MCR: Lower Mekong Fisheries Facing Challenges Due To Overfishing And…

Khmer Times — Mounting pressure is being placed on fishers in the Lower Mekong Basin as overfishing and climate change affect the population and habitat of their catch. The Mekong River Commission (MCR) has reported that the fishing plays an important role in the livelihoods of Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. However, the livelihoods of potentially more than thousands of people are being Read More…

Panel urges protection of Mekong fish stocks

UCA News — The Mekong River Commission (MRC) today released two reports recommending the protection of fish stocks to ensure food supplies for millions of people in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Around 65 million people rely on the Mekong for their chief source of protein and live hand to mouth, but climate change, drought, dam construction in Laos and China and illegal fishing have Read More…

Untold Impact On Northern Thailand’s Wildlife From Mekong Dams

The Third Pole — About a year ago, the Boon Rueang Wetland Forest Conservation Group began a survey of wildlife in the 483-hectare community forest in northern Thailand. “We have recorded some leopards, otters and other animals,” says Songpol Chanruang, chair of the group. Though only around 130 kilometres long, the Ing River that feeds the Boon Rueang wetlands is the second most Read More…

Lao Villagers Displaced by Xayaburi Dam Still Lack Farmland, Water

Radio Free Asia — Lao villagers displaced by construction of the Xayaburi Dam, a hydropower project on the Mekong River in northwestern Laos, are struggling to survive in resettlement towns three years after being moved, saying  they lack sufficient farmland and water to support themselves, Lao sources say. Construction began on the first of Laos’ 11 planned Mekong River dams in 2012, Read More…

All hands on deck to preserve ecosystems in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta

The Straits Times — The local authorities and environmental organisations in the Mekong Delta region are stepping up efforts to preserve and develop ecosystems vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Located in southern Vietnam, the Mekong Delta has a diverse and unique ecosystem that includes marine life, islands, estuaries, wetlands, mangroves and delta islands, along with Read More…

Dam Battles Converge on Cambodia’s 3S Rivers

Circle of Blue — For decades, Nov Lun and his fellow fishermen harvested the rich bounty of the Sesan River in northeastern Cambodia. Then, three years ago, a giant hydroelectric power plant opened upstream from his village of Kumpun. Irregular water releases from the dam began regularly entangling his nets and dislocating his fishing boat. Fish started disappearing, and soon most of his Read More…

Three countries cooperate to audit water resources of Mekong River…

Vietnam Net — The state audit agencies of three out of six countries in the Mekong River basin, including Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, with professional and technical support from the State Audits of Malaysia, Indonesia, the World Bank (WB) and the Canadian Auditing and Accountability Fund (CAAF), have jointly audited the management of water resources in the Mekong River Basin. The audit Read More…

Laos Pushes Ahead With Large Dam Projects, Despite Uncertainty of…

Radio Free Asia — The Lao government is pushing ahead with more hydroelectric dams despite uncertainty about Thailand’s willingness to purchase the electricity they generate, Lao officials and others with knowledge of the situation said. Laos has 78 dams in operation and has signed memorandums of understanding for 246 other hydroelectric projects in its quest to become the “battery of Read More…

Climate change likely to be high on the agenda of the Mekong River…

Khmer Times — Prime Minister Hun Sen is chairing the seventh Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit today. The theme of the meeting is “Renewed Strength to Face the Challenges of the New Decade”. One of the biggest challenges to the region is climate change, which has huge economic costs on top of the social upheaval and environmental damage caused by the floods and droughts that have been Read More…

Strategic basin and delta planning increases the resilience of the…

PNAS — Abstract The climate resilience of river deltas is threatened by rising sea levels, accelerated land subsidence, and reduced sediment supply from contributing river basins. Yet, these uncertain and rapidly changing threats are rarely considered in conjunction. Here we provide an integrated assessment, on basin and delta scales, to identify key planning levers for increasing the climate Read More…