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(June 21, 2023) After three years in the making, the Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Sonexay Siphandone adopted the new decree on protected areas in Laos on 20 June 2023, marking a major milestone for better management and governance of these biodiversity-rich zones. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) worked hand in hand with the Lao government, protected area practitioners and key stakeholders to strengthen this important national legislation, within the framework of the ‘Ecosystem Conservation through Int...

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(April 12, 2023) On Monday April 10th, 2023, the Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment held the meeting on Approval of the Xe Champhone Ramsar Management Plan under the co-chairmanship of Mr. Chanthaneth Boualapha, Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and Mrs. Lingkham Sengtavanh, Vice Governor of Savannakhet Province with relevant participants from local level and INGOs including Provincial of Natural Resources and Environment; Provincial of Agriculture and F...

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(March 04, 2023) World Wildlife Day is celebrated globally every March 3rd to honor the birthday of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This year’s World Wildlife Day fell on the 50th Anniversary of CITES coming into existence and marked the launch of two key legislations in Lao PDR; the launching of the Government Decree implementing CITES in Lao PDR and the National Wildlife Health Surveillance Standard Operation Procedures. The launch of the Na...

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(February 12, 2023) Wetlands support biodiversity stability and growth, but did you know that 35% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared in the past 50 years? This is a trend that must be reversed. Wetland restoration has a dramatic impact on our globe and benefits us in multiple ways including reviving biodiversity, improving water supplies, storing carbon, reducing extreme weather, improves livelihoods, boosts eco-tourism, and enhances well-being. World Wetlands Day takes place globally every February ...

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(January 26, 2023) On Thursday January 26th, 2023, the Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry represented by Deputy Director General, PhD. Somvang Phimmavong, Deputy Director General and the Wildlife Conservation Society represented by Country Director, PhD. Santi Saypanya signed their sixth Memorandum of Understanding for Nam Et – Phou Louey National Park Management at the Provincial Finance Office in Luang Prabang in front of government officials from Ministry of Agriculture & F...

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(January 13, 2023) On January 13th 2022, 36 representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment,Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the European Union (EU) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) gathered to review the achievements and challenges met by the Ecosystem Conservation through Integrated Landscape Management in Lao PDR (ECILL). “WCS has been working in Laos since the 1980s when they first helped our government survey biodiversi...

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(December 02, 2022) “Many species are thriving as indicated by the sound of the birds and by the song of gibbons I can hear in the morning even from my house.” Mrs. Maipom Saysomphone, 28 years old, was born in Meungcham village, Xaychamphone District of Bolikhamxay. She is married to Mr. Bounsing and they have two sons, 9 and 7 years old. The family of four lives in her husband’s village, Sopkhone. She first became involved in The Ecosystem Conservation through Integrated Landscape Management ...

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(June 17, 2022) Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, together with their government partners and members of the Ban Natay Village Conservation Team conducted field biodiversity monitoring and collected eggs from the nest of a Siamese crocodile in the Greater Xe Champhone Wetlands in Savannakhet Province. Siamese crocodiles are critically endangered, with less than 1,000 individuals in the wild. In natural populations far less than 5% of eggs laid will be able to survive to adulthood. By collecting...

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(May 19, 2022) Vientiane Capital, 18 May 2022 – The Department of Forestry (DOF) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry held a national consultation workshop on 18 May 2022 among key stakeholders working to safeguard the nation’s protected areas with the finalization of the updated Decree on Protected Areas. As Lao PDR continues to strive towards middle-income country status and economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government of Lao recognizes the importance of sustainable econ...

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(November 01, 2021) Recent research currently undergoing peer review (Temmam et al., under review) has discovered the closest viral relatives to SARS-CoV-2 to date circulating in horseshoe bats inhabiting limestone cave systems in Northern Laos. It is suspected that these bat- borne coronaviruses have the same potential for infecting humans as early strains of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes COVID-19 disease). Although this is new scientific information, it is important to recognize that these viruses are not...

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(July 08, 2021) From June 23 – July 2, the Department of Forestry convened a consultation meeting to revise the Protected Area (PA) Decree following previous technical consultations with national and international PA practitioners in Lao PDR. The consultation was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Prime Minister’s Office, with The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) acting as technical partner.  Based on the promulgation of the Forestry Law in 2019 and the country&...

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(June 30, 2021)

(June 29, 2021) ການສູນເສຍປາຄ່າອີກໂຕໜຶ່ງ ໃນວັນທີ 12 ມິຖຸນາ 2021 ໃນເຂດວັງປາຄ່າ ໂອໂຈຕຽວ ທີ່ເປັນເຂດວັງນໍ້າຂ້າມພົມແດນ ລະຫວ່າງ ສປປ ລາວ ແລະ ປະເທດກໍາປູເຈຍ ແມ່ນເປັນການຕາຍຂອງປາຄ່າໂຕທີສອງ ໃນຊ່ວງໄລຍະເວລາພຽງແຕ່ 2 ເດືອນ ພາຍໃນປີນີ້, ຊຶ່ງນີ້ກໍໝາຍວ່າ ສປປ ລາວ ຍັງເຫຼືອພຽງ ປ່າຄ່າໂຕດຽວເທົ່ານັ້ນທີ່ຍັງມີຊີວິດຢູ່ (ອີງຕາມການລາຍງານຈາກ ອົງການກອງທຶນອະນຸຮັກທໍາມະຊາດໂລກ ປີ 2016). ອົງການອະນຸລັກສັດປ່າ ປະຈໍາລາວ (WCS Lao PDR) ມີຄວາມເສຍໃຈຕໍ່ເຫດການອັນເສົ້າສະຫຼົດໃຈຄັ້ງນີ້ ແລະ ມີຄວາມກະຕືລືລົ້ນຢາກຊອກຮູ້ເຖິງສາເຫດການຕາຍຂອງປາຄ່າໂຕນີ້.    ອີກບໍ...

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(June 24, 2021)   Forest Ranger, guardian of Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park Interview conducted and translated by NEPL WCS staff Mr. Jay White and Mr. Khamphui Invixay Edited by: Manoly Sisavanh, WCS Lao PDR Disclaimer: This project is funded by IUCN Save Our Species. The content of this article is the sole responsibility of WCS Lao PDR and do not necessary reflect the views of IUCN. WCS Lao PDR is implementing the project titled ‘Securing Corridors to Connect Populations of Nomascus leucogenys...

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(September 18, 2020) A foundational element of WCS Lao PDR’s Savannakhet Landscape program is supporting communities in the Xe Champhone wetlands to develop land and resource-use plans that improve local livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. This landscape holds Lao PDR’s largest seasonal wetland complex with annual patterns of flooding that support an abundance of aquatic biodiversity. The ecosystem’s productive fisheries are relied upon by more than 30 communities, as well as one of the worl...

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(January 14, 2020) Dr. John Robinson, WCS Executive Vice President for Conservation and Science visited Lao PDR from December 9 to 16, 2019. During his visit, Dr. Robinson met with His Excellency Thongphat Vongmany, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Forestry to highlight the progress made by Lao PDR toward managing and protecting wildlife and protected areas through on-going institutional, legal and regulatory reforms. Dr. Robinson and H.E. Vongmany discussed the close partnership between Lao PDR and WCS, and empha...

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(March 22, 2019) 1. We, the Ministers responsible for CITES and Wildlife Enforcement, hereby convey our Statement on Illegal Wildlife Trade in the occasion of the Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Illegal Wildlife Trade on 21-22 March 2019 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, under the chairmanship of H.E. General Surasak Karnjanarat, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Kingdom of Thailand, representing the 2019 Chair Country of ASEAN. 2. We endorsed the Chiang Mai Statement of ASEAN Ministers Responsible...

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(March 19, 2019)   -   As of 1 January 2019, Dr. Santi Saypanya (Joy) formally succeeded· Dr. Christopher Holmes as Country Director of the WCS Lao PDR Program. 

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(January 28, 2019)   -   Laos has vowed to continue cooperation with international partners in addressing challenges in wildlife law enforcement, with the country still at risk of illegal trading.Deputy Director of the Department of Forest Inspection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ms Louamkham Sengchanoudom, addressed the issue on Thursday at a consultation workshop on the Wildlife Legality Compendium Project.

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(January 11, 2019) More than 73 kilograms of ivory products were confiscated from a souvenir shop in Luang Prabang province recently and the foreign owner detained for suspected trading in elephant ivory.The Forest Inspection Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in collaboration with the Lao Wildlife Enforcement Network (Lao-WEN) and local authorities raided the shop and confiscated more than 3,400 ivory items weighing 73.8 kilograms. The ivory products were hidden in secret drawers under the shop&rsq...

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