Niwat Roykaew

Last updated
Niwat Roykaew
Born
Chiang Kong, Thailand
NationalityThailand
Other namesKru Thi
OccupationEnvironmental activist
OrganizationChiang Kong Conservation Group
Awards2022 Goldman Environmental Prize

Niwat Roykaew, also known as "Kru Thi", is a Thai environmental activist known for his efforts to protect the Mekong river from the negative impacts of development projects. He is the founder of the Chiang Kong Conservation Group, a network of 30 Thai villages seeking to address environmental and social issues caused by development along the Mekong. [1]

Contents

He is recognized for his efforts to halt the China-led Mekong blasting project, which would have destroyed 248 miles of the river and had significant environmental impacts. Roykaew's work was awarded the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize. [2]

Background

The Mekong river is a major freshwater resource in Southeast Asia, providing food, drinking water, and irrigation for over 65 million people. It is home to a wide range of biodiversity and is known for its annual flood-drought cycle, which creates essential conditions for major fish migrations. However, the Mekong has faced threats from development projects, particularly dam construction, which can disrupt the natural flow of the river and have negative impacts on the environment and local communities. [3] [1] [4]

One such project was the Lancang-Mekong Navigation Channel Improvement Project, also known as the Mekong blasting project, which proposed blasting 248 miles of the Mekong near the Thai-Laotian border to create a navigable channel for Chinese cargo ships. The project would have had significant environmental impacts, including the destruction of habitats and ecosystems, and potential impacts on the fishing industry and local communities. [3] [4]

Activities

Roykaew, born and raised in Chiang Kong on the banks of the Mekong river, founded the Chiang Kong Conservation Group in 1995. The group is a network of 30 Thai villages seeking to address environmental and social issues caused by development projects along the Mekong. [1] [5]

Upon learning of the Mekong blasting project, Roykaew began to organize against it. He drew on his network of civil society groups, local communities, NGOs, and media in order to gain the attention of the developers and government. He gave interviews and generated extensive media coverage, emphasizing the potential biodiversity loss and ecosystem failure if the project were to continue. He also led boat demonstrations on the Mekong to protest the blasting and met with fishermen in both Thailand and Laos to raise awareness of the potential impacts of the project. He encouraged villagers to sign a petition against the project, which was delivered to the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. [1] [6]

In addition to organizing protests and campaigning for public support, Roykaew also employed citizen science to document the biodiversity in the upper Mekong. He worked with academics and researchers to identify 100 species of fish, including 16 found only in the rapids, and used this information to advocate for the protection of the region. He also voiced his opposition to the project to Thai government ministries and parliamentary committees, highlighting the potential negative impacts on the environment and local communities. [2] [7]

As a result of Roykaew's efforts and the advocacy of the Mekong community, the Mekong blasting project was terminated in February 2020. This marked the first time that the Thai government had canceled a transboundary project due to environmental concerns. [6] [8]

Recognition

In 2022, Roykaew was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, often referred to as the "Green Nobel", in recognition of his efforts to protect the Mekong River and the rights of local communities. He is the first Thai recipient of the prize. [2] Prior to this, in 2021, he was named one of the "Heroes of the Mekong" by the Mekong School, an organization that works to raise awareness of the Mekong River and its importance to the region. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Cambodia</span> Geography of the country of Cambodia

Cambodia is a country in mainland Southeast Asia, border Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, the Gulf of Thailand and covers a total area of 181,035 km2 (69,898 sq mi). The country is situated in its entirety inside the tropical Indomalayan realm and the Indochina Time zone (ICT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mekong</span> Major river in Southeast Asia

The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,909 km (3,050 mi), and it drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 (114 cu mi) of water annually. From the Tibetan Plateau the river runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in the Mekong make navigation difficult. Even so, the river is a major trade route between western China and Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldman Environmental Prize</span> Award

The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The award is given by the Goldman Environmental Foundation headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is also called the Green Nobel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apichatpong Weerasethakul</span> Thai film director

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Apichatpong has directed several features and dozens of short films. Friends and fans sometimes refer to him as "Joe".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mekong River Commission</span> Intergovernmental organization that manages the water resources of the Mekong River

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is an "...inter-governmental organisation that works directly with the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to jointly manage the shared water resources and the sustainable development of the Mekong River". Its mission is "To promote and coordinate sustainable management and development of water and related resources for the countries' mutual benefit and the people's well-being".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mekong giant catfish</span> Species of fish

The Mekong giant catfish, is a large, threatened species of catfish in the shark catfish family (Pangasiidae), native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia and adjacent China. It is considered critically endangered due to accelerating habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ing River</span> River in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand

The Ing River is a tributary of the Mekong River in the northern part of Thailand. It has its source in Doi Luang, Phi Pan Nam Range, in Mae Chai District, Phayao Province. The Ing flows through the plain area of Thoeng District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Songkhram River</span> River in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand

The Songkhram River is a tributary of the Mekong River. It originates in the hills between Nong Han District, Udon Thani Province and Sawang Daen Din District, Sakon Nakhon Province. It flows through Seka District, Wanon Niwat, and Si Songkhram District and empties into the Mekong River in tambon Chai Buri, Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom Province. It is 420 kilometres (260 mi) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Mekong Subregion</span> Trans-national region of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia

The Greater Mekong Subregion, (GMS) or just Greater Mekong, is a trans-national region of the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia. The region is home to more than 300 million people. It came into being with the launch of a development program in 1992 by the Asian Development Bank that brought together the six Asian countries of Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jullien's golden carp</span> Species of fish

The Jullien's golden carp is a species of endangered freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae found in Southeast Asian river basins. Its existence is being threatened by various economic activities, such as large-scale agriculture and the building of dams for hydropower.

Yu Xiaogang is a Chinese environmentalist. He was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2006 for his efforts in "creating groundbreaking watershed management programs while researching and documenting the socioeconomic impact dams had on local Chinese communities". He is among the six winners of the 2009 Ramon Magsaysay Awards, considered by many to be the Asian equivalent of the Nobel prize. He completed his Master's from the Asian Institute of Technology(AIT) in Thailand and his award citation says:

His interest in the environment was cultivated during a stint in the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, and was further deepened when he attended the Asian Institute of Technology, where he earned a master's degree in watershed management.

Living River Siam is a Thai non-governmental organization (NGO) which analyzes the impact of Thailand's various dam projects and coordinates the research of indigenous peoples to give Thai villagers the power to document the influence of local rivers and dams. Founded in 1999, it gained prominence during the Pak Mun Dam study period in 2001, when it developed a method for instructing villagers on how to document the effects of the dammed river on their lives. When the Thai government proposed other dam sites, Living River Siam took its research methods to the villages surrounding those sites as well. Today, the organization works with other NGOs in Southeast Asia to counter government-sponsored research that encourages dam construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin</span>

The estimated hydropower potential of the lower Mekong Basin is 30,000 MW, while that of the upper Mekong Basin is 28,930 MW. In the lower Mekong, more than 3,235 MW has been realized via facilities built largely over the past ten years, while projects under construction will represent an additional 3,209 MW. An additional 134 projects are planned for the lower Mekong, which will maximize the river's hydropower generating capacity. The single most significant impact—both now and in the future—on the use of water and its management in the Mekong Region is hydropower.

The Sambor Dam is a proposed dam and hydroelectric power station on the Mekong River south of Sambor village in Prek Kampi District, Kratie Province, Cambodia. If built, it would be the lowest dam of the Mekong's mainstream dams, and largest in Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xayaburi Dam</span> Dam in Xayaburi

The Xayaburi Dam is a run-of-river hydroelectric dam on the Lower Mekong River, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of Sainyabuli (Xayaburi) town in northern Laos. Commercial operation of the dam started in October 2019. The main purpose of the dam is to produce hydroelectric power, 95% of which is to be purchased by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). The project is surrounded in controversy due to complaints from downstream riparians and environmentalists. Preliminary construction began in early-2012, but work on the dam itself was suspended shortly thereafter due to complaints from Cambodia and Vietnam downstream. After making modifications to the dam's design, Laos started construction with a ceremony on 7 November 2012. The Xayaburi Dam is the first of the 11 dams planned on the lower Mekong.

The Don Sahong is a hydroelectric dam commissioned in 2020 on the Mekong River in Siphandone area of Champasak Province, Laos, less than two kilometers upstream of the Laos–Cambodia border.

This page describes energy and electricity production, consumption and import in Laos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ng Cho-nam</span> Hong Kong environmental studies scholar and conservationist (1960–2019)

Ng Cho-nam, SBS, JP, was a Hong Kong environmental studies scholar and conservationist who taught as an associate professor within the Department of Geography at the University of Hong Kong. He served as a top advisor on numerous Hong Kong government committees in areas of conservation, sustainable development, environmental protection, urban planning, and was an active member in various environmental NGOs. He was the director of the Conservancy Association from 2000 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chibeze Ezekiel</span> Ghanaian environmental activist

Chibeze Ezekiel is a Ghanaian environmental activist and a 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize award recipient for Africa. He is known to have challenged the Ghanaian Ministry of Environment to cancel the construction of a coal plant through activism.

Paul Sein Twa is a Karen environmentalist and indigenous activist from Myanmar who works to preserve the culture and environment of the Salween River basin. He co-founded the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN) in 2001 to help Karen indigenous communities the preservation and protection of their land and heritage. He received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2020 for his efforts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cottam, Bryony (2022-05-26). "Retired schoolteacher Niwat Roykaew wins the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize". Geographical. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  2. 1 2 3 "Niwat Roykaew - Goldman Environmental Prize". 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  3. 1 2 "Niwat award a call to act". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  4. 1 2 "Chinese firm fails to convince locals over Mekong blasting". The Third Pole. 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  5. ↑ "Defender of the Mekong, retired Thai teacher wins 'Green Nobel' | Coconuts". Coconuts. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  6. 1 2 AsiaNews.it. ""Green Nobel" goes to activist who saved Mekong River rapids". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  7. ↑ "Thai Mekong Campaigner Awarded Prominent Environmental Prize". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  8. ↑ llevin (2020-02-06). "Victory on the Upper Mekong: Thai Cabinet Terminates Rapids Blasting Project". International Rivers. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  9. ↑ School, The Mekong (2022-05-27). "Chiang Khong Conservation Group Director Niwat Roykaew is awarded the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize". The Mekong School. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.