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Mekong
Protecting the river of life from source to sea
The Mekong River is the lifeline of an entire region
© WWF-Canon/Yifei Zhang
The Greater Mekong region is characterized by the life-giving Mekong River which starts in the Tibetan – Qinghai Plateau and makes its way through tropical evergreen forests that shroud Laos and Myanmar. After winding through Cambodia and Thailand it ends in the Mekong delta in Vietnam. This vast region contains irreplaceable treasures ranging from communities with rich cultural heritages to wildlife in spectacular natural landscapes. The Mekong region is home to almost 100 distinct ethnic groups that are heavily dependent on the river and its natural resources for protein as well as livelihoods. It is also habitat to a variety of species ranging from large mammals such as the Asian elephant to the Mekong giant catfish - the largest freshwater fish in the world - and the last remaining populations of the Irrawaddy dolphin.
The Lower Mekong Dry Forests once blanketed north-eastern Thailand, southern Laos, Cambodia and parts of Vietnam. While a majority of the land has been cleared for farming, remaining forests provide habitat to support an abundance of large mammals including tigers.
Lying to the east of the Mekong River are the Greater Annamites, which form a mountainous border between Laos and Vietnam, extending into Cambodia. These tropical evergreen forests are home to a diverse range of precious plants and animals - including some of the world’s rarest species.
WWF's vision: Secure a future where people’s daily actions support biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of renewable natural resources, thereby safeguarding the species, the habitats and the natural ecosystems, on which the people and wildlife of the greater Mekong region depend.
The place. One of the world’s most complex and diverse regions, the Mekong region is over 200 million acres and spans six countries: China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It includes the Mekong River Basin, the Greater Annamite Mountains—one of the last intact natural protections from climate change—the Lower Mekong Dry Forests, a mosaic of open semi-evergreen forests and seasonally-wet grasslands, and the Kaya-Karen Tenasserim Forests of western Thailand, the most important remaining tiger habitat in Southeast Asia.
The species. The Mekong River hosts more than 1,500 species of fish, including the Mekong giant catfish—the largest freshwater fish in the world—and the endangered Irrawaddy Mekong dolphin. Besides tigers and elephants, the Mekong’s forests sustain an extraordinary range of plants and birds, and endemic and extremely rare species such as douc langur and the saola.
The people. Home to more than 95 distinct ethnic and indigenous groups, the people here rely on the river and its tributaries for transportation, sources of food, water for cooking, and irrigation. The Phnong are the largest minority group; their knowledge and respect for nature provide inspiration to find solutions for successful conservation.
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