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The study evaluates carbon storage in Thailand's Lower Songkhram River Basin, projecting that a conservation scenario by 2040 would increase carbon storage to 25.63 Tg C and flooded forests by 12.8%, whereas a business-as-usual scenario would result in a 39.8% loss of flooded forests and a decrease in carbon storage to 19.43 Tg C. The economic value of carbon sequestration under the conservation scenario is estimated at approximately USD 782 million, supporting the implementation of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and REDD+.

The lower Songkhram River basin, the last free-flowing tributary of the Mekong, supports over 14,000 households through capture fisheries and floodplain agriculture. Despite being protected under the Ramsar Convention, the Mekong River Commission, and Thailand's Master Plan for Integrated Biodiversity Management, these wetlands face threats from hydropower dams in the upper Mekong, agricultural expansion, and industrial pollution. Current management is hindered by a lack of coordinated procedures, the marginalization of traditional knowledge, and the prioritization of development over ecological conservation. The document recommends strengthening collaborative governance, valuing wetland ecosystem services, and increasing financial flows for conservation to ensure regional food and water security.