China’s active hydropower development is commanding global attention. New cascades of large dams are planned on large transboundary rivers and smaller dams are being rapidly built on their tributaries. Downstream nations and international conservation organizations are becoming increasingly concerned....

In the Mekong River Basin, hydropower has great potential to bring economic prosperity and electrification to rural communities while meeting the growing power demands of urban centers. But ensuring the benefits from hydropower are equitably shared within nations as well as at the river basin scale is not easy.

A persistent problem in the Mekong is that misplaced and resettled river communities are unable to continue their original way of living. For example, they may lose access to cultivable land, grazing spaces for livestock, or fishing grounds, which can often mean losing an important source of income. How can new sustainable options be created for these communities?