The PODEC research themes and hypothesis are the following:

a. Land use and land cover changes are mainly driven by state policies, market forces and human behaviors for response to those driving forces.

b. The different social actors (officials and vernacular) have different identifications about land use and land cover change, the state has power to define the land use through land titling and sanction, and to bring land use transformation by taxation and capital investment, the indigenous communities have their own identification of land use and landscapes, which often intersect even conflict with state identifications in relation to development, but largely unknown to state policymakers.

c. The reliable measurement of evaluative criteria can be used in the analysis of policy including sustainability, efficiency and effectiveness, participation and accountability, power and right security, and economic well-being.

d. The reliable and valid measurement of ecosystem services include provision (e.g. food, water, fuel, NTFPs and other biological products), supporting (e.g., biodiversity, pollination, waste treatment, nutrient cycling), cultural function (e.g., sacred, aesthetic, social relations) at local and regional scales.

Past research revealed a strong link between watershed deterioration and land cover changes over time. With the dynamics of recent development in MMSEA, this can be clearly seen in the case of the upper watersheds. cover decreased substantially during the last 50 years, due to extensive logging and plantation, encouraged by government programs, or by illegal cutting. At the same time marginalized farmers having no choice but to move further into less suitable areas, open new patches for agriculture production, mainly on steeper slopes, being the only available land left for encroachment. This, together with an increase in population and rapid urban development, decreased the permanent land cover with all its negative impacts as described above.

Previous discussions with institutions and individuals revealed the lack of data, especially quality maps and information on past and present land use and land cover in the upper watersheds. Decision-makers and planners suffer from a lack of maps and information and have to rely on outdated and inaccurate products. Furthermore, state often blame indigenous communities such as shifting cultivators and pasturalists for responsible to deforestation and environmental degradation in the region. The land use and land cover changes at different spatial and temporal scales will serve different actors for policy dialogues, integrated planning, as well as government and research bodies involved in NRM and Watershed Management.

Watersheds are not only a spatial entity, as they are clearly defined with their topography and provide a starting point for physical land use, land cover assessments and socio-economic appraisals, necessary for future watershed management plan. They often correspond with administrative boundaries and research and consultation with all stakeholders can be incorporated and complement ongoing development efforts to provide the necessary scientific back-up. Even when those administrative boundaries are not clearly defined or cut across watersheds, the importance of a river system, including its tributaries, and the interdependencies between the source and the delta is obvious to local communities, as well as decision makers.