Fisheries play an important economic and social role in many parts of Cambodia, contributing to food and nutrition security. But many young people in fishing families no longer want to carry on their families’ traditional way of life.
Massive Sambo Dam will destroy livelihoods and Mekong fisheries, but better energy options exist
If built, the Sambo dam will displace more than 20,000 people, affect livelihoods of many thousands more, and disrupt fish migrations including critical deep pool fish habitats. It is time to rethink hydropower as an energy generation source. Why do we need dams that destroy people’s lives and rivers when there are cleaner and safer renewable energy options for Cambodia?
More dams, less fish and fishers: A Mekong Delta fisher voices concern
One of the greatest impacts of dam construction in the Mekong Basin is on inland fisheries and the livelihoods of small-scale fishers. A fisher in the Mekong Delta talks about the plight of inland fishing livelihoods in An Phu district, An Giang province in Vietnam.
Facing the reality of hydropower
In recent decades the Mekong region has witnessed a rapid development of large-scale hydropower projects in the name of energy security, economic growth and sustainable development. Yet do these justifications outweigh the social and environmental costs, and are these justifications even genuine?
Vietnam’s Mekong Delta Study misses key impacts from upstream dams
The Mekong Delta Study initiated by Government of Vietnam (2013-2015) aimed to look at the impacts of Mekong mainstream hydropower on Vietnam’s Mekong Delta that is the rice and fruit production centre for Vietnam. But the weak study process ignored local people’s concerns and has failed to protect the Mekong Delta and its communities.
Women fishers voice concerns about the Tonle Sap in Cambodia
The people of the Kampong Phluk community, a seasonally-flooded wetlands on the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, are facing impacts on their culture and livelihood from recent changes in fisheries management and planned dams. Women in the community voice their perspectives and concerns.
The Mekong region’s urban future: Why learning from a rural lifestyle could build sustainable cities
Urbanization in the Mekong Region is transforming societies that were once dependent upon agricultural production. This article explores how some urban inhabitants have not fully let go of their rural traditions, raising the question can such wisdom bring a more sustainable lifestyle to urban areas?
Silence of the dammed
Inside Lao PDR, the Mekong hydropower projects are presently being built in an atmosphere of fear where local communities cannot express critical opinions, ask questions or request information. This article explores why this repressive atmosphere means we will never really know what these affected local communities think or feel about the many dams being built for so-called “development” and “rural benefit”.
Using local knowledge to recover fisheries in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Vam Nao village in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam used to be known for its abundant fisheries. The construction of a large irrigation system ten years ago allowed villagers to plant 3 crops of rice per year. However, the results of villager-lead local knowledge research revealed that the scheme has seriously impacted the fisheries.
High costs of Cambodia’s Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dams
The Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam in Cambodia will affect tens of thousands of people if built. This article shows how lessons have not been learned from past upstream dam construction in Vietnam, and the project will mainly reap profits for the dam developers, rather that result in “poverty reduction”.
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