Researchers and conservationists from Thailand visit the Xe Champhone Wetlands in Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR, as part of a conservation study tour to restore the critically endangered Siamese crocodile
A delegation from Thailand consisting of researchers and staff affiliated with the Department of National Parks (DNP), Wildlife and Plant Conservation and faculty members from Kasetsart University, as well as staff from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Thailand, visited Savannakhet province, Lao PDR, to conduct a study tour of the WCS implemented Siamese crocodile conservation project in the Xe Champhone wetlands.
Thailand is looking to bolster wild populations of Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis), as although the species still occurs in several different protected areas, the individuals persist in such isolation that there has been no recent successful breeding in the wild. WCS Lao PDR advised Thai National Park authorities on how they can increase the population of Siamese crocodiles within their area.
In the Xe Champhone wetlands, WCS Lao PDR has been collaborating with government and local communities to strengthen the population of Siamese crocodiles through a head-starting program, incubating egg clutches and rearing hatchlings for about two years until they are ready for release back into the wild. This gives the young crocodiles a greatly improved chance of survival, a head-start through the most dangerous period of their lives. The program has reduced mortality among the young crocodiles from 90-95% to less than 5%, thereby boosting population recovery trajectories.
Dr. Steven G. Platt, WCS’ Conservation Herpetologist for Southeast Asia, guided the group to the Tansoum village head-starting facility on the first day of the study tour, with the Tansoum community hosting the visiting group and explaining how they take care of the hatchlings. The second day was devoted to information sharing through presentations given by Dr. Platt on the head-starting work that has been done under the Xe Champhone project and a presentation given by Mr. Phaksouliya Phommatheth, WCS’s Xe Champhone Project Coordinator, on the overall progress of the project.
The visitors from Thailand also introduced their crocodile conservation work including the DNP’s Siamese Crocodile Reintroduction Project in Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary presented by Ms. Chananrat Nuankaew from the Wildlife Research Division and Mr. Weerapong Korawat, head of Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary; Petchburi River Survey in Kaeng Krachan National Park presented by Mr. Yann Ounsing, Deputy of Kaeng Krachan National Park.
Dr. Manoon Pliosungnoen, Program Manager for WCS Thailand said “Although it was a relatively short visit, we learned a lot from the discussion with the community leaders in Tansoum village and from the meeting with PAFO and WCS Laos. There might still be some challenges for the Thai government to promote the recovery of the species at the site near the villages owing to negative attitudes toward crocodiles. However, this is not the issue at the current DNP’s priority site, i.e., Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary. We have learned that improving people’s attitudes to conserve the species may be possible through improving awareness and collaboration within and among communities like this remarkable community-led conservation project in Xe Champhone.”
Mr. Phaksouliya Phommatheth said “we are proud to have hosted a recent WCS team from Cambodia and now this official team from Thailand coming to learn from our project, based on our success in head-starting this species together with local communities. We thank the support received from our donors and the government of Lao PDR, to have enabled this success. In the future, we hope to continue building our regional collaboration on saving Siamese Crocodiles.”
This conservation program is part of the Ecosystem Conservation through Integrated Landscape Management in Lao PDR (ECILL) project, co-funded by the European Union and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and implemented by WCS Lao PDR in partnership with the Government of Lao PDR.