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Siphone Phondaboutdy
Fisheries Officer
Siphone Phondaboutdy completed his Bachelor of Science Degree from the Department of Fisheries Science, Faculty of Agriculture at the National University of Laos. He then spent 5 years working as a fisheries technician for FISHBIO, before joining the WCS Savannakhet Landscape Team in 2020 as the landscape’s fisheries officer. Siphone has considerable expertise in fisheries monitoring, conservation, and governance including establishing community managed Fish Conservation Zones (FCZs). He has conducted fisheries and macroinvertebrate surveys across Lao and other SE Asian countries. Siphone believes that “Native fish diversity and abundance can be increased in Lao PDR through support for Community fisheries co-management (FCZs), restoration of fisheries habitat, and improving awareness of long-term benefits of fisheries conservation through collaboration with community and government stakeholders.”
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Somli Sivilay
Ecotourism Officer
Somli Sivilay is from the Khmu ethnic group and originally lived in a village at the entrance to the Nam Et-Phou Louey NPA. In 2017 he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in English at the Teacher Training College in Luang Prabang. While still studying, he worked in tourism in the private sector. After graduation, he returned to his hometown, and has worked for WCS as an Ecotourism Officer in Nam Et-Phou Louey NPA since 2018.
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Souchinda Phouangsouvanh
National Wildlife Health Surveillance Network Coordinator
Souchinda Phouangsouvanh completed her Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science at the National University of Laos in 2017, after that, she worked as an administration and finance assistant at the OIE-DLF Foot and Mouth Disease Control Project Funded by New Zealand based on Department of Livestock and Fisheries in Lao PDR for 2 years (August 2017 - September 2019). Then she now works as National Wildlife Health Surveillance Network Coordinator. Her work is on coordinating, facilitating and supporting the operating procedures for wildlife health surveillance in Lao PDR.
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Soudalath Phasavath
Office Manager
Soudalath started work with WCS Lao PDR in 2008 as an Administration Assistant and has since been promoted to Office Manager for the country program. Soudalath studied English for three years at Lao-America College and has undertaken a further English course at Vientiane College and an Administration course at TACDO Centre.
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Sounantha Bouxakittilath
Biodiversity Officer
Sounantha Boutxakittilath graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the National University of Laos after which she was a teacher of biology, biodiversity, and ecology at the University of Savannakhet. She then joined the WCS Savannakhet Landscape Program in 2020 as the Landscapes Biodiversity officer. Sounantha grew up in the heart of the Xe Champhone wetlands which has driven a lifelong passion for the wetlands birds, turtles, and critically endangered crocodiles, she believes that with increased community engagement and governance the wetlands biodiversity will greatly benefit.
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Sulisak Keosonexay
Livelihood program officer
Mr. Sulisak KEOSONEXAY graduated from the faculty of forestry, department of eco-tourism at the Dongdok University of Laos in 2017 and has been working for Wildlife Conservation Society ( WCS ) since 2019 on Livelihood improvement base in Nam Et-Phou Louey, National park.
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Thippachanh Philavong
Accounting Manager
Thippachanh Philavong has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Administration from Comcenter College, Laos and a Certificate as a Lao Certified Public Accountant from the Accounting Department of the Lao Ministry of Finance. She worked at Ernst and Young from 2005 to 2013 before moving to WCS in September 2015 as Accounting Manager. Her role is the monitoring and managing of expenditure, reporting, audits and quality control, and staff administration.
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vithaya sithinarongsy
Administrative Assistant
Vithaya Sithinarongsy graduated with a Bachelor of finance Degree from Donkhamxang after which he volunteered for the Savannakhet Provincial Agriculture and Forestry office’s Protected Area and Forest Protection Management Division. Vithaya joined the WCS Lao PDR Savannakhet team in 2020 as the program’s Driver and Administration assistant, a role which sees him assisting on many tasks from inputting fisheries sample data to measuring crocodile hatchlings, Vitaya helps the Savannakhet Team in many ways.
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Vongsavanh Douangchantha
Community Engagement Officer
joined WCS Lao PDR Savannakhet Landscape team in 2020 as the Community Engagement Officer. Vongsavanh received a Bachelor degree in Agriculture and Forestry from Dongkhamchang Agricultural and Forestry Technical College. His work in community livelihood engagement started in his own village, where he founded and led a mushroom production co-operative for several years after graduation. He has worked for numerous other rural livelihood projects leading work on food security, participatory land-use and livelihoods planning, WASH, and other topics. Vongsavanh believes “that it is important to raise awareness amongst communities on the benefits of natural resource management and biodiversity conservation to strengthen interest in more sustainable alternative income sources, leading to both improved livelihoods and local support for nature conservation”.
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