Freshwater
Father and son fish the Mekong.
Picture the Mekong
From the Tibetan Plateau the Mekong River winds 4880 kilometres through China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand and Cambodia to the delta at Vietnam where it spills into the South China Sea, uniting the Greater Mekong.
This mighty river gives meaning and sustenance to a melting-pot of cultures and communities. With over 1500 fish species, a level of fish biodiversity that is rivalled only by the Amazon River, its fisheries support the livelihoods of 60 million people region-wide.
Eighty percent of Lao PDR lies within the Mekong River basin, the river itself forming much of the border with Thailand. This geography gives Lao PDR a vast and valuable freshwater resource that is used by communities in their everyday lives for food and trade, drinking water and agriculture, transportation and recreation, and spiritual meaning.
Today, the Mekong is under massive pressure from rapid population growth and unprecedented region-wide development. What is WWF Doing?
Eighty percent of Lao PDR lies within the Mekong River basin, the river itself forming much of the border with Thailand. This geography gives Lao PDR a vast and valuable freshwater resource that is used by communities in their everyday lives for food and trade, drinking water and agriculture, transportation and recreation, and spiritual meaning.
Today, the Mekong is under massive pressure from rapid population growth and unprecedented region-wide development. What is WWF Doing?
An Asian giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) caught by a fisherman in Lao PDR’s Attapeu Province.
What is WWF Doing?
Waxing Lyrical on Wetlands
Wetlands can provide clean water, support livelihoods and aid tourism initiatives. Despite these benefits, more than half of the world's wetlands have been lost in the last century alone.
Brimming with life, wetlands can be basins, flood plains, artesian springs and other water sources both occurring naturally and constructed. They can be freshwater, brackish water or saltwater located on the coast, inland or upland.
In Vientiane Capital, natural ecosystem functions of wetlands support local livelihoods, help to mitigate flood during monsoon season and provide natural treatment for both urban and industrial wastewater.
Learn how our WATER project is working in the midst of urban development to establish a constructed wetland and improve wetland management of That Luang Marsh, Vientiane's largest wetland that is responsible for wastewater treatment, flood mitigation and the food security of hundreds of people.
In Vientiane Capital, natural ecosystem functions of wetlands support local livelihoods, help to mitigate flood during monsoon season and provide natural treatment for both urban and industrial wastewater.
Learn how our WATER project is working in the midst of urban development to establish a constructed wetland and improve wetland management of That Luang Marsh, Vientiane's largest wetland that is responsible for wastewater treatment, flood mitigation and the food security of hundreds of people.
Healthy wetlands are vibrant green spaces that provide a living class-room for students to learn about nature. Here this student is playing Q&A about That Luang Marsh during World Wetlands Day celebrations in Vientiane Province, Lao PDR.
What is WWF Doing?
Freshwater Fisheries
Fisheries contribute around six to eight percent of Lao PDRs Gross Domestic Product. What will happen to food security if wild fish stocks collapse?
More than habitat for some of the world's rarest and most colossal freshwater species, the Mekong supplies communities with valuable aquatic resources and food security.
One of the most productive fisheries in the world, the Mekong has a huge diversity of aquatic flora and fauna such as molluscs, snails and crustaceans, which play an important part in household diets.
In Lao PDR's south, 80 percent of households participate in fisheries. The majority of fish caught by these households is not eaten at home, but rather sold at local markets to generate income. In these cases, aquatic species like molluscs and frogs are eaten in place of fish to provide animal protein in people's diets.
Today, Lao fishermen claim fish stocks and aquatic biodiversity are in dramatic decline. Infrastructure development such as roads and hydropower dams, over-harvest of fish, and the use of destructive fishing gear like explosives, poisons and electric shock are depleting fish populations for local trade and consumption.
Learn how our ComFish and ARL Xekong projects are working to secure rural livelihoods and food security by supporting communities to adopt sustainable aquatic resource management, and develop fishing regulations founded on their own local ecological knowledge.
This Luang Prabang fisherman prepares to cast his net into the Nam Khan.
