SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

State of the Basin Report - 20034. Aquatic products from wetlandsThe wetlands of the LMB are vital life support systems for communities throughout the region.They are responsible for providing a vast array of goods and services to the people in the region.Services are the ecological functions provided by wetlands such as habitats for fish and wildlife,support for the food chain, retention of water to prevent flooding, a trap for sediment, and purificationand replenishment of ground water. Goods are the plants and animals that people harvest for food,medicine, construction, household products and so on.The goods from wetlands products are very significantfor the livelihoods of people in the Lower Mekong Basin.Most of the estimated 40 million rural peopleconcentrated along the Mekong River, its tributaries andrelated wetlands, are subsistence farmers obtaining theirlivelihoods through a combination of rice farming,fishing and foraging from nearby wetlands and forests.Besides supplementing their food supply, the harvestfrom wetlands supplies protein during the dry seasonwhen fish are less available and ensures food securityin years when the rice crop fails.Isolated communities in the basin with limited access tomarkets and roads depend on locally-available flora astheir primary source of edible fruits, vegetables, fodderfor livestock, medicines and construction materials. Thuswetlands have been called the “poor man’s supermarket”.The abundance and diversity of species, plus theiravailability in different seasons, are crucial factors inproviding the “safety net” that increases rural foodsecurity. However, few people outside the basin areaware of the importance of harvesting these key aquaticresources.Because little research is conducted on theharvesting of aquatic animals other thanfish, their importance in insuring foodsecurity often goes unrecognised4.1. Aquatic animals for foodAquatic animals, other than fish, are sometimesconsidered “less serious” catches. This may be becausethe catching is usually the work of women and children.They use smaller fishing gear, and do their catchingand gathering around the edges of the lakes, seasonalwetlands, or in rice fields. Although the catches are “lowprofile”, added together they provide crucial foodsecurity for rural households through periods when otherfoods may be in short supply. The catch is mainly fordaily home consumption, but often the excess catch issold to obtain cash income.Aquatic products are largelyharvested by women and children126