Threats
The "drivers" of biodiversity loss in the Greater Mekong
The flourishing wildlife trade, illegal logging, and over-extraction of natural resources, for both subsistence and commercial uses, are problems in all five countries of the Greater Mekong (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam).
Clockwise from top right: 1. River polluted from mining operation; 2. Dams for hydroelectricity are the greatest threat to the Mekong River and its tributaries; 3. Deforestation in Lao PDR is a major cause of habitat loss; 4. A small loris (Nycticebus coucang) falls victim to the thriving illegal wildlife trade; 5. The emission of greenhouse gases is a major contributor to climate change; 6. Sustainable forest management is needed to stop unchecked deforestation in the Greater Mekong.
© WWF Greater Mekong
© WWF Greater Mekong
The major threats to biodiversity:
The illegal wildlife tradeThe illegal wildlife trade is said to be worth over $10 billion (USD) a year in Southeast Asia and is a major threat to species survival in the Greater Mekong.
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Infrastructural development
Major development infrastructure such as dams and roads located in and around protected areas run counter to conservation efforts, while outside of protected areas these affect ecoregional processes.
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Deforestation results in habitat degradation and therefore species loss
Deforestation is driven by a number of socio-economic activities, the most significant of which are commercial logging, hydropower development, infrastructure development, and forestland conversion for the purposes of cash cropping and subsistence agriculture. Fuel-wood consumption, to heat homes and cook food, is also a factor in the loss of forest habitat.
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Many factors
A number of other factors, underlying the direct threats, set the stage for increased deforestation, biodiversity loss and – ultimately – environmental degradation. Such causes include population growth and migration, poverty, road building, lack of land use planning and economic land allocation processes, and economic policies that encourage unsustainable resource use.
Institutional weaknesses
Institutional weaknesses represent another threat, as insufficient capacity of key institutions and a weak legal framework undermine natural resource management capacity and biodiversity conservation efforts in the region.
