by GEF with the execution and implementation of FAO and IUCN, respectively.

On 14 November 2024, IUCN visited An Phu District in An Giang Province to assess arsenic contamination in the Mekong Delta aquifer as a part of the “Enhancing the sustainability of the transboundary Cambodia-Mekong River Delta Aquifer” (CMDA) Project, funded by GEF with the execution and implementation of FAO and IUCN respectively. The team includes Robert Bower (Chief Technical Advisor), Le Van Minh (National Coordinator), and Dr. Ha Quang Khai (project advisor) and his six collaborators.