Destruction of Mekong River

The Mekong River, One of the most diverse river in the world,
With more than 1200 fish species, 2000 species of plants, 1,200 bird
species, 800 species of reptiles and amphibians, 430 mammal species and
more than 1300 species that has just been discovered since 1997. With
more than 200 million acres The Mekong river is truly the rice bowl of
Asia. People of the South East relies on this river, for centuries it is home
to more than 300 million people and 100 ethnics group, the river provides
the people with natural resources, food, water, and a place to practice
centuries old customs. Now, the place is changing, the place which is once
a vast green forest are now turning into a field of agricultural plants,
factories, and urban area with other major problems that dwindles the
forest.

The forest of the Mekong River is rich in natural resources that

most other parts of the world have already lost. This makes them an
attractive investment for governments seeking to provide for the
development needs of their countries, particularly China. However, the
investments are short term and what is only left is the fragmented and
degraded of a once lush green area. When the forests are fragmented, it
affects many other things in ecosystem. While some areas are still intact,
many of them were cut off, isolated from each other, affecting in
difficulties for some animals to find new habitats or to follow their usual
migration routes. This can also increase inbreeding, which in turn can
increase the vulnerability of species to disease and other pressures. The
dwindling of the forest also means that it is harder for the ecosystem and
human communities to withstand the impacts from the climate changes
and also the forest abilities to control the flow of the river and the local
weather. Five countries in the south east lost one-third of the forest in 35
years and in the year, 2030 there will be only about 10 to 20 percent of
the forest left. The main cause for the deforestation is conversion for
plantations and infrastructure, with illegal and unsustainable logging as
another problem that has to be concerned.
 With dams being constructed around the river, it puts the nature
into a risk of disappearance. People start using explosive in order to make
new waterways and to make easier trade routes from one country to
another. The bombing of the Mekong also includes in making dams and
new infrastructure which result in excavating tons of rocks from the river
that affect the aquatic lives of the river, such as the Irrawaddy dolphin.
The explosion produce large sound wave that could kill an entire pod of
dolphins due to the highly sensitive hearing that the dolphin have. Other
endangered aquatic species, such as the Freshwater stingray and the
Mekong giant river catfish, are also affected by this act. Destroying of
rocks causes the river to be filled with dust and particles and also stir up
the sediments that could suffocates the fish or even interfere with their
digestive systems. Making of dams also affect the migration of fishes, with
more than 135 species in Mekong being a migratory. Dams would block
ways for the fish to migrate, changing the seasonal flow of river and could
threatens to human societies around the Mekong. Though, the
government of Laos still claims that the Xayaburi dam that is now being
built provides a passage for the fish to migrate, and the impact to the
river would be minimal. James Pittock, a freshwater ecologist at the
Australian National University, and other scientists argued that it wont be
enough for the fish to migrate and would not change the pulse of the
river, Experts are categorical in saying that fish passage devices have
failed on large dams in Asia, Pittock said. Pittock also claims that the act
of Lao government is Irresponsible for failing to consider how millions of
people would find new source of proteins if fish numbers plummet due to
the blockade and reducing of the flow.

The other problems that the Mekong face is the illegal wildlife trade
that is still cannot be solved. The wildlife trade that results in dwindling of
the number of the wildlife species of Mekong. One of the example that can
be seen is the killing of the last Javan rhinoceros in 2011 making the
species now become extinct in Vietnam. Extinction of a species would shift
the balance of the ecosystem. This result in many biological problems as
those animals population are decreasing to the point that they will no
longer exist and also breaking the ecosystem in Mekong causing trouble
to the animals such as overpopulation of plants or lack of consumers.
People from parts of Vietnam and China uses some part of the animal as a
sacred medicine that would heal something that cannot be heal, which
some was already proven to be wrong by scientists. Others are taken as
pets in some illegal trade around the world, such as the Chatuchak market
in Thailand.

To solve this problem, people must try to help the forest, not only
just live with it but also thinking about it as one of their family. For the
problem of illegal wildlife trade, they must cooperate with the local police
or the forest department in order decreases the rate of wildlife trading.
Govern should also strengthened the law on the illegal wildlife trade.
People in the urban area also has to help in order to make this possible,
they would have to also not support wildlife trading, putting an end on
buying wild animals and also support the organization that would help in
bringing back wild animals. In the other problem of dams and river, it is
sad to say but theres only little for us to do. Dams are the act of
government and even if there are people who revolt, sometimes it just
wasnt enough. Supporting organization that disapproved the construction
of the dam might also be a good way in order to stop this insane act.
Dams are now being constructed everywhere and if it is able to stop one
or two of the construction, it would truly preserve the beautifulness of the
river.

To really protect the place called Mekong, would preserve the truly
wilderness of Asia. The river of Mekong would still be one of the most
important rivers in the world, even if was altered by humans hand.
Mekong can be protected and also rebuilt, if every people take this
problem into consideration. Preserving this place would really help out the
people around the river, keeping the beautifulness and the traditional that
might be gone with the river itself.