Citizen scientists tackle Mekong environmental challenges
The Greater Mekong, a transnational region in Southeast Asia, spans six countries: China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The region is home to more than 325 million people and, while it has survived the trauma of wars, it now faces mounting environmental threats from climate change, dams, deforestation, and declines in biodiversity, food security, and water resources.
Since Conservation International places this rich bio-diverse basin as one of the five most threatened hotspots, the ranks of professional scientists, researchers, and policy experts may not prove sufficient to reduce the dire environmental problems.
Now, through community science, or citizen science, local farmers and fishers are using their local knowledge to supplement technology as they monitor, investigate, and restore the environment.
JAMES BORTON And TANAPON PHENRAT
