Angkor Wat & Mekong River, Cambodia

A World Heritage Site, Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 square kilometers, the park contains the magnificent remains of the Khmer Empire, dating from the 9th to the 15thcentury AD.

Today,researchers believe that water scarcity may have caused the demise of what was one of the largest and most important civilizations of its time. By destroying vast tracts of forest to enlarge their farmland, inhabitants of the city of Angkor lit the fuse to an ecological time bomb. Flooding ensued, and huge amounts of sediment and sand washed down the mountains, filling up canals, and possibly choking the vital water management system, thereby making the society vulnerable to attack and invasion.

Furthermore,Cambodia serves as another case study of an environmental phenomenon affecting the entire planet: climate change is causing our glaciers, from the Arctic tundra to the Swiss Alps to the Himalayas, to melt away. As with the Ganges in India, Cambodia along with neighboring China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam will suffer tragic consequences if and when the great Mekong River becomes a seasonal river.

Angkor Wat was the largest civilization on Earth during its peak in the 13th century. The foundation for its success was vigorous management of forest and water resources. When those failed, so did their society.

The Tonle Sap is one of the largest inland fisheries in the world, supporting food security for 3 million people in the region. Dams planned in China, Laos and Cambodia threaten the integrity of this unique system.

The Mekong River is one of the greatest rivers in the world. It is also terribly threatened by dam builders. Here, the team investigates what engineering of this river would mean to the millions that depend on it for survival.

Alexandra interviews David Emmett of Conservation International about the unique ecosystems that the Tonle Sap and Mekong River support and their value for the 3 million Cambodians who depend on them for food security and their physical wellbeing.