Y O U ' R E
G I V E N T H I S
L I F E
B E C A U S E
Y O U ' R E
S T R O N G
E N O U G H T O
L I V E I T.
There are more than 20,000 types
of plant and nearly 2,500 animal
species; to giant catfish, stingrays,
and a freshwater soft-shell turtle
etc.
Early communities thrived on the
banks of the Mekong; the river’s
biodiversity is second only to that
of the Amazon. New species are
still being discovered. home to the
critically endangered Irrawaddy
dolphin, a local creature that some
researchers say can distinguish
between dialects to giant catfish,
stingrays, and a freshwater soft-
shell turtle etc.
In 2014 lower Mekong countries
(Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia,
Thailand and Vietnam) produced
more than 100m tonnes of rice,
around 15% of the world’s total.
SOCULTURES MAGAZINE MAY-JUNE 2019 / 18Cambodia (Khmer called "Kanteay")softshell turtle can still be found along a stretch of the Mekong in Extirpated from most of its pan-Asian range, Cantor's giant