Safeguarding endangered species

Many of the Greater Mekong region’s species face extinction in the next few years unless urgent measures are taken to safeguard their populations and habitats.

The following focal species have been selected as conservation priorities by WWF as they represent some of the region’s most threatened wildlife.

Because they are found in some of the world’s most unique and imperiled habitats, this provides a basis for conserving them.
 

Tigers

/ ©: CK Wong
Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is only found in the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
© CK Wong
Find out about tigers in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, and what WWF is doing to save them.
 » tigers in the Greater Mekong region

Irrawaddy dolphins

/ ©: WWF Greater Mekong
The critically endangered Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin.
© WWF Greater Mekong
These living legends are now a shadow of their former abundance in the rivers of the Greater Mekong region. Discover this dolphin and measures to save them.
» dolphins in the Greater Mekong region

SAOLA

/ ©: David HULSE / WWF-Canon
Saola or Vu quang ox (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis); Hanoi, Vietnam.
© David HULSE / WWF-Canon
Only recently discovered, the saola is already at risk. Its rarity, distinctiveness and vulnerability make it one of WWF's greatest priorities for conservation in the Indochina region.
» saola in the Greater Mekong region

ASIAN ELEPHANT

/ ©: WWF Laos
Asian elephant taking a bath in Xe Pian National Protected Area.
© WWF Laos
With increasingly fewer individuals of this majestic species in the wild, WWF is marshalling its resources to ensure that its habitat does not degrade to the point it cannot support the elephant.
» Asian elephant in the Greater Mekong region

GIANT MEKONG CATFISH

/ ©: Tan Someth Bunwath / WWF-Cambodia
A Mekong giant catfish swimming close to the surface in northern Cambodia's section of the Mekong River.
© Tan Someth Bunwath / WWF-Cambodia
Scientists estimate that the total population of Mekong giant catfish, the largest fish in the world, has decreased by around 90% in the last decade. For WWF, this makes the need to protect the Mekong River all the more urgent.
» catfish in the Greater Mekong region

CRESTED GIBBON

/ ©: Matt Hunt / Free the Bears
Cambodia east of the Mekong River contains the majority of the world population of the endangered yellow-cheeked crested gibbon.
© Matt Hunt / Free the Bears
 

Learn more

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
Measure your footprint

see all WWF gifts

Building a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

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