Greater Mekong
Imagine a place where tigers still roam wild and new species are discovered every week - this is the Greater Mekong.
The Greater Mekong spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern province of Yunnan in China, and contains some of the most biologically diverse habitats on our planet.
Since 1997, over 1500 new species have been described by science in the jungles, rivers and even urban areas of the Greater Mekong. This is in addition to a number of rare species including crested gibbon, tigers, Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin and the elusive Saola, which has been described as the most remarkable large mammal discovery of the last 70 years.
Latest news
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Evaluation of the effectiveness of freshwater protected areas
Fish is a vital diet source for Lao particularly local communities who mostly rely on the natural resources. WWF – Laos and FishBio in collaboration ...
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Working together to save the dolphins of the Mekong River
Today the population of 85 Irrawaddy dolphins that inhabits the Mekong River in Cambodia faces great danger. Gill nets, the proposed construction of ...
In the field in Cambodia
From the English countryside to Cambodia's Eastern Plains, Mark Wright blogs about his new life ...
Formerly WWF-UK’s conservation science advisor, Mark is now working with WWF in Cambodia, leading a 70-strong team protecting one of the largest forest blocks in South-east Asia. Follow Mark's blog....
Asia's land of diversity
Around 350 wild tigers roam the region today. While this is about a 70 percent decline in tiger numbers in a little over a decade, with strong and immediate conservation efforts there is still time to save this iconic species.
The Greater Mekong contains the largest combined tiger habitat in the world. Forest landscapes spanning 540,000km2, or roughly the size of France, are priority areas for current tiger conservation efforts.
At the heart of the region, is the Mekong River. Winding 4, 800 kms through the region's six countries it is second only to the Amazon River in terms of fish biodiversity. It is estimated 1100 species of fish swim the waters of this might river, including some of the world's largest freshwater species:
At the heart of the region, is the Mekong River. Winding 4, 800 kms through the region's six countries it is second only to the Amazon River in terms of fish biodiversity. It is estimated 1100 species of fish swim the waters of this might river, including some of the world's largest freshwater species:
- the Giant freshwater stingray (Himantura chaophraya) weighing up to 600kgs is the world's largest freshwater fish
- Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) weighing up to 350kg ranks as third largest freshwater fish on the planet
Latest publications
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Wild Mekong: New species in 2010 from the forests, wetlands and waters of the Greater Mekong, Asia’s land of rivers
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 ...
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Fishes of the Xe Kong drainage in Laos
The Xe Kong is the southernmost drainage in Laos. It is faunistically different from the rest of the Mekong drainage in Laos. This results from ...
Protecting the Greater Mekong
The unprecedented social and economic development of the Greater Mekong makes conservation work here especially urgent and significant.
WWF’s work spans many issues including species conservation, sustainable forestry and non-timber-forest product management, climate change adaptation, and the sustainable use of freshwater resources, including hydropower development.
WWF supports a ten-year delay in the approval of lower Mekong river mainstream dams to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all the impacts of their construction and operation. Immediate electricity demands can be met by fast tracking the most sustainable hydropower sites on the lower Mekong’s tributaries, and WWF is developing tools to help assess which tributaries can be developed for hydropower without compromising the ecological integrity of the lower Mekong basin.
On climate change, WWF is devising ways to enhance the region’s resilience to the current and forecast impacts of climate change. Asia’s first regional climate change agreement that incorporates climate change adaptation into existing development plans is being promoted as on such solution.
With offices in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, WWF Greater Mekong 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, upon which the quality of life for the people of the Greater Mekong region depend.
WWF supports a ten-year delay in the approval of lower Mekong river mainstream dams to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all the impacts of their construction and operation. Immediate electricity demands can be met by fast tracking the most sustainable hydropower sites on the lower Mekong’s tributaries, and WWF is developing tools to help assess which tributaries can be developed for hydropower without compromising the ecological integrity of the lower Mekong basin.
On climate change, WWF is devising ways to enhance the region’s resilience to the current and forecast impacts of climate change. Asia’s first regional climate change agreement that incorporates climate change adaptation into existing development plans is being promoted as on such solution.
With offices in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, WWF Greater Mekong 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, upon which the quality of life for the people of the Greater Mekong region depend.
Conservation challenges
Our solutions
Latest News
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Working together to save the dolphins of the Mekong River
Today the population of 85 Irrawaddy dolphins that inhabits the Mekong River in Cambodia faces ...
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Wild tigers remain vulnerable to poaching in most protected areas
A recent preliminary assessment of 63 legally protected areas in seven tiger range countries shows ...
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New research hopes to save Irrawaddy dolphins from extinction in the Mekong
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WWF response to work underway at Xayaburi dam site in Laos
The December 2011 ministerial-level meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) agreed to delay a ...
