Dr. Tom Cochrane and Dr. Thanapon Piman at Stimson
August 31, 2011
On August 31 Stimson's Southeast Asia Program hosted Dr. Tom Cochrane and Dr. Thanapon Piman from the University of Canterbury at Christchurch, New Zealand. Their presentation, "Hydropower Dams on the Mekong and "3S" Rivers: A Regional Environmental and Socioeconomic Perspective" focused on the complex hydrological and biological interactions between the "3S" Rivers - Sesan, Srepok, & Sekong - and the Mekong mainstream.
While significant attention is being paid to dams operating and proposed for the Mekong in China and Southeast Asia, less research and attention has been given to plans to tap the hydropower potential of rivers in the 3S Basins. The pressures of economic development are leading to huge infrastructure policy decisions in the near absence of solid data on the rivers' natural functions, a clear understanding of their immense productivity, and how these rivers interact and contribute to the larger Mekong system - the world's largest inland fishery and most important rice growing regions. Dr. Cochrane and Dr. Thanapon are working to fill this knowledge gap before policy decisions are made that forever alter these ecosystems and the populations who depend on them.
For those unable to attend the August 31 event, you can access their presentation below: