Mekong Descent

by Lynette Scarlet

On September 8, 2004 Mr. Michael O'Shea, an Australian filmmaker and ecotourism consultant based in Vientiane became the first person in history to explore the entire Mekong mainstream from source to sea, a total distance of 4909 kilometres.

Mick O'Shea Attending a Pre-Departure Blessing Ceremony Photo: Hutch Brown

The expedition was completed as part of the Mekong Descent Project, an organisation founded by Mick with the goal of undertaking the first ever full exploration and navigation of the Mekong river mainstream from Tibet to the South China Sea while using the journey to create greater global awareness and concern for the natural and cultural environments of the region and some of the imminent issues they face.

We took the opportunity to chat with Mick about the experience and his efforts to create awareness for some of the more significant issues facing the region.

Why did you decide to undertake such a monumental challenge?
Well, becoming the first person in history to see the entirety of one of the world's greatest rivers was definitely an attraction. but there were other issues that gave me the extra drive to make it happen. The Mekong Basin contains the third greatest biodiversity on earth after the Nile and Amazon basins and it is unsurpassed in cultural diversity. Yet the vitality of the river system is under threat from one of the biggest mega projects in history and the global community currently seems unaware of the implications this will have for the subsistence peoples and environments of the region.

Mick O'Shea Gives Raft Instruction to an Eager Group of Paddlers Photo: Frank Wolf

What mega project are you talking of?
China's Mekong cascade, with a budget of over 10 billion dollars, is in the process of flooding around 13% of the Mekong's mainstream under a virtual inland sea. They are in the early stages of flooding around 600 kilometres of the Mekong mainstream under a series of mega dams that will suspend around 40 billion cubic metres of water above South East Asia, in one of the most seismically volatile regions on earth. Only China's infamous Three Gorges Dam Project is bigger in scale, yet the Mekong cascade is likely to surpass the Three Gorges in ecological and social consequences.

Why would damming the Mekong be more culturally and ecologically destructive than the Yangtze which is the third longest River on earth?
The Yangtze, like many of the world's great river systems flows predominantly on a latitudinal axis, the Mekong flows North to South so it naturally passes through far more diverse geographical and climatic realms. With more than 100 ethnic groupings represented within the basin I'm not aware of any other river system that can compete. Naturally, anything that compromises the health of the Mekong river system automatically compromises the well being of the diverse peoples and environments the system supports.

One of the main project goals was to create greater awareness for the Mekong Region, how much success have you had on this front?
We have done ok, but we have only just started. Over 30 print articles in 10 countries have been published on the descent, interviews have been broadcast on over 200 radio stations and eight television networks, approximately 20 web sites also posted coverage of the descent, but most importantly a book and documentary on the expedition and some of the issues facing the Mekong region are soon to be released and we expect these to be the most significant awareness achievements to date.

Mick O'Shea (center) with Hutch Brown (left) and Brian Eustis (right) - the Documentarists

What is the focus of the book and film you mentioned?
The book is called In the Naga's Wake. It has been commissioned by Allen and Unwin one of Australia's leading publishers for international distribution and should be on shelves around October 2006. The film is called "Exploring the Mother of Waters". Both use the first complete exploration and navigation of the Mekong mainstream as a medium through which to develop greater appreciation and concern for the regions and peoples of the Mekong region.

So what will be next once the documentary and book are completed?
There will be an international promotional tour to Australia, the USA and Europe starting in October 2006 and I'm also working on a Mekong Photo Book with prominent Mekong author Dr. Milton Osborne which I hope will be completed around September 2006.

Mick Readies his Craft

Do you have any other epic expeditions in the works?
Definately! I have made it my livelihood to lead expeditions into the same regions that inspire me via this means I hope that people can come to appreciate what I consider to be one the greatest natural and cultural phenomena on earth.