Mekong sub-region: 40 years, 40 million hectares of forest lost

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released a report stating that five countries in the Mekong Subregion have lost nearly one-third of their forest area (about 40 million hectares) in the past 40 years, seriously affecting wildlife and human life.

Based on satellite data and monitoring data from 1973-2013, WWF scientists said that to date, Cambodia has lost 22% of its forest area, Laos and Myanmar have lost 24%, and Thailand and Vietnam have lost up to 43%.

Natural forests in the Greater Mekong Subregion are in danger - Photo: WWF

In particular, forest fragmentation is alarming, with “core” forests – areas with at least 3.2 square kilometres of continuous forest – declining from 70% of forest cover in 1973 to 20% in 2009, threatening the habitat of animals such as tigers, Asian elephants, Irrawaddy dolphins and the endemic saola – also known as the Asian unicorn.

The report notes that much of the primary forest in the five countries was cut down in the past but has now been reforested. In Vietnam, there are only about 80,000 hectares of primary forest left and thanks to the government’s attention, more than 3.5 million hectares have been reforested to date.

WWF scientists emphasize that if the governments of these countries do not strengthen forest protection measures, more than one-third of the remaining natural forests in the Mekong Sub-region will disappear within the next two decades.

According to Tuoi Tre - VT