Ing River

The Ing is about long and its flow varies seasonally due to the tropical forest climate in the region. Flood waters inundate the river basin during the rainy season, spurring migratory fish to enter the Ing from the larger Mekong for the purpose of spawning there. The intermittently flooded forest near its banks allow for ample spawning grounds for a wide variety of river-running fish. Many young and old fish go back downriver with the onset of the dry season. The native people of the Ing River watershed depend on catching migratory fish and other wild riverine animals for their survival. Locals rely upon seasonal fish and their migration, and have learned to catch them with great skill, especially through the use of hundreds of small reservoirs and ponds. At the town Phayao the Ing River flows through Phayao Lake. == The Boon Rueang Wetland Forest Conservation Group ==

The Boon Rueang Wetland Forest is contained within the Ing River Watershed. Established in August 2015, the Boon Rueang Wetland Forest Conservation Group, from the village Boon Rueang, convinced the government to conserve the largest wetland forest in the Ing River basin rather than develop a special economic zone. Since that momentous achievement, made through advocacy and dialogue, the Group has pioneered a community forestry model that is successfully protecting biodiversity, storing carbon, providing food and livelihoods, and enabling the community to preserve its identity and culture. In June 2020 the Conservation Group was awarded the prestigious Equator Prize by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). ==Toponymy==

The word "Ing" literally means to lean on or to support one another. The name comes from a Lanna folklore telling that a ruler named Phra Ruang secretly had an affair with the wife of Phaya Ngam Mueang, the ruler of Phayao Kingdom. To restore their friendship, they made a vow to remain good allies by standing back-to-back on a raft in this river. ==References==