Celebrated for its natural beauty and its abundance of wildlife, the Mekong river runs thousands of miles through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
Through conversations with them he reveals the urgent struggle to save the Mekong and its unique ecosystem..
Along the way he meets the region's diverse peoples, from villagers to community leaders, politicians to policy makers.
In Last Days of the Mighty Mekong, Brian Eyler travels from the river's headwaters in China to its delta in southern Vietnam to explore its modern evolution.
And a series of dams will harness the river's energy, while also stymieing its natural cycles and cutting off food supplies for swathes of the population.
Development policies, led by a rising China in particular, aim to interconnect the region and urbanize the inhabitants.
Today, however, it is undergoing profound changes.
Its basin is home to more than 70 million people and has for centuries been one of the world's richest agricultural areas and a biodynamic wonder.
Celebrated for its natural beauty and its abundance of wildlife, the Mekong river runs thousands of miles through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam
