The Sunway Institute for Global Strategy and Competitiveness will convene an online session at Science Summit 2026 examining how ecological evidence can inform land and water governance across Southeast Asia.
The session will explore how rapid urbanization, land development, agricultural intensification, infrastructure expansion and climate change are placing increasing pressure on land, water and biodiversity across the region. It will focus on how scientific evidence can be translated into practical governance responses, including protection, regeneration, adaptive reuse and systemic reform.
Discussions will also consider the institutional and policy conditions needed to support implementation, including coordination, governance capacity, incentives and partnerships. The session will introduce the concept of Return-on-Values (ROV), which links ecological resilience with social, political and economic value for governments, businesses, communities and the environment.
A panel of experts from Sunway University and the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development will examine governance-evidence gaps across Southeast Asian contexts and discuss approaches for integrating science into policy and practice.
