O texto faz referência aos motivos de atrasos envolvendo pesquisas científicas na região. Tais informações estão contidas nos seguintes trechos: 

(01) “more than a thousand new species which have been discovered along the banks of the Mekong River in south east Asia within the last ten years.” (l. 2-5). 

(02) “The conservationists are describing the largely unexplored jungles and wetlands in the Mekong Delta as a biological treasure find.” (l. 6-8). 

(04) “between 1997 and 2007, scientists found an average of two previously undiscovered species every week.” (l. 11-12). 

(08) “so the people who live there were very aware of this creature, but science came to it very late.” (l. 17-18). 

(16) “They remained unknown in the outside world for so long because political conflicts in the region kept scientists away until the 1990s.” (l. 18-19). 

(32) “the main challenge facing the area is how to allow economic development while still maintaining environmental protection.” (l. 20-21).