Managing River Deltas: Global and Local Perspectives
Monday-Thursday, October 27-30, 2025
Can Tho, Vietnam
Biographies of Participants - coming soon
Photos
Resources from Speakers
Recordings of Presentations - coming soon!
Summary - coming soon!
Agenda
Sunday, October 26
18:00-22:00 Buffet dinner at the Saigon Cafe, Level 1
Monday, October 27
Tuesday, October 28
06:00 Breakfast buffet, Sheraton Can Tho, Mekong Breeze Restaurant
06:45 Load bus for 07:00 departure for tour to Tràm Chim National Park
17:30 Tour returns to Sheraton Can Tho
18:00 Buffet Dinner, Sheraton Can Tho, Orchid Ballroom A, 5th floor
Wednesday, October 29
06:00 Breakfast buffet, Sheraton Can Tho, Mekong Breeze Restaurant
07:00 Breakfast meeting: Rosenberg Advisory Committee and Regional Fellows
07:15 Meet in lobby to depart by bus for Can Tho University
Location: Hall 2, 6th floor of the Administration Building, Can Tho University, Can Tho City
Opening Session
Session Chair Soroosh Sorooshian, Forum Chair, Distinguished Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, USA
08:15 Welcome and Introductions - Session Chair Soroosh Sorooshian, Forum Chair, Distinguished Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, USA
Representative of Rector Board, Can Tho University, Vietnam
Glenda Humiston, Vice President, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, USA
Alberto Garrido, Director, Water Observatory, The Botin Foundation and Professor, Agricultural Economics at Technical University of Madrid, Spain
08:35 Introduction of Participants
09:15 Rosenberg Regional Fellows Initiative - Andrea Gerlak, Professor, School of Geography, Development and Environment and Research Professor and Director, Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona, USA
09:25 Keynote: Mekong Delta's History, Geography and Socio-Economics - Matthew E. Andersen, International Science Advisor, Biology, Office of International Programs, U.S. Geological Survey, USA
Session 1: Diversified Perspectives from Around the Globe
10:05 Introduction by Session Co-Chairs
Dang Tri Van Pham, Professor and Director, DRAGON-Mekong Institute for Climate Change, Can Tho University, Vietnam
Guillermo Donoso Harris, Professor, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, and Director, Water Law and Management Center, Catholic University of Chile
10:10 Overview of Global Deltas: Delta Plan Implementation - Lessons from a Practitioner - Jennifer Sara, Water/Climate Director, The World Bank (former), USA
10:40 Break
11:10 Case Study: Global Solution for A Silent Poison - Human Health Risks of Arsenic in the Mekong River Delta - Yan Zheng, Chair Professor of Water and Health, and Head of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering; Principal Investigator, State Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Safety, Southern University of Science and Technology, China
11:40 Case Study: Multi-Benefit and Science-Informed Management of California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in a Changing Climate - Laurel Larsen, Former Delta Lead Scientist, Delta Stewardship Council, California USA, and Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor, Hydrology, Uppsala University, Sweden
12:10 Case Study: Wetland Landscapes, Eco-Hydroclimatic Dynamics, and Governance Challenges in the Paraná Delta, Argentina - Natalia Morandeira, Researcher, Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council and Professor, Environmental Research and Engineering Institute, Habitat and Sustainability School, University of San Martín, Argentina
12:40 Depart by bus to Sheraton Can Tho
13:10 Lunch, Sheraton Can Tho, Foyer and Meeting Room 12
Forum resumes at Sheraton Can Tho, Orchid Ballroom B, 5th floor
14:10 Session 1 Roundtable Discussion moderated by Session Co-Chairs
Session 2: Socio-Economic Impacts on Deltas
15:00 Introduction by Session Co-Chairs
Erik Porse, Director, California Institute for Water Resources, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, USA
Ariel Dinar, Distinguished Professor, Emeritus, School of Public Policy, University of California, Riverside, USA
15:05 Overview Presentation on Different Considerations and the People Who Rely on Deltas - Busadee Santipitaks, Chief Executive Officer, Mekong River Commission Secretariat, Laos
15:35 The Amazon Delta at a Crossroads: Preserving Resilience in a Transforming Basin and Changing Climate - Eduardo S. Brondizio, Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Analysis of Social Ecological Landscapes (CASEL); and Senior Research Fellow, Ostrom Workshop, Indiana University Bloomington, USA
16:05 Integrated Water Management Approaches for Enhanced Socio-Ecological Resilience in River Deltas - Daniel P. Loucks, Professor Emeritus, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Public Policy, Cornell University
16:35 Break
17:05 Session 2 Roundtable Discussion Moderated by Session Co-Chairs
18:00 Adjourn to dinner on own
Thursday, October 30
06:00 Breakfast buffet, Sheraton Can Tho, Mekong Breeze Restaurant
Sheraton Can Tho, Orchid Ballroom A, 5th floor
08:00 Refreshments
Session 3: Confronting the Impact of Climate Change and Human Activities on Deltas
08:30 Introduction by Session Co-Chairs
Qingyun Duan, National Chair Professor and Chief Scientist, College of Hydrology & Water Resources, Hohai University, China
Alberto Garrido, Director, Water Observatory of the Botín Foundation and Professor, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain
08:35 Impacts of Water Resources Development on Hydrological Regimes of Mekong River - Fuqiang Tian, Professor, Tsinghua University & Vice President of International Association of Hydrological Sciences
09:05 Saline Water Intrusion in the Mekong and a Systems Perspective for Climate Adaptation in Deltas - Sepehr Eslami, Senior Adviser, Fluvial & Coastal Systems, Deltares, Delft, The Netherlands
09:35 Linking Local Realities to Regional Agendas: Pathways to a Resilient Mekong - Dang Tri Van Pham, Professor and Director, DRAGON-Mekong Institute for Climate Change, Can Tho University, Vietnam
10:05 Session 3 Roundtable Discussion Moderated by Session Co-Chairs
10:35 Break
Session 4: Organizations that Facilitate/Contribute to Management of Deltas
11:05 Introduction by Session Co-Chairs
Lucia De Stefano, Associate Professor, Complutense University of Madrid and Deputy Director, Water Observatory of the Botín Foundation, Spain
Ayman Rabi, Executive Director, Paleian Hydrology Group, Palestine
11:10 Funding and Financing Basin Cooperation: Lessons Learned from Around the World - Susanne Schmeier, Head, Water Governance Department and Professor, Water Law, Cooperation and Diplomacy, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, The Netherlands
11:40 Testing and Scaling Nature-Based Solutions to the Threats Facing River Deltas with a Focus on the Mekong Delta - Marc Goichot, Asia Pacific Freshwater Lead, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Vietnam
12:10 Addressing the Coastal Squeeze with Hybrid Nature-Based Solutions in the Mekong Delta - Andrew Wyatt, Deputy Head, Lower Mekong Sub-Region, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
12:40 Roundtable Discussion Moderated by Session Co-Chairs
13:10 Lunch, Sheraton Can Tho, Orchid Ballroom B, 5th Floor
14:40 Closing Remarks and Roundtable Reflection
Alberto Garrido, Director, Water Observatory of the Botín Foundation and Professor, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain
Ayman Rabi, Executive Director, Palestinian Hydrology Group, Palestine
15:20 Break
Session resumes in Orchid Ballroom A, 5th Floor
Session 5: Open Community Discussion
15:35 Introduction by Session Co-Chair
Erik Porse, Director, California Institute for Water Resources, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, USA
15:40 Integrating New Knowledge into Community and Economic Development
Brent Hales, Associate Vice President of Research and Extension, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, USA
15:55 Panel: Forum Highlights and Key Takeaways from the Session Chairs
Moderated by Christina Babbitt, Water Stewardship Program Manager, Meta, USA
16:00 Session 1: Diversified Perspectives from Around the Globe
16:05 Session 2: Socio-Economic Impacts on Deltas
16:10 Session 3: Confronting the Impact of Climate Change and Human Activities on Deltas
16:15 Session 4: Organizations that Facilitate/Contribute to Management of Deltas
16:20 Questions and Comments from the Audience
16:35 Reflections from the Rosenberg Regional Fellows: Panel Discussion to learn about work of the Fellows and how they engage with communities to build, share and transfer knowledge
Moderated by Andrea Gerlak, Professor, School of Geography, Development and Environment and Research Professor and Director, Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona, USA
- Reaksmey Luy, Executive Director, Culture and Environmental Preservation Association (CEPA), Cambodia
- Duc Viet Nguyen, Deputy Head/Scientist, Division of Dam and Reservoir Safety, Dept. of Hydraulic Works and Construction (DHWC), Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) of Vietnam
- Socheata Sim, Program Manager, Mekong Regional Water Governance Program, OxFam, Cambodia
- Saengrawee Suweerakarn, Vice President, Romphothi Foundation (RPF)
17:10 Q&A
17:30 Adjourn
18:15 Meet in lobby, buses depart for dinner at 18:30
18:45 Closing Dinner, Victoria Can Tho Resort
Friday, October 31
Travel to Ho Chi Minh City
08:30- 11:00 Rosenberg Forum Advisory Committee Meeting, Sheraton Can Tho, Meeting Room 12, 5th Floor