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Leopold Chen

A Chinese-backed canal in Cambodia is likely to put “fragile” ecosystems at risk, researchers in China and Britain have warned, calling for better mitigation efforts.
The Funan Techo canal, a 180km (112-mile) project to link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand, is a flagship project expected to reduce Cambodia’s transport dependence on Vietnam.
However, according to recent correspondence in the journal Nature, the canal’s passage through various habitats crucial to biodiversity will cause ecological harm and could impact agriculture.
“There are not only concerns about the ecological effects of the canal on the region’s diverse and fragile ecosystems, but also underexplored opportunities for mitigation,” the authors said.
The study was led by Yang Hong, a professor in geography and environmental science at the University of Reading in Britain.
Yang’s co-authors included researchers from the Hubei University of Technology in China, as well as from University College London and British-headquartered charity Wildfowl and Wetland Trust.
The US$1.7 billion Funan Techo project broke ground in August, with Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet saying China had contributed 49 per cent of the funding for the “historic” project.




According to the correspondence note, the project’s potential hazards include loss of habitat for the endangered sarus cranes, higher risk of extreme weather, damage to wetland ecosystems, the spread of invasive species, as well as increased salinisation – which would impact agriculture and therefore food security for local communities.
Calling for “better plans” to mitigate the impact, the researchers suggested that Cambodia introduce a flexible water management system, which would include the release of water from the canal during times of drought.
They also proposed developing restoration programmes for habitats on the banks of the Mekong and building artificial wetlands to maintain ecological integrity along the canal route.
Further, they called on Cambodian authorities to carry out joint long-term hydro-ecological monitoring programmes with international institutions, and actively engage local communities, universities and conservation groups in the process.
Brian Eyler, a senior fellow at the US-based think tank Stimson Centre, said the study raised valid concerns that had long been voiced by the communities likely to be affected.
“The Mekong is experiencing more frequent and prolonged droughts of increasing intensity during both the wet season and the dry season. And this canal, without suggested mitigation or something similar, will intensify the effects of these droughts,” said Eyler, who is also director of Stimson’s Southeast Asia programme.
He added that Vietnam, which lies downstream of the river, would suffer in particular if Cambodia were to use the canal for irrigation during the dry season.
Eyler further warned that the cost of building the canal had been underestimated at US$1.7 billion, and the extra funding needed to minimise its environmental impact might further put off investors.
Cambodian officials had earlier announced that Beijing would fully fund the canal in return for multiple decades of concessions. But last June they said it would fund 49 per cent instead, with some observers citing China’s doubts about the project’s economic viability.


Eyler said China could offer effective suggestions based on its own experience.
“Within China, the mitigation efforts suggested [in the correspondence] are often applied to domestic infrastructure projects, and it is high time that Beijing pushes more of these good ideas out to its infrastructure projects abroad,” he said.
Yang Yong, an independent geologist based in China, said the negative environmental impacts of Funan Techo were controllable, and the canal would benefit the community if managed well with hydro projects.
“The Mekong River and the nearby Tonle Sap River are rich in water resources, while the designed capacity of the canal means that it would not cause significant water diversion,” he said.
He added that the canal might also help to relieve the pressure on floodplains if the river overflowed, mitigating flooding risks.
Hun Manet earlier hailed Funan Techo as a project that would let Cambodians “breathe through our own nose”, by reducing dependence on Vietnam’s ports.
But since it was announced in 2023, the canal has drawn concerns from Cambodia’s neighbours – most notably Vietnam. Hanoi is worried about the impact on water security, and the environmental and economic costs of the upstream project, such as its earnings from Cambodian ship transits.
As of October, 33 per cent of cargo vessels sailing to and from Cambodia went through Vietnamese ports via the Mekong River.


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Chinese and British researchers say Funan Techo canal’s passage through habitats crucial to biodiversity may cause ecological harm and more


Chinese and British researchers say Funan Techo canal’s passage through habitats crucial to biodiversity may cause ecological harm and more.


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