Wetlands

Background

The Mekong River is the longest river in Southeast Asia. The river has a length of approximately 4,900 km, flowing from its source on the Tibetan Plateau in China through Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam via a large delta into the sea.

Its role

It provides a vital lifeline for millions of people living in the basin, supports irrigation, generates energy, and helps conserve ecosystems.

Largest inland fishery in the world, estimated at 2.8 Mt per year

Ramsar Convention

Protecting Biodiversity: Ramsar Sites provide habitats for countless species, particularly migratory birds, fish, and amphibians.

Supporting Ecosystems: They contribute to water purification, flood control, and nutrient cycling, maintaining ecosystem health and resilience.

wider basin's human and development pressures

The Mekong Basin is rapidly changing due to economic development, urbanisation and industrialisation. Climate change has increased flood risk in the Mekong Basin.

Construction of hydropower dams and irrigation schemes changes the hydrology of the basin, block fish migrations and trap sediment.

specific human and development pressures placed on Kut Ting Wetland

Agricultural conversion and rice intensification

Land conversion: Around 70–80% of surrounding wetlands converted to wet-season rice paddies since 2000, driven by demand for double-cropping; remaining wetland area reduced by ~40% in Kampong Thom floodplains.

Irrigation schemes: New pumps and canals dry wetlands post-monsoon for dry-season rice, cutting flood recession agriculture yields by 25–30% for local farmers.

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Population and resource extraction

collect fuelwood, degrading vegetation cover by 10–15% per decade.

Over 200 tons/year illegal gear use depletes fish stocks by 30–50%, threatening protein for 60% of nearby poor households.

Lower Mekong Basic

Land and water resources development during the last 125 years has put increasing pressure on natural resources in the Mekong basin. The loss of natural wetlands has been enormous. According to estimates made in 2003, nationally Vietnam has lost 99% of its original, natural wetland area, Thailand 96%, Cambodia 45% and Laos PDR 30%.

Ongoing developments, such as the expansion of agricultural and urban/industrial areas and flood protection, put pressure on the remaining wetlands. Between one-third and half of the original forest area in the LMB has been lost, although in Vietnam the trend has been recently reversed and forest area is growing at 2% per year. In 2010, the forest area amounted to 55 million hectares or 45% of the LMB area.

Without effective environmental management, the area of pristine natural wetlands could

be reduced further with perhaps only small areas left by 2060, mainly because of the expansion of agriculture, urbanization and industrialization. In the short term, the forest area in Vietnam and Thailand is likely to increase, but in Cambodia and Laos PDR, forest loss and catchment degradation may continue for some decades.