Arsenic levels in the Salween River are now more than double safety limits, fueled by secretive mining in Myanmar’s Shan state.
Local communities face a growing threat of toxic contamination.
Learn more in this report by @geraldrflynn.bsky.social for #Mongabay. mongabay.cc/Ic1hgS
Latest for @mongabay.com dives into the poisoning of the Salween River, Asia's longest free-flowing river. Unregulated mines in Myanmar have seen arsenic contamination reach dangerous levels on the Salween, leaving Indigenous Karen communities with no fish, no water and no solutions from governments
Investigative reporter Gerry Flynn @geraldrflynn.bsky.social:
"Remember that you’re likely better to be the cause of informing people and inspiring change if you’re alive and free to write. So while we need to be brave in holding the powerful to account, we need to be smart too."
As Thailand joins the global AI race, a #Mongabay investigation reveals roughly 20 new data centers under construction.
Local communities warn they are being kept in the dark about threats to water, land, and livelihoods.
A report by @geraldrflynn.bsky.social and Andy Ball.
👉️ mongabay.cc/4IKbuH
Learn more in this story by @geraldrflynn.bsky.social and @andyball.bsky.social for #Mongabay in partnership with the Environmental Reporting Collective. mongabay.cc/ZURPG5
Our in-depth look at how AI data centers risk depriving Thai communities of water, contaminating waterways and driving fossil fuel consumption. Myself & @andyball.bsky.social for @mongabay.com worked with the Environmental Reporting Collective to look at how the AI boom is playing out in Thailand.
For months, ~40 journos across Asia, LatAm & EU delved into the environmental impact of data centers w. the Environmental Reporting Collective.
I reported from Thailand, but as a whole, the project shows how unsustainable (and opaque) the AI data center boom's starting to look.
www.dirtydata.earth
But mostly, people are scared, confused and left worried for their future as the Funan Techo Canal is too politically charged to challenge, but also shrouded in secrecy. Some residents learned this year their land will be spared, but most still have no clue as to what the future holds.
One concern is how the canal will alter the hydrology of key floodplains, meaning less water for farmers south of the canal, while those north will likely face more intense flooding. The Boeung Prek L'pov wetlands, a key bird habitat and rice production area, may dry out as a result of the canal.
Part 2 of our Funan Techo Canal coverage for @mongabay.com - me and @vantha.bsky.social interviewed 50+ people across 4 provinces where the canal will be built between 2024 and 2026. Most still have no idea whether their homes or farms will be lost to the canal, some 18 months after it broke ground.
This one's also an important story for me personally - myself and @vantha.bsky.social didn't know it then, but it would be my final reporting trip in Cambodia before getting kicked out. Mad kudos to Vantha for sticking with the story, even after I couldn't get out on the ground.
The Kep Marine Fisheries Management Area has, since 2018, proved a successful marine habitat restoration project aimed at rejuvenating fisheries - the canal, when complete, will likely undermine much of these efforts. Although few experts would speak about it due to the political nature of the canal
Latest for @mongabay.com w. @vantha.bsky.social looks at #Cambodia's controversial Funan Techo Canal - specifically, at the impacts the canal will have on coastal communities and marine habitats when it reaches the sea, threatening conservation efforts.
There's a freshwater pollution crisis unfolding across the Mekong region as mines pumps toxic chemicals into key river systems - our latest for @mongabay.com looks how gold mines along tributaries of the Sekong River in Laos are impacting fish populations, potentially posing a transboundary threat.
We used data from @stimsoncenter.bsky.social where researchers found 2,404 mines across mainland Southeast Asia's river basins - they'll be talking more about the findings and implications of their research at 9pm (ICT) / 9am ET today.
Latest for @mongabay.com w. @andyball.bsky.social & @vantha.bsky.social uncovers a gold mine has poisoned the O'Ta Bouk River in Virachey National Park.
Water, soil & fish from the river are contaminated, sickening the Indigenous communities downstream who depend on the river for everything.
#Thailand's air pollution problem partly stems from debt-saddled farmers conducting agricultural burnoffs to sustain the meat industry.
One district banned maize farming to curb deforestation and PM2.5 pollution, only for a coal mining company to grab their land.
Read my latest on @mongabay.com
Restrictions on civil society means rare earth mining in Laos has garnered less attention than Myanmar, but @stimsoncenter.bsky.social data show 27 new (likely illegal) mines opened along Mekong River tributaries since 2022.
Latest @mongabay.com report details the threat to freshwater ecosystems.
Literally - this will likely get worse given the conflict in Myanmar. The mines are mostly controlled by EAGs with links to China, so diplomatic options are wholly ineffective. Hard to see how this improves, especially as rare earth supply chains become more hotly contested.
Latest on @mongabay.com - research by @stimsoncenter.bsky.social finds more rare earth mines across Myanmar's river basins than previously known, 513 opened along the Irrawaddy, Salween and Mekong basins in the last decade.
Unchecked, these mines pose a transboundary threat to the region's rivers.
It's kind of wild that a species that's recently been as common as the long-tailed macaque is now endangered. Especially as a driver of their decline is laundering wild monkeys for biomedical testing as captive-bred, and lobbyists have been trying to get their protection downgraded.
This sucks.
Depressing that the IUCN's confirmation that an endangered species is in fact endangered is the closest thing I can provide to "good news."
Latest for @mongabay.com shows how a concerted effort by the biomedical research lobby to downgrade the IUCN listing of long-tailed macaques has failed.
Although, the rate of deforestation fell 2023-2024 across the board, the level of losses inside protected forests is alarming - especially in Cambodia and Laos, where these losses made up the majority overall.
Proportionally, Cambodia's losses are significant due to the size of remaining forests.
Our latest data analysis shows nearly 1 million Ha of tree cover was lost across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam in 2024.
Nearly a quarter of this was primary forest, but - more alarming - ~30% of tree cover losses occurred inside protected areas. Read the breakdown on @mongabay.com
First in a series for @mongabay.com on #Thailand's air pollution looks at the Mae Moh coal plant and mine - which despite having killed people, polluted waterways and devastated an ecosystem, saw 2 of its older units' lifespans extended. NO2, mercury & more for all
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/angu...
#Cambodia is set to destroy ~7,300 Ha of protected forest in the Cardamoms by building a new irrigation dam. The dam will deprive upstream communities of water, clear forest slated for a REDD+ project & disrupt river systems feeding into the Tonle Sap Lake.
Latest from me for @mongabay.com
Here's GI-TOC's full report documenting how the China-Laos Railway has turbo-charged a new form of the illegal wildlife trade in Laos, with at least 18 shops found in Luang Prabang and Vientiane.
These traders have operated secretly with impunity, until now...
globalinitiative.net/analysis/rai...
Joint investigation by @mongabay.com & GI-TOC exposes a huge illegal wildlife trade network in Laos.
Secretive shops guarded by armed men cater exclusively to Chinese tourists selling ivory, rhino horn, pangolins & more at inflated prices. We took a look inside..
news.mongabay.com/2025/07/larg...
We spent some time out at the Thai-Myanmar border for @mongabay.com looking at the potential impacts of planned dams and infrastructure that would disrupt the Salween River, Asia's longest free-flowing river (for now). Countless Karen communities would lose access to the water that sustains them...
First #Thailand story for @mongabay.com looks at what feels like a familiar topic: a Chinese-funded mining company risks displacing ethnically Karen communities in Mae Hong Son.
The company's old mine poisoned the community's river, but this time, the Karen villagers are keeping the mine at bay.
