The Indigenous Karen people and the Thai Lanna community of Thailand are concerned about plans to divert and dam the Yuam river and its branches, which could undo years of careful stewardship.

Members of both communities spoke to a team from UN University ahead of the release of the 2025 Interconnected Disaster Risks report which tracks how disasters are linked to each other as well as human behaviours.

Community members shared how they are protecting their way of life, which values the land and waterways far beyond just their economic potential.

Singkarn Ruenhom

Thai Lanna fisherman

“I rely mainly on the river for my occupation, and I go fishing in the river area. Whether it can be done or not, we will try to protect nature. Protecting shellfish, crabs, fish, this is my conscience.

When I get in the water it is a happy thing. It’s the feeling that I have arrived home. I feel proud that I sleep in a house near the water. I hear the sound of flowing water and I feel that I am lucky, lucky to have nature that gives me a lullaby and nourishes me.

The local villagers value nature more than money. Money is acquired quickly and then it is gone, but nature will be with us for the rest of our lives.

Now, the villagers are recording the species of fish in the Ngao River. From what they have found, about 70 to 80 per cent of the species found in the Ngao River are not found anywhere else. This, to me, has a value that cannot be measured. Our culture is to respect it. It is like the crabs and fish that used to be our friends, our food, and the trees that we used to look at are about to disappear.”

Dao Phrasuk Moepoy

Indigenous Karen activist

We rely on the forest and the river to sustain us and make a living. If there was no river, we would not be able to survive. Our memories since birth are connected to the river and the forest.

Today, what we have is sufficient and abundant. We don’t want anyone to divert the water or change its direction. Our lives have always existed like this. We live with the river. We want the river to be a river that can run freely.

The forests and rivers that we live with give us abundance. They give us food and life for almost the whole year, so we have to take care of and feed the spirits and ghosts of the forest and rivers.

My voice is the voice of the villagers and the voice of nature, because the villagers and nature live together, they are both parts. If anyone wants to do something to nature, they should think carefully, and evaluate carefully, whether it is right to destroy nature. If nature is lost, it will be lost forever.

We don’t know how many years or generations it will take to bring it back to life. We can’t calculate how many years each tree will take.”