The Mekong River. / ©: WWF

A delicate balancing act

Tigers, elephants, giant stingrays, along with thousands of other lesser known but equally threatened species form a complex web of life in the Greater Mekong's ecosystems.

With booming economies, the countries of the region must now balance legitimate needs for development while safeguarding a natural treasure that is under growing threat.

This is why WWF takes a comprehensive approach to seek this balance in the region.
 
A new species is discovered every 2 days on average in the Greater Mekong.

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What is the Greater Mekong?

The Greater Mekong spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern province of Yunnan in China. The landscapes of this vast area are just as diverse as the countries that it enshrines, from dusty savannahs to dense rainforests, and from slow-moving rivers to icy torrents.

Since 1997, over 1,500 new species have been described by science in the jungles, rivers and even urban areas of the Greater Mekong. This is in addition to rare species including crested gibbon, tigers, Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin and the elusive saola, described as the most remarkable large mammal discovery of the last 70 years.

The Greater Mekong also contains the largest combined tiger habitat in the world—540,000 km2 or roughly the size of France. But over the last 10 years or so, numbers of this amazing feline have crashed by 70% in this part of the world.

► About the Greater Mekong region
► WWF's conservation work in the Greater Mekong

A close human connection

Few places on Earth show such a strong link between human and ecosystem connectivity, as the Greater Mekong. The Mekong River basin accounts for up to 25% of the global freshwater catch, making it the world's largest inland fishery. It is a vital source of food and income for over 60 million people living there.

Protecting the Greater Mekong

The unprecedented social and economic development of the Greater Mekong makes conservation work here especially urgent, significant—and hugely challenging.

We are spearheading efforts to protect species, encouraging sustainable forestry and non-timber-forest product management, helping communities and governments with climate change adaptation, and promoting the sustainable use of freshwater resources.

With offices in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, the WWF Greater Mekong programme is working with government, industry and NGO partners to secure a future where people's daily actions support biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources—the foundation upon which depends the Greater Mekong region's quality of life for humans.

Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

  • Pseudoryx nghetinhensis - Saola 4 to 5 month old female. An endemic mammal species that made this region well known on its diversity.

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © David Harvey / WWF-Canon

    Pseudoryx nghetinhensis - Saola 4 to 5 month old female. An endemic ...

  • Giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas)

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © Zeb Hogan / WWF-Canon

    Giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas)

  • Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is only found in the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © CK Wong

    Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is only found in the ...

  • Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    ©

  • Giant freshwater stingray or Freshwater whipray (Himantura chaophraya). The disk of this fish measured 202cm and 413cm from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. Himantura chaophraya may be the largest species of freshwater fish in the world. More species of giant fish occur in the Mekong River than in any other river on earth. Populations of the giant stingray and other large-bodied Mekong fish are in decline.Mekong River near the Cambodia/Vietnam border December 14, 2002

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © Zeb Hogan / WWF-Canon

    Giant freshwater stingray or Freshwater whipray (Himantura ...

  • This Irrawaddy dolphin was photographed swimming in the Mekong River when the WWF-Fisheries Administration's research team conducted photo-identification survey in March this year.

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © WWF-Cambodia / Gerry Ryan

    This Irrawaddy dolphin was photographed swimming in the Mekong ...

  • Wild Asian elephants in Kuiburi National Park, Thailand.

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © Vipoj Sinprasert

    Wild Asian elephants in Kuiburi National Park, Thailand.

  • Mondulkiri Protected Forest and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary are home to the world largest population of banteng, listed by IUCN as globally endangered.

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © Fletcher & Baylis / WWF-Cambodia

    Mondulkiri Protected Forest and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary are ...

  • Dhole in camera trap image

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © WWF-Greater Mekong / WWF-Cambodia SWAP team

    A male dhole. The dhole is a competitor to the leopard.

  • Eld's deer

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © WWF-Cambodia

    Eld's deer

  • Siamese crocodile. Crocodylus siamensis. Thailand.

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © WWF-Canon / Gerald S. CUBITT

    Siamese crocodile. Crocodylus siamensis. Thailand.

  • White-shouldered Ibis

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © WWF Greater Mekong

    White-shouldered Ibis

  • Gaur is the largest wild cattle species in the world. There are 37 gaurs in the Parsa Wildlife Reserve and 296 gaurs in the Chitwan National Park.

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © Babu Ram Yadav

    Gaur is the largest wild cattle species in the world. There are 37 ...

  • Red muntjac

    Wildlife of the Greater Mekong

    © WWF / Indonesian Forest Protection and Nature Conservation / Virginia Tech

    Red muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak). Also known as the barking deer due ...

Conservation challenges

Our solutions

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A new monkey, a self-cloning skink, five carnivorous plants, and a unique leaf warbler are among the 208 species newly described by science in the Greater Mekong region in 2010 and highlighted in a new WWF report, Wild Mekong.

► Find out more

Facts & Figures

    • Over 1,000 new species discovered between 1997 and 2007
    • The world's largest inland fishery, providing livelihoods for 60 million people
    • More than 300 million people from nearly 100 distinct ethnic groups live within the Greater Mekong region.
    • Forest cover in the Greater Mekong has fallen from over 55% in the early 1970's to 34% today.

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Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under a Creative Commons licence.