From the Tibetan Plateau the Mekong River winds 4880 kilometres through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia to the delta at Vietnam where it spills into the South China Sea, uniting the Greater Mekong.

This mighty river gives meaning and sustenance to a melting pot of cultures and communities. With over 1500 fish species, a level of fish biodiversity that is rivaled only by the Amazon River, its fisheries support the livelihoods of 60 million people region-wide.

Four thousand islands or Siphandon is the biggest wetland in Laos that provides most of the number of fish consumed in the country. The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) population inhabits a 190km stretch of the Mekong River between Cambodia and Laos. The latest population is estimated between 78 and 91.

Today, the Mekong is under massive pressure from rapid population growth and unprecedented region-wide development.

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• Siphandone Island