University of Washington, College of the Environment

The University of Washington will increase scientific understanding of basic ecology of the Mekong-Tonle Sap ecosystem. They will collect and synthesize under the grant will be integrated with other food web data from the Lower Mekong Basin. This will create a map of energy flow within aquatic ecosystems of the Mekong and Tonle Sap. These data, plus research into the importance of hydrological variation and the current state of ecosystem functions within the lake, will provide the necessary baseline information for assessing the impact of conservation interventions over time. Despite the overwhelmingly important role the Mekong and Tonle Sap ecosystems play in the region, there is little direct ecological information and many scientific questions important for biodiversity conservation and fisheries management remain unanswered.