Mekong
The River and More
© Scott Dickerson
2008 Annual Report
This article is a part of WWF's 2008 Annual Report.
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The Greater Mekong Region – 200 million acres spanning six countries – is home to about 320 million people representing almost 100 ethnic and indigenous groups. The Mekong River supports electricity generation, transportation, recreation and tourism, and harbors biodiversity rivaling that of the Amazon.
The character of the Mekong River changes as it flows from mountain to forest to floodplain. Its local names suggest how the people experience it, from River of Rocks in Tibet to Great River in the gorges of China’s Yunnan Province. In Cambodia, where some people spend their entire lives on its waters, it is Great River. And in Thailand and Laos, it is simply Mother of All Waters.
In this photo essay, we travel through Vietnam, where the river reaches the South China Sea. Here it splits into nine separate flows, hence the name Cuu Long – Nine Dragons.
A Life-Sustaining River: The river is part of life here, in the same way that the land is part of life in the American Midwest. This woman will join hundreds of others at a floating market to trade fruits, fish and other local
products. She is one of a growing number of entrepreneurs – many of them matriarchs – who direct not only their own futures but the future of the region.
© Scott Dickerson
Agricultural Expansion: The transition from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture has increased the practice of aquaculture, including the farming of shrimp and pangasius, a catfish. WWF is leading the development of standards and certification programs to control the environmental impacts of farming, with a focus on commodities including sugar cane and cocoa.
© Scott Dickerson
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