WCS is supporting the Protected Area Management Section of Bolikhamxay Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in the creation of a new National Park, by combining two protected areas and two protection forests: Phou Sithone Endangered Species Conservation Area and Phou Chomvoy Provincial Protected Area and the Nam Chat Nam Pan Protection Forest which connects the two protected areas as well as the Nam Chouane Nam Xang Protection Forest, which is also the Biodiversity Offset Site to the Nam Ngiep 1 Power Project. These areas, situated in Central Laos along the border with Vietnam and covering an area of about 1,800 km2, will create a biodiversity corridor along the Annamite Mountains to connect Nakai Nam Theun and Hin Nam No National Parks with the Pù Mát National Park in Vietnam, to allow wildlife to move undisturbed.
The establishment of this National Park will enhance the preservation of the rich biodiversity and natural resources covering the Northern Annamite Mountain Range, which has been declared as one of the 200 most important ecoregions in the world, having amongst the highest concentrations of endemic species of any continental area in the world. The area is also well-known for its thriving Gibbon populations and is home to the elusive Saola, also called Spindlehorn or Asian Unicorn, one of the world’s rarest large mammals, a forest-dwelling bovine and native to the Annamite Mountain Range.
The process for the creation of a National Park in Lao PDR requires not only information about biodiversity and the state of the forest, but also informs about the socio-economic status of the communities living in the villages and along the proposed area.
Protected Areas support the surrounding local communities with Non-Timber Forest Products and water for agriculture and household consumption as well as regular water flow to the nearby hydropower plants. These are called Forest Ecosystem Services, which are vital for the villages living in and around protected areas and even further away.
The first of a series of biodiversity assessments in Nam Chat Nam Pan revealed the uniqueness of the area, with ecosystems not seen in the other parts of the Annamite Mountains. More assessments are following to provide more required information for the declaration of the entire area as a National Park.
This biodiversity program has received financial assistance from the Rainforest Trust working to protect the most threatened tropical forests, saving endangered wildlife through partnerships and community engagement.