On 14 November 2019, I had the opportunity to give a 3-minute presentation about my National Geographic Society-funded work alongside 25 other wonderful, outstanding Explorers in Singapore. The following is the script of my presentation:

====

Powerful yet kind, Naga the snake was well-respected by the creatures of the world.

One day, Naga suddenly fell ill. This unknown illness persisted for days, then weeks. The creatures started to worry.  And then the blame-game started.

Pointing their fingers to Naga’s neighbours, outspoken creatures from afar said: “It’s your fault! You could not maintain a healthy environment for Naga! You must be doing something to harm Naga. Put a stop to it, now!”

Naga’s neighbours responded, “But we are just living our own lives. How can we possibly be harming Naga?”

And the outspoken creatures threatened: “Then, move out of your homes!”

 

Those of you familiar with Buddhist or Hindu mythology will know that “Naga” refers to rivers or water courses.

And you might also have recognised that this tension between the “outspoken creatures” and “neighbours” over “Naga” is quite common in the field of watershed management, or, managing the lands from which water flows.

In many cases, such as in the mountains of mainland Southeast Asia, people live in the watershed. We need to balance human development with environmental protection.

My project looks at watershed management at the iconic Kuang Si Waterfall, in northern Laos. Laos is a country rich in nature and steeped in culture, yet also faced with rapid development changes in the next few years.

 

My case study sites are two villages with ethnic minorities.

We use a participatory research approach to find what traditional or local practices are beneficial for the watershed.

Here we are with villagers, comparing soil properties between land uses.

Our findings can then be shared with important stakeholders.

 

Back to our story of Naga, there are a few possible endings.

One: Naga’s neighbours are forced to move.

Two: they put up a bloody fight against the outspoken creatures.

And three, the most ideal: both parties join forces to find a cure for Naga, the neighbours contributing their local knowledge while the outspoken creatures provide external resources.

Please join me in making watershed management more collaborative.

Thank you.

====