WORKSHOP: Anticipatory Evidence and Large Dam Impact Assessment in the Mekong Basin, Ubon Ratchathani University (2 Dec 2025)

By Ei Ei Lin, Project Researcher

How can large dam governance be made more accountable, inclusive, and grounded in the realities of the people most affected? This question was addressed at a workshop held at Ubon Ratchathani University (UBU), located close to one of the region’s most contested dams, the Pak Mun Dam. The workshop brought together researchers, government agencies, civil society groups, and community representatives to bridge the gap between theory and lived experience.

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) have long been used to guide dam planning across the Mekong region. They are designed to predict environmental and social changes before construction starts. But how accurate are these predictions, and what happens after an EIA is approved?

At the workshop at UBU, speakers noted that while EIAs are treated as an international “best practice,” far less attention is paid to what actually unfolds years after a dam is built. Many communities experience impacts that were never captured in reports, including: shifts in river ecosystems, declining fish catches, disrupted livelihoods, changing gender roles, and new vulnerabilities that no one anticipated.

Photo: Participants at the Anticipatory Evidence and Large Dam Impact Assessment in the Mekong Basin, Ubon Ratchathani University (2 Dec 2025)

The workshop centered on the case of the Pak Mun Dam. Listening directly to fishers, women leaders, youth, and community members made one thing clear: post-impact assessment is not just a technical requirement. It is deeply social, political, and emotional.

Impacted people shared lived experiences that revealed the human dimensions of dam impacts, such as declining fish populations, unpredictable water flows, greater environmental stress, rising health concerns, shifting roles within households, and the emotional loss tied to changes in river landscapes and cultural identity. Youth participants spoke about safety worries, disappearing livelihoods, and the need for meaningful participation in decisions that will affect their futures. One young woman summarized what many felt: “The river has changed, and so have we. But our voices still matter.”

The participants highlighted several key reflections on the workshop. First, local knowledge and local values must be placed at the heart of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). Communities hold deep, generational knowledge of their rivers, yet the values behind this knowledge are often missing from formal assessments.

Participants also agreed that pre-impact assessments need a new starting point, one where communities shape the direction of assessments from the beginning, rather than being consulted late in the process. They also emphasized that knowledge from local experiences should inform decision-making at national, regional, and global levels. Lessons from Pak Mun Dam extend far beyond Ubon Ratchathani province.

Some concerns were raised about the limited independence of current assessment systems, which often rely on consultants brought in to complete procedural tasks. As an alternative, community-led and independent models were considered as a promising way to center lived experience and local knowledge.

Finally, participants argued that preventing harm must begin well before construction starts; post-impact assessments should help strengthen future pre-assessments to avoid repeating past mistakes.

Holding the workshop in Ubon Ratchathani, near affected communities, was intentional. It ensured that discussions were grounded in reality rather than remaining purely academic or technical. As dam development continues across the Mekong, it becomes essential to rethink how impacts are understood and governed. Anticipatory evidence must move beyond paperwork and evolve into long-term, community-informed governance that listens to those whose lives are shaped by the river. This workshop marked an important step toward redefining what meaningful impact assessment can look like and how it can better serve communities, ecosystems, and decision-makers across the region.

Preceding the workshop at UBU, a Visual Storytelling workshop was also organized. During the workshop, villagers took part in visual storytelling to reflect on how their lives had changed before, during, and after the Pak Mun dam was built. Many drew pictures of their daily activities and livelihoods across different periods, showing how their ways of life had slowly become more limited because of the project. For example, forests that they once visited freely are now restricted, and fishing has become much harder as changes in water flow and the dam have affected fish migration. At the same time, new infrastructure has been built close to their homes, and they now live with constant noise and disturbance. The visual storytelling process became a powerful moment of reflection. It showed clearly what has been overlooked in large development projects and reminded us of the importance of listening to local voices and experiences when assessing impacts and making decisions.

The Visual Storytelling workshop was part of a longer term engagement producing a participatory video that will be launched in February 2026.

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