In just two years, scientists have discovered 380 species of animals and plants that have never been described before. Most of these species have been documented in Vietnam and Thailand, followed by Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
WWF report from 2020 already lists 224 new discoveries in the Mekong region, including 35 reptiles, 17 amphibians, 16 fish, one mammal and 155 plants. State-of-the-art technologies would help in the work of scientists, WWF Germany says, but huge hydroelectric power plants and massive poaching pose a threat.