Posted on February, 02 2015

This World Wetlands Day, we’re celebrating the “Mother of All Rivers” – the Mekong. It is thread that connects all the countries in this region, running from the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau through southern China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam to the South China Sea.

It’s home to an incredible diversity of life, with over 1,100 species of fish, including many rare and threatened creatures like the threatened Irrawaddy dolphin, the hulking giant Mekong stingray, and the world’s largest freshwater fish, the Mekong giant catfish. (The largest ever caught was 2.7m long and 293 kg!) Endangered Siamese crocodiles, hairy-nosed otters, and Sarus cranes stalk the wetlands.

The river’s natural riches underpin life here in the Mekong basin. Its yearly floods cover the land in rich sediments, creating the fertile fields that make this region Asia’s “rice bowl,” producing enough rice to feed 300 million people per year. The Mekong is also the world’s largest inland fishery, making up 25 per cent of the global freshwater catch. An estimated 60 million people in the region depend directly on fish and other aquatic life for their primary source of protein.

Beyond food production, the wetlands and mangrove forests also provide valuable ecosystem services, preventing erosion, storing vast amounts of carbon, and sheltering the coasts from destructive storms.

But the Mekong is at risk. As the region’s economies take off, many are looking to hydropower as a source of clean and cheap energy. However, hydropower could end up costing much more than predicted without careful management. Poorly planned dams, like the 11 that are currently proposed for the mainstream Mekong, threaten to cut off fish migration and sediment flows, endangering the food security and livelihoods of millions of people downstream. Climate change only compounds these problems, as rainfall patterns shift, temperatures climb, and rising seas creep inwards into wetland agricultural zones.

Under the HSBC Water Programme, WWF is working to keep the Mekong and its communities healthy and resilient. WWF experts are researching the river system and developing tools to assess the best options for sustainable hydropower projects that support economic development without devastating downstream ecosystems.

In Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, WWF staff work directly with river communities to sustainably manage their fisheries and protect the natural resources they depend upon. In the Vietnam Delta, WWF is working with families and park officials in Mui Ca Mau National Park to develop ecotourism as an alternative to extractive livelihoods. Through Green School initiatives in Lao villages, we’re providing environmental education to the next generation of river champions.

The challenges the Mekong face might seem daunting, but in the collective work of the river guards, the scientists, the ecotourism hosts, the concerned government officials, and the school children, we see hope.