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The Biodiversity Observation Network in the Asia-Pacific Region pp 149–164Cite as

Fish Biodiversity Research in the Mekong Basin

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Part of the book series: Ecological Research Monographs ((ECOLOGICAL))

Abstract

The Mekong River is one of the great rivers of the world and is characterized by high fish biodiversity (Valbo-Jorgensen et al. 2009). The Mekong region is in fact a fish biodiversity hotspot whose richness is only now being revealed. During the last decade more than 279 new species of fish have been discovered in this basin alone (WWF 2009). An analysis of fish species present in 204 rivers worldwide recorded in FishBase (www.fishbase.org) (Fig. 1) and backed by a scientific study or publication. Baran (2010) recently showed that the Mekong River is the second richest river in the world for its fish diversity, after the Amazon River.

Chapter of the book “Biodiversity observation network in the Asia-Pacific Region” to be published by the Ministry of Environment in Japan and Kyoto University. Pre-release planned at the COP10 in October 2010 in Japan.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. WorldFish Center, Wat Phnom, 1135, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    Eric Baran

  2. Conservation International, No. 10, Street 420, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    Nith Chum & Taber Hand

  3. National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan

    Michio Fukushima

  4. Mekong River Commission, Fisheries Programme, 6101, Vientiane, 01000, Laos

    Kent G. Hortle

  5. Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, Ubon Ratchathani University, Warin Chamrab, Ubon Ratchathani, 34190, Thailand

    Tuantong Jutagate

  6. Asian International Rivers Center, Yunnan University, No. 2, North Cuihu Road, Kumming, 650091, China

    Bin Kang

Authors
  1. Eric Baran
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  2. Nith Chum
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  3. Michio Fukushima
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  4. Taber Hand
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  5. Kent G. Hortle
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  6. Tuantong Jutagate
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  7. Bin Kang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric Baran .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan

    Shin-ichi Nakano

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Scienc, Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan

    Tetsukazu Yahara

  3. Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

    Tohru Nakashizuka

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Baran, E. et al. (2012). Fish Biodiversity Research in the Mekong Basin. In: Nakano, Si., Yahara, T., Nakashizuka, T. (eds) The Biodiversity Observation Network in the Asia-Pacific Region. Ecological Research Monographs. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54032-8_11

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