Tuesday April 16, 2024
The Third Pole —
Etched in the ancient temples of Angkor, the giant barb is the largest carp species in the world and Cambodia’s national fish. Despite its revered status, however, it is among an estimated 19% of Mekong River fish species facing extinction.
The giant barb may disappear along with other species unique to the Mekong unless decision-makers stop undervaluing and overlooking the Mekong’s fishes, according to the Mekong’s Forgotten Fishes report, which was produced by a cohort of 25 conservation groups. It warns that the loss of biodiversity will significantly affect the region’s culture, livelihoods and economies.
The Mekong is home to nearly 1,500 fish species, a quarter of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Originating in China, the river flows through six countries before reaching the South China Sea.
“It’s a biodiversity hotspot of the world for freshwater fish [and] only third in the world in terms of diversity of fish,” says Kathy Hughes, the report author and Asia Pacific freshwater biodiversity lead for the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), one of the organisations behind the report.