Mekong

The saola remains a mystery 20 years after its discovery.

Buddhist monks are an effective voice for the protection of endangered species, like the Mekong dolphin.

WWF documents the region’s amazing biodiversity and calls for action to protect its wildlife.

The critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin population in the Mekong River numbers just 85. Calf survival is also very low.

Leaders from 30 countries met at the Brazzaville Tropical Forest Summit to find shared solutions to save their forests and support the fight against the devastating consequences of climate change.

The river is under threat from large-scale hydropower development. In the lower Mekong, there are currently 11 dams in different planning stages of development, including the Xayaburi dam project.

Rare and endangered Asian big cats are sold in black markets along Myanmar, Thailand and China’s shared borders, facilitating a deadly illicit trade in tigers and other endangered species says TRAFFIC and WWF’s joint report “The Big Cat Trade in Myanmar and Thailand.”

WWF’s new River of Giants: giant fish of the Mekong report profiles four giant fish living in the Mekong that rank within the top 10 largest freshwater fish on the planet. This report highlights the dangers associated with hydropower development on the mainstream of the lower Mekong River basin.

Thanks to their keen sense of smell, dogs are put to work sniffing out bombs, drugs, earthquake survivors and lost children. Now, WWF is using them to help sniff out tigers. Or tiger dung, to be precise.

In 1999, the first known images of Vietnam's Javan rhinos were captured in camera traps supported by WWF, proving without question that this species was not extinct in mainland Southeast Asia as was once believed.

Now WWF and our partners are furthering the quest for Javan rhino using an innovative new tool – dung-sniffing dogs. Trained in the US and Vietnam, the canine duo Chevvy and Pepper are a vital part in getting accurate information on the last of the Javan rhinos in Vietnam.

China received praise here today from the International Tiger Coalition (ITC) for promising to work with its neighbors to end tiger trade and bring back wild tigers.

A bird-eating fanged frog, a gecko that looks like it’s from another planet and a bird that would rather walk than fly, are among the 163 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year that are now at risk of extinction due to climate change, says a new report launched by WWF ahead of UN climate talks in Bangkok.

WWF has enjoyed many significant conservation achievements across the past year. Below are a few success stories highlighting exciting results, but also emphasizing our continuous commitment to confront the ongoing challenges faced by our planet. 

Water is taken for granted by those for whom access to it is as easy as a trip to the kitchen sink. But, in fact, we are facing a deepening crisis of freshwater resources. 

Southeast Asia’s few surviving elephants are under increasing threat from booming illegal ivory prices in Vietnam, according to a new market analysis released by TRAFFIC – the world’s largest wildlife trade monitoring network, and a joint program of IUCN and WWF.  

According to a new report by WWF and partners, over 1,000 species have been newly discovered in the Greater Mekong over the last ten years. That’s an average of two per week – making this one of the most prolific rates of discovery in the world.

Recently, Ministers of the Environment from the Greater Mekong Subregion countries - Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam - gathered in Vientiane, Laos, to review the regions' environmental progress over the past three years.

Hoi An, Vietnam - Two new reserves have been created in Vietnam's rugged Annamite Mountains to protect the saola, one of the world's rarest animals.