Mekong River Ecoregion

The Mekong River - a name that conjures a hundred images - flows for some 4,500 kilometres through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before discharging into the South China Sea.

Its catchment area - home to more than 60 million people - encompasses an extraordinary range of vegetation and geographical features.

Recent political upheavals in the Greater Mekong region have, ironically, protected the Mekong from the dramatic changes in landscape and flood patterns that have damaged the ecology of many of the world's rivers.

This offers a unique opportunity to become a model for sustainable development by improving living standards without destroying the environment.

An Abundance of Life

The Mekong River basin is estimated to house at least 1,300 species of fish, a level of diversity that is only rivalled by the Amazon River basin - which is over six times the size of the Mekong basin.



Fish life
Amongst these species are some of the world's largest and most charismatic fish, including the Giant Carp (Catlocarpio siamensis), Mekong Stingray (Dasyatis laosensis), Largetooth Sawfish (Pristis microdon), and the Mekong Giant Catfish (Pangasianodon gigas)... one of the world's largest freshwater fish.


Endangered species
Beyond fish, the Mekong basin is also home to a tremendous diversity of endangered animals such as the Giant Ibis (Pseudibis gigantea), Mekong Wagtail (Motacilla samveasnae), Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) and Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris).

Many people and many cultures

The river system is also home to great cultural diversity, with more than 95 distinct ethnic groups living in the Mekong basin. The vast majority of these people are heavily dependant on the river and its natural resources.

This point is clearly illustrated by the fact that aquatic resources account for up to 80% of the animal dietary protein of the basin's population. The fisheries of the Mekong are estimated to be worth over US$ 1,500 million per year.