ThaiBev joins National Geographic Society to support Mekong stories

The National Geographic Society and Thai Beverage Plc (ThaiBev) have announced a partnership to support seven National Geographic Explorers who will document environmental change, conservation and cultural heritage in the Lower Mekong River Basin.

Their projects will span Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, where development is transforming the river's ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

Through photography, documentary film, writing and multimedia projects, the partnership aims to share local experiences and knowledge with international audiences while encouraging greater public involvement in environmental and cultural conservation.

Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, group chief executive officer of ThaiBev, emphasised the importance of sharing local stories:

“We get to use the power of storytelling to inspire understanding, connectivity and create positive change, because every place has a story and every community has a voice.”

Kaitlin Yarnall, chief storytelling officer at the National Geographic Society, highlighted the value of investing in regional talent.

“Southeast Asia has a deep and growing network of storytellers telling important stories about nature and community.”

“This partnership supports storytelling by investing together to equip local talent, tell local stories and amplify local impact — building regional capacity for more in-depth, more rigorous work,” she added.

Lower Mekong chosen for environmental and cultural significance

The Lower Mekong River Basin was selected because of the close relationship between its natural ecosystems, cultural traditions and local livelihoods. Communities rely on the river for agriculture and fisheries, while many cultural practices and forms of traditional knowledge are closely connected to it.

Changes affecting the Mekong can therefore have consequences extending beyond the environment, influencing food production and community identities.

The partnership aligns with ThaiBev's “Water of Life” sustainability initiative, which promotes the protection of water resources and the ecosystems and communities that depend on them. The company's stewardship work covers forests, rivers, canals and waterways around its operations worldwide, as well as the Lower Mekong.

Tongjai Thanachanan, ThaiBev's executive vice-president and head of sustainability and strategy, stressed that water is essential to beverage production and also sustains biodiversity, cultural heritage and livelihoods. She pointed to growing pressure on water availability and concerns over contamination as challenges requiring attention.

Grants and training to strengthen regional storytelling

Building on the National Geographic Society's longstanding presence in Southeast Asia, the partnership will provide resources to help regional storytellers develop and share their work.

Rachael Strecher, vice-president of storytelling at the National Geographic Society, described Explorers as grant recipients whose work helps connect science and local knowledge with wider audiences.

The programme includes three main components:

• Storytelling grants: Funding for original projects led by people with close connections to the communities they document.
   
• Storytellers Collective workshops: Training in technical and narrative skills to support thorough, rigorous storytelling.
   
• An immersive multimedia experience: A presentation bringing the Mekong region's ecological and cultural heritage to new audiences.

Jeremiah Pitakwong, chief executive officer of AME Imaginative Co., Ltd., the publisher of National Geographic Thailand, emphasised that effective storytelling requires more than striking images. It also depends on careful questioning, in-depth research, accuracy, ethical judgement and sensitivity towards the people whose experiences are documented.

“We want Thailand and ASEAN not merely to be the subject of great stories, but to become a place where great storytellers originate.”

The first group of Explorers will help establish a growing regional network and expand opportunities for Southeast Asian storytellers to reach global audiences.

Seven Explorers to document the Mekong's changing environment

The seven National Geographic Explorers were selected for their ability to capture the distinctive character of local communities and show how environmental and cultural changes affect everyday life.

Tami Banh – Landscape architect

Banh will examine the erosion of traditional water-management knowledge in coastal provinces of Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Using illustrations, mapping and photography, she plans to create accessible community-engagement tools and a culturally grounded framework for climate adaptation.

Jittrapon Kaicome – Photographer

Jittrapon will investigate cross-border pollution linked to mining activities in the Mekong region. His photographs will focus on communities facing risks to public health, wild fisheries and agricultural livelihoods, drawing attention to their experiences and resilience.

Cat Lau – Community storytelling producer

Lau will work with Tai Lue master weavers in Thailand to explore ancestral weaving as a means of cultural preservation and a response to climate change. The collaboration will produce a mobile art installation and soundscape conveying knowledge that scientific data alone may not capture.

Huiying Ore – Photographer

Ore will document how communities in northern Laos adapt traditional river knowledge in response to major infrastructure development along the Mekong. Her work will show how ecological knowledge passed down through generations continues to evolve as conditions change.

Note Panayanggool – Artist

Note will explore the rapid decline of the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin and what it reveals about ecological changes in Cambodia and Laos. Her project will establish a public Mekong River Sound Archive, alongside an educational documentary told from the dolphin's perspective, immersive art installations and temple-based listening ceremonies.

Ploy Phutpheng – Photographer

Ploy will examine how development is transforming ancestral landscapes and affecting communities in northern Laos and Thailand's Chiang Rai province. Her work will highlight women's roles in preserving ecological knowledge, food traditions and cultural memory, treating the river as a living cultural system.

Piyavit Thongsa-Ard – Documentary photographer

Piyavit will document how fishing families in southern Laos balance traditional wild-capture fishing, economic survival and species conservation. His work will explore how inherited river knowledge can help sustain local fisheries without disrupting the fish migrations on which their futures depend.

Building a regional storytelling network

The partnership aims to create a lasting community of storytellers across Southeast Asia. By combining grants, training and opportunities for international exposure, the initiative is intended to give people living alongside the Lower Mekong a greater role in documenting the changes affecting their communities.