A total of 234 new species were described in the Greater Mekong region in 2023, including a high-altitude crocodile newt, a soft-furred hedgehog and a newly identified genus of palm tree, according to a report released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on December 16. 

The Global Fund for Nature and World Wide Fund for Nature Cambodia (WWF) have called on authorities to step up night and day patrols of dolphin conservation areas and prevent illegal fishing, as a third Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin carcass was discovered in the span of one week.