MW CASC Researcher Visits Thailand as Embassy Science Fellow

Group of people standing outdoors
Holly Embke (center of group) with some of her hosts in Thailand. 

Holly Embke, a U.S. Geological Survey Fish Biologist with the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, spent most of October in Thailand as an Embassy Science Fellow. She was joined by Abby Lynch, Fish Biologist with the National Climate Adaptation Science Center, early in the visit as the program got started. The Embassy Science Fellows Program is run by the U.S. State Department and provides U.S. embassies access to the expertise of government officers in science and technology fields. 

In Thailand, Embke worked with Mekong River communities to promote river basin resiliency. She worked directly with communities through conversations and workshops, met with Thailand’s Department of Fisheries, presented to the acting provincial governor, and more. 

There are remarkable similarities between the issues people are facing in Thailand’s Mekong River basin and the U.S. Midwest region. Embke said, “Folks talked about the dramatic changes they were experiencing in the rivers and mountains around them, and similar to the Midwest, these changes couldn’t be tied to a single specific driver.” Instead, there are many different factors, including climate change, coming together to exacerbate issues. 

Embke also shared some of her favorite moments of the trip, including participating in the Naga Festival and Buddha Day, both of which are a celebration and offering to the Mekong River. “I felt honored to be welcomed into the community to celebrate with them and learn about their traditions, which are so closely tied to the river and surrounding landscapes.”