＜Review＞

Interdisciplinary issues in the Mekong River basin and studies towards their solution

Satoshi WATANABE^*1, Kunio ARAYA^*1, Yutaka ARIMOTO^*2, Kaoru ICHIKAWA^*3, Katsuto UEHARA^*3, Nobuyuki UTSUMI^*4, Shoichi OTA^*5, Yuichi KANO^*6, Masaomi KIMURA^*7, Shinji SUZUKI^*8, Kazunari TSUKADA^*9, Yuichiro FUJIOKA^*1, and Shin NAGAI^*10*11

^*1Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka Nishi-ku Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
^*2Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University, 2-1 Naka, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8603, Japan
^*3Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-kouen, Kasuga 816-8680, Japan
^*4School of Environment and Society, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552 Japan
^*5Center for the Possible Futures, Kyoto Institute of Technology: Matsugasaki-Hashigami-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto,606-8585, Japan
^*6Kyushu Open University, 744 Motooka Nishi-ku Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
^*7Faculty of Agriculture, Kindai University, 3327-204 Nakamachi, Nara, Nara 631-8505, Japan
^*8Faculty of Applied Sociology, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan
^*9Development Studies Center, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), 3-2-2 Wakaba, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, 261-8545, Japan
^*10Earth Surface System Research Center, Research Institute for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 3173-25 Showa-machi, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0001, Japan
^*11River Basin Research Center, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan

Abstract

Studies in the fields of earth sciences, humanities, sociology, and biology in the Mekong River basin were reviewed. The importance of interdisciplinary efforts has been more or less emphasized in many research issues. Based on the efforts of each academic field, we discussed the importance of two perspectives to promote interdisciplinary research: understanding changes in the behavior of watersheds, humans, and organisms, and collaboration with watershed residents. We have listed examples of research in each academic field and considered the elements that are common to each to determine the elements that can be implemented as interdisciplinary research. This process itself is an attempt to understand each academic field when conducting interdisciplinary research.

Key Words : interdisciplinary; Mekong River basin; water-related disasters; agriculture; biodiversity

(Received January 13, 2023. Accepted July 9, 2023)