Critical Wetland Loss in the Mekong Delta Threatens Biodiversity and Millions of Livelihoods
Recent Developments
012024 DSI event impacted over 40,000 ha of land and 200,000 households with water shortages (mid-March 2024)
02Mekong countries lost 991,801 ha of tree cover in 2024, including 220,000 ha primary forest, with over 30% in protected areas
03Annual land erosion doubled compared to five years ago, reaching 600-800 ha/year
Interventions
- Local dike reinforcement and reforestation efforts in erosion hotspots like Tra Vinh and Thanh Long Islet, though outpaced by losses
- Calls for comprehensive plans to prevent erosion and subsidence by Can Tho University's Climate Change Research Institute
What Works
- Alternative housing designs reducing sand use for elevation to lessen riverbank pressure
How to Help
- Support IUCN and Indo-Burma Ramsar Regional Initiative for wetland conservation
- Donate to organizations addressing Mekong sediment and erosion issues
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Verified Organizations
Organizations Helping(13)
In the Colombian Amazon, Conservation International implements climate adaptation programs for Indigenous communities, including early warning systems for droughts and floods, restoration of degraded areas to enhance water regulation, and capacity building for sustainable water management to address the transition from drought to flooding and hypertropical risks.
The MRC addresses Mekong Delta wetland loss by producing basin-wide science, policy guidance and cooperative management tools that target flow, sediment and salinity issues affecting wetlands. It conducts basin hydrological and climate-change assessments, monitors salinity and dry-season flows, develops scenarios and modelling to inform national planners, and produces adaptation guidance (including options to manage salinity intrusion, floodplain management and sediment retention). It also convenes member governments through the Procedures and Technical Working Groups to coordinate water resources planning (including upstream dam impacts) and supports pilot activities and capacity building for climate-resilient agriculture and ecosystem management in the lower Mekong Basin.
WWF tackles Mekong Delta wetland loss through integrated conservation and sustainable development programmes: they map and monitor wetlands and freshwater biodiversity, promote sustainable fisheries and aquaculture practices, pilot habitat restoration and mangrove reforestation to reduce coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion, and engage policy advocacy on hydropower planning and sediment management. WWF combines field projects with community-based livelihood alternatives (e.g., sustainable aquaculture, agroforestry), capacity building for local resource management, and regional policy work to influence transboundary river governance and dam planning that affect sediment flows to the Delta.
TNC addresses Mekong Delta wetland degradation by applying applied science, pilot restoration and nature-based solutions: they work on coastal wetland and mangrove restoration to buffer salinity and storms, design freshwater flow and sediment management interventions informed by hydrodynamic modelling, support sustainable fisheries and livelihood programs, and promote ‘nature-based infrastructure’ to complement engineered defenses. TNC also partners with governments and research institutions to integrate ecosystem-service valuation into planning and to pilot scalable restoration and community-based management models in Vietnam’s coastal provinces.
