The Tonle Sap Lake has been at heart of Cambodian civilization since ancient times, but this extraordinary ecosystem, and the millions of people who rely on it, are at critical juncture, threatened by a “trifecta” of local, regional and global destructive forces.
A new book by American journalist Abby Seiff describes the natural wonder of the lake’s connection to the Mekong River and the historical importance of its natural bounty to the Khmer people. But it warns that over the past decade a multi-level environmental crisis has pushed Asia’s most productive inland fishery to the brink of collapse.
During a recent discussion about the book, Seiff said that a local failure to stop overfishing, unbridled hydropower dam development in the Mekong Region, and global climate change were putting enormous stress on the lake. “All these things are working in concert… it’s a trifecta of problems,” she told Brian Eyler of the Stimson Center, a U.S. policy and research institute hosting the virtual talk.
Seiff described visiting various fishing communities—which live on shore, in wooden and bamboo stilt homes in the lake or in floating homes—and found most could no longer survive off the lake’s once-abundant freshwater fish catch. Many villagers were mired in debt and heading to urban areas in search of jobs, Seiff learned through reporting and research…