Circle of Blue
Perspective | Giant Catch in the Mekong Reveals Mysteries of Biodiversity Hot Spot
The Mekong River, the longest waterway in Southeast Asia, is often called the world’s most productive river because it holds a greater abundance of freshwater fish than any other river basin on the planet. From an ecological standpoint, there is one stretch of the river, in ...
Stefan Lovgren, special to Circle of Blue
Dam Battles Converge on Cambodia’s 3S Rivers
A frequent contributor to National Geographic, Stefan Lovgren often writes about freshwater conservation issues. He covers the Mekong River as part of the USAID project “Wonders of the Mekong”. Follow him on Instagram @mekongwonders or visit his website: For decades, Nov Lun and his fellow fishermen harvested ...
Stefan Lovgren
Five Bright Spots in the Mekong
For many years the warning signs flashed the same message: the Mekong River, Southeast Asia’s main waterway, was headed toward environmental disaster. The 2,700-mile-long ribbon of water, scientists cautioned, could not withstand the onslaught of dam construction, overfishing, and pollution. Yet somehow the river that ...
Stefan Lovgren
As the Mekong Withers, China Releases Water from Controversial Upstream Dams
A top-ranking Chinese official declared that the country is releasing more water from its dams on the upper Mekong River in order to aid drought-stricken downstream neighbors. The announcement from Foreign Minister Wang Yi, made at a meeting of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation group, comes as the beleaguered ...
Kayla Ritter