The Lower Mekong River Region is a biodiversity hotspot. Forests, rivers, flood planes and wetlands support innumerable species, and are the foundations of rural livelihoods and local economies. Over the past 30 years, human development has forced many of these ecological systems to exist within landscapes and seascapes of anthropological pressures. Recognizing that communities and economies are better suited to adapt to climate change if natural systems remain intact, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Viet Nam formed a region-wide partnership to adopt action plans for the strategic expansion of the region’s protected area (PA) network, and to formally integrate PAs into national, sector and regional development. The collaborative effort of governments, NGOs and corporations continues to study the nexus of conservation and development, examining the role of PAs in poverty reduction and climate change mitigation.