The rush to develop the economies of Mainland Southeast Asia is leading to a missed opportunity for regional and international civil society organizations. The current attitude of many governments in the region is focused on development at all costs. The best examples of this policy are the many large hydropower projects under development in Cambodia and Laos. Plans are moving forward under the auspices of poverty alleviation, yet these projects will undoubtedly force subsistence communities away from their river livelihoods. They will also drastically impact fisheries and the overall health of one the world’s most abundant fresh water basins, the Mekong.
Due to the environmental and social damage large hydropower projects are likely to cause, many multi-lateral development banks (the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, etc.) have backed away from financing controversial dam construction. Unfortunately this has not deterred local governments from pursuing these projects, especially with the world’s most prolific dam builder, China, all too eager to step in and capitalize on these opportunities.
