Environmental Cultures in the Upper Mekong Basin: A Review of International Literature

The transboundary region of the Upper Mekong basin (Chinese Yunnan, Northern Thailand, northern Laos, and northeastern Myanmar) is extraordinarily rich in ecological and cultural diversity. Ongoing processes of modernization, economic development and state centralization are rapidly transforming both traditional cultures and natural ecosystems throughout the region. For this article, we undertook a review of recent academic literature in English, German, Spanish, Italian and French about the ongoing changes in environmental cultures in this region. Specifically, our aim was to develop a comprehensive and critical understanding of the current state of international knowledge regarding the non-linear and place-based human-environment relationships and environmental identities in this part of the world. This research is important for cultural studies because it explores the effects of social and cultural changes on the capacity of human communities to sustain themselves and their environments. By examining a sample of 199 international contributions published since 1995 on relevant areas—such as the cultural aspects of sustainable management of natural resources, the political ecology of environmental conflicts between different cultural groups, and the role of traditional ecological knowledge, beliefs and practices in sustaining communities and their natural environments—our review identified key themes, debates and weaknesses that might be helpful in guiding future research about the environmental cultures of the region.