The Lower Mekong River Basin (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam) is home to approximately 60 million people. There are over 100 different ethnic groups living within the basin's boundaries, making it one of the most culturally diverse regions of the world. Most basin inhabitants are rural farmer/fishers and while they may be resource rich, they are money poor. One third of the population live on less than a few dollars per day. Often lacking access to basic government services, people in the basin are, on average, less well off than their fellow citizens outside the basin. What makes life tolerable for these people are the aquatic resources provided by the basin's rivers and wetlands.
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