Kratie Province

Kratie centers on one of the world's rarest mammals—the Irrawaddy dolphin, which survives in a 190-kilometer stretch of the Mekong from Kratie to the Laos border. This population anchors a fragile ecotourism economy: dolphin-watching tours near Kampi village provide livelihoods for boat operators, guides, and artisans while generating conservation pressure. In 2024, nine calves were born, though four died. The species remains critically endangered, and one population segment went extinct in 2022 when the last dolphin near the Laos border died—a warning of what Kratie could lose.

The threats are systemic: gill nets, destructive fishing, and upstream hydropower dams degrade the habitat that dolphins and fishing communities both depend upon. By the end of 2023, 2,458 individuals had participated in nature-based conservation programs, 2,089 people had adopted climate-resilient technologies like solar panels, and 370 had joined alternative livelihoods including ecotourism, fish raising, and vegetable cultivation. On Koh Samseb island, indigenous communities facing poverty from environmental degradation are establishing ecotourism as an economic alternative.

Beyond dolphins, Kratie's economy relies on rice, corn, cassava, and Mekong fishing—though declining fish stocks threaten traditional livelihoods. Rubber and cashew plantations have expanded through foreign and domestic investment, driving deforestation and land disputes. Kratie faces the tension between extractive development and conservation-based development, with the dolphin population serving as an indicator species for the Mekong's broader health.