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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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(December 16, 2018)   -   On 15-16 October 2018 the Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area (NEPL NPA) welcomed H.E Dr. Mme. Souvanpheng BOUPPHANOUVONG, the Minister to Prime Minister’s Office.

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(October 12, 2018) Over 50 countries have adopted the London 2018 declaration committing to action to protect endangered species around the globe, with more expected to sign today and in the coming days.On top of the high-level international agreement, a number of countries will also pledge individual commitments to stamp out the abhorrent trade. These will be added and published over the coming weeks and months to ensure momentum continues in this crucial area.Hosted by the UK government, the two-day ev...

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(September 19, 2018)   -   A Vietnamese businessman suspected of trafficking and trading in elephant ivory was recently arrested in Vientiane, police officers said.The raid was based on a verified tip-off and a report from a citizen about the suspected trafficking, said the Department of Combating Natural Resources and Environmental Crime (DCNEC) under the Ministry of Public Security.

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(May 31, 2018)   -   Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has issued an order to tighten regulations against hunting and trade of protected wildlife. Individuals or groups that breach the order are to be arrested and prosecuted.The PM issued the Order for Increased Stringency in Management and Inspection of Protected Wild Fauna and Flora, No. 05/PM, on 08 May this year. 

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(December 16, 2017) The Mekong region is a perfect storm - a source, transit route and final destination for many of the world’s most valuable and threatened wildlife species. This multi-million dollar trade significantly threatens the survival of endangered species including tiger, Asian and African elephant, and all rhino species, as well as pangolins - the most trafficked animal in the world. Illegal wildlife trafficking represents the third-largest illicit trade in the world, with an estimated value of up...

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(July 31, 2013) Plenty of forests but no species to call them home Vientiane Times, July 17, 2013 By Keoxomphou Sakdavong Laos is rich in natural resources and biodiversity, yet there is only the Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area (NEPL-NPA) which provides a suitable home for the country's many endangered species. NEPL-NPA is located across the three northern provinces of Huaphan, Luang Prabang and Xieng Khuang. It has a total area of 4,200 sq km and features 129 villages in eight districts. The N...

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(July 04, 2013) Vientiane Times, July 5, 2013 Nearly 100 officials from three northern provinces gathered in Luang Prabang province last week to discuss the sustainability of the Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area (NPA), regarded as one of the most important NPAs in Laos. The annual meeting, organised by the Ministry of National Resources and Environment with support from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Bank, aimed to review achievements and the future direction of the 420,000ha pro...

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(June 30, 2013) Manoeuvring a long-tail boat with a bamboo stick, a Khmu boatman, Mr Khounthone, pointed his headlight left and right, up and down to spot wildlife along the Nam Nern River. He was tracing the bushes and trees like a painter, colouring silhouettes on a grey canvas made by the pale moonlight. Everyone in the boat was silent, while gripping his or her flashlight and holding its switch like the trigger of a gun, ready to shoot. The only sounds came from birds and cicadas, and the cascading water a...

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