Mekong

Welcome to the Mekong River

 

The geologic, biologic and cultural history of the Mekong River will appear on these pages. Click on images to open the source sites. Students and teachers are welcome to submit content. Watch for research requests on student and teacher pages and blog posts.

Mekong Bio-Geography

 

The Mekong river is a complex, interconnected biological system of main stem and tributaries, sediment and nutrient flow, and fish and other species diversity. We will look at examples and assess the extent to which this is true. We invite you to investigate your local river.

 

The Mekong River starts on the Tibetan plateau and flows 2700 miles to the South China Sea. It is a major transportation route for most of its length. Waterfalls and large seasonal variations in water level interfere with transport and add to the biological diversity of the river basin.

 

The river touches or crosses six countries; China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Many diverse ethnic groups have their own languages or regional dialects. Wars and colonization have established and then changed artificial political boundaries that heightened differences and separated countries.

 

Does it make sense to talk about the greater Mekong basin as a Region from the human perspective of culture, language and trade? The short answer appears to be yes.

Photo: mekongriver.info

Photo: mekongriver.info

Mekong Cultural History

 

Anthropologists identified cultural artifacts and rituals that appear to cross borders and ethnic groups. One example is Buddhism. Other belief systems co-exist, and there are significant differences in the appearance of temples and the practice of the philosophy. Yet Buddhism is evident throughout the Mekong basin. Another example – some scholars point to bronze drums as indication of early regional cultural connection.

 

Scholars believe the four major language groups in the region were originally very different. They now share structural similarities. In other words – over time people adapted between languages how sentences are put together and how information is organized. Some of those similarities tell us how cultures think about things and how they view the world.

 

There is significant unregulated cross-border and long distance river-based trading throughout the region.

 

There is economic migration – mixing of populations across borders and ethnic groups. Low-income people seek food and paid work. Higher income people move to take advantage of cheap (for them) land or labor. Improving infrastructure – roads, trains, planes, phone and internet – are making this easier.

 

And there is history of acknowledging the need for regional cooperation. In 1957 Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and the former Southern Authorities of Vietnam formed what was called the Mekong Committee. This eventually led to regional study and the formation of the Mekong River Commission. The MRC includes the original four countries of the lower Mekong. China and Myanmar (Burma) are included in dialogue and as part of the Greater Mekong Subregion and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Mekong Basin Development Cooperation. (See links below.)

 

The history, political and economic relationships are complicated. The underlying acknowledgement is that the Mekong and tributaries have connection through culture and common interests. Of the 60 million people estimated to live in the basin at least 48 million depend on it for food and income.

Bronze Drum © Seng Sonetra

Photo: © Seng Sonetra

Photo: Vietnam Museum of History

Photo: Vietnam Museum of History

The Future Mekong

 

The Mekong has many users, many demands and impacts upon it, and remains one of the most important and diverse rivers on the planet. It will continue to change as the basin population grows and modernizes.

 

In December, 2013 there were several completed hydropower projects on the main stem of the Mekong in China. Others are in various stages of completion. Lao PDR is planning to become the battery of Southeast Asia and hopes to dramatically increase the average income of its population. Environmental assessment and planning to reduce impacts of some projects has been done. For example European consultants have recommended modern fish passage devices. There are plans to manage reservoirs and promote aquaculture – a new type of inland fishery food source.

 

The efforts have drawn criticism from some regional energy and environmental groups, rights groups, and international NGO’s. They claim the Mekong is significantly different and more diverse than rivers where many of the proposed strategies have been used. Some are asking for a longer and more in depth study period. Several regional groups are working on how they will collect data about any impacts.

 

People of the Mekong – like people of other major world rivers – face complicated choices about how they interact with a globalized economy and face regional demands for food, energy and income security. The river will likely continue to change dramatically in coming decades no matter which decisions are made. Studying those choices and the pressures that force them to be made will reveal as much about your local river, economy and choices as it does about the Mekong River.

Additional information sourced from The Mekong Post, local conversations, and:

 

Ed. Diokno and Chinh

The Mekong Arranged And Rearranged

© 2006 SEASREP Foundation

Chiang Mai, Thailand: Mekong Press, 2006

Mekong Press