Mekong is another species-rich ecosystem that is threatened by a wave of big dams (the species at risk include another dolphin, and many, many fish that provide the bulk of protein for the region’s people). The most remarkable animal that could fall to the walls of concrete now being built or planned by China, Laos, Burma and Vietnam is the giant Mekong Catfish, a grizzly-bear-sized creature that breaks all records for freshwater fish. More than a thousand fish species live in the Mekong River system, a biodiversity second only to the Amazon. The river’s fisheries support some 40 million people, and bring in $2 billion a year.
We can’t do anything once a species is lost. But we – the species with almost total power over this planet – can most definitely do better at preserving our fellow species, and stop pushing others over the brink. For freshwater species, that means letting rivers flow; restoring and preserving wetlands; ending the pollution of waterways, and preventing diversions that dry up lakes and rivers.
Everyone on our planet needs healthy rivers. It’s time to get serious about protecting these lifelines, and just say no to destructive dams.
This blog originally appeared on Huffington Post.
