Changes

Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park (previously two individual National Protected Areas: Nam Et and Phou Louey) is located in the north-east of Lao PDR (Laos) and is the second largest protected area in the country (over 500 square kilometers). Spanning ten districts across three provinces (Houaphan, Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang), the protected area is marked by steep mountainous topography, with elevation ranging from 336 to 2257 m. Nam Et-Phou Louey is remarkable for its rich wildlife biodiversity with a wide range of species, many endangered, including clouded leopards (''Neofelis nebulosa''), dholes (''Cuon alpinus''), northern white-cheeked gibbons (''Nomascus leucogenys''), Phayre's langur (''Trachypithecus phayrei''), sun bears (''Helarctos malayanus''), Asiatic black bears (''Ursus thibetanus''), Sunda pangolins (''Manis javanica''), Chinese pangolins (''Manis pentadactyla''), big-headed turtles (''Platysternon megacephalum''), impressed tortoise (''Manouria impressa''), oriental small-clawed otter (''Aonyx cinereus''), Burmese python (''Python bivittatus''), mainland serow (''Capricornis sumatraensis''), sambar deer (''Rusa unicolor''), Asian elephants (''Elephas maximus''), and Owston’s palm civet (''Chrotogale owstoni''). There are currently over 50 species of large mammal; of these there are over 20 species of carnivore (including 4 species of cats, 8 species of civet, 3 species of otter, and 2 species of bear), 8 species of primates, and 5 species of ungulate. There are 36 species of bats, over 20 species of reptiles and amphibians, and over 300 species of birds.

Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park (previously two individual National Protected Areas: Nam Et and Phou Louey) is located in the north-east of Lao PDR (Laos) and is the second largest protected area in the country (over 500 square kilometers). Spanning ten districts across three provinces (Houaphan, Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang), the protected area is marked by steep mountainous topography, with elevation ranging from 336 to 2257 m. Nam Et-Phou Louey is remarkable for its rich wildlife biodiversity with a wide range of species, many endangered, including clouded leopards (''Neofelis nebulosa''), dholes (''Cuon alpinus''), northern white-cheeked gibbons (''Nomascus leucogenys''), Phayre's langur (''Trachypithecus phayrei''), sun bears (''Helarctos malayanus''), Asiatic black bears (''Ursus thibetanus''), Sunda pangolins (''Manis javanica''), Chinese pangolins (''Manis pentadactyla''), big-headed turtles (''Platysternon megacephalum''), impressed tortoise (''Manouria impressa''), oriental small-clawed otter (''Aonyx cinereus''), Burmese python (''Python bivittatus''), mainland serow (''Capricornis sumatraensis''), sambar deer (''Rusa unicolor''), Asian elephants (''Elephas maximus''), and Owston’s palm civet (''Chrotogale owstoni''). There are currently over 50 species of large mammal; of these there are over 20 species of carnivore (including 4 species of cats, 8 species of civet, 3 species of otter, and 2 species of bear), 8 species of primates, and 5 species of ungulate. There are 36 species of bats, over 20 species of reptiles and amphibians, and over 300 species of birds.

Living inside or immediately adjacent to the park are 30,000 persons from 98 different communities, many in some of the poorest districts of the country. There is a long history of human settlement in and around the park, with local people relying heavily on natural resources for their subsistence. To balance the protection of biodiversity, and the needs of local communities, the protected area is split into 2 primary zones: the Total Protection Zone (TPZ), where strict conservation is the primary objective, and no activities or access are allowed without permission, and the Controlled Use Zone (CUZ), where many villagers practice agriculture and day to day village activities.

Living inside or immediately adjacent to the park are 30,000 persons from 98 different communities, many in some of the poorest districts of the country. There is a long history of human settlement in and around the park, with local people relying heavily on natural resources for their subsistence. To balance the protection of biodiversity, and the needs of local communities, the protected area is split into 2 primary zones: the Total Protection Zone (TPZ), where strict conservation is the primary objective, and no activities or access are allowed without permission, and the Controlled Use Zone (CUZ), where many villagers practice agriculture and day to day village activities.

While Nam Et-Phou Louey achieved its initial fame due to it containing the last population of tiger in Indochina (Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam); due to intensified international demand and encroachment of the park by large scale cattle grazing, this population was fully extirpated somewhere between 2014 and 2018 though the decline began earlier than that. In addition to tigers, over-hunting and cattle encroachment have also led to the extirpation of leopards (''Panthera pardus''), gaur (''Bos gaurus''), and nearly of elephants. The task of the park’s management unit is to discourage illegal market hunting and wildlife trade and cattle encroachment to prevent further species loss from the landscape. The strategy for doing so includes: ranger patrolling of the Totally Protected Zone and surrounding landscape, negotiating with local governments and communities for conservation outcomes, outreach campaigns to the surrounding communities, scientific monitoring of species of interest, land-use planning for surrounding communities, livelihood development of sustainable livelihood alternatives to market hunting and cattle encroachment, and eco-tourism.

While Nam Et-Phou Louey achieved its initial fame due to it containing the last population of tiger in Indochina (Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam); due to intensified international demand and encroachment of the park by large scale cattle grazing, this population was fully extirpated somewhere between 2014 and 2018 though the decline began earlier than that. In addition to tigers, over-hunting and cattle encroachment have also led to the extirpation of leopards (''Panthera pardus''), gaur (''Bos gaurus''), and nearly of elephants. The task of the park’s management unit is to discourage illegal market hunting and wildlife trade and cattle encroachment to prevent further species loss from the landscape. The strategy for doing so includes: ranger patrolling of the Totally Protected Zone and surrounding landscape, negotiating with local governments and communities for conservation outcomes, outreach campaigns to the surrounding communities, scientific monitoring of species of interest, land-use planning for surrounding communities, livelihood development of sustainable livelihood alternatives to market hunting and cattle encroachment, and eco-tourism.

The first detailed survey of Nomascus leucogenys in Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park was a fixed point triangulation density survey conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society during 2014- 2015 and estimated about 57 groups inhabited the surveyed area of 400 km2 in the western half of the park (Syxaiyakhamthor, K., et al. 2019).

The first detailed survey of Nomascus leucogenys in Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park was a fixed point triangulation density survey conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society during 2014- 2015 and estimated about 57 groups inhabited the surveyed area of 400 km2 in the western half of the park (Syxaiyakhamthor, K., et al. 2019).

From a more recent presence/absence survey, completed this year (2021), park management suspects that there were 65 groups detected during the survey period from 80 sampling points which were spread semi-randomly across the entire 5,000km2 extent of the population’s potential range. Potential habitat was selected from full canopy forest cover as determined by satellite imagery. The sampling points cover roughly 30% of this potential habitat. The greatest concentrations were unexpectedly found in the eastern half of the park, particularly in a location on the Nam Et river near the Vietnamese border. As a result, the Nam Et-Phou Louey Management Unit has needed to re-assess their protection strategy for the species in light of the facts that (a) the geographical spread of important concentrations of the species is much wider than originally thought, and (b) the greatest of these concentrations is outside the traditional extent of the park’s attention in the northwest of the park. It is possible, considering the many various areas of population concentration across the sizeable park, that Nam Et-Phou Louey contains one of the largest and most extensive populations of the species in the world. However, it exists at very low density.

From a more recent presence/absence survey, completed this year (2021), park management suspects that there were 65 groups detected during the survey period from 80 sampling points which were spread semi-randomly across the entire 5,000km2 extent of the population’s potential range. Potential habitat was selected from full canopy forest cover as determined by satellite imagery. The sampling points cover roughly 30% of this potential habitat. The greatest concentrations were unexpectedly found in the eastern half of the park, particularly in a location on the Nam Et river near the Vietnamese border. As a result, the Nam Et-Phou Louey Management Unit has needed to re-assess their protection strategy for the species in light of the facts that (a) the geographical spread of important concentrations of the species is much wider than originally thought, and (b) the greatest of these concentrations is outside the traditional extent of the park’s attention in the northwest of the park. It is possible, considering the many various areas of population concentration across the sizeable park, that Nam Et-Phou Louey contains one of the largest and most extensive populations of the species in the world. However, it exists at very low density.

The omnipresent primary direct threat to all fauna in Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park is opportunistic hunting. This is characterized by hunting with one or many of the following tools: home-made muskets, military or sporting style cartridge rifles, cable wire snares, and foothold traps. Hunting is entirely opportunistic; any large fauna observed is harvested if the opportunity is presented. Animals with higher market value are sold to locally-based dealers who transport bush meat (example: porcupine or muntjac meat) to provincial and district capital markets and restaurants and higher value animal parts (example bear gall bladders or pangolins) to international traffickers. Animals with low market value (squirrels for example) are consumed at home, though often these are sold as bushmeat as well. Gibbons do not have a high market value (though there are many examples of gibbons being traded and held as pets within Laos) but due to the opportunistic nature of the hunting will be shot when observed by hunters.

The omnipresent primary direct threat to all fauna in Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park is opportunistic hunting. This is characterized by hunting with one or many of the following tools: home-made muskets, military or sporting style cartridge rifles, cable wire snares, and foothold traps. Hunting is entirely opportunistic; any large fauna observed is harvested if the opportunity is presented. Animals with higher market value are sold to locally-based dealers who transport bush meat (example: porcupine or muntjac meat) to provincial and district capital markets and restaurants and higher value animal parts (example bear gall bladders or pangolins) to international traffickers. Animals with low market value (squirrels for example) are consumed at home, though often these are sold as bushmeat as well. Gibbons do not have a high market value (though there are many examples of gibbons being traded and held as pets within Laos) but due to the opportunistic nature of the hunting will be shot when observed by hunters.

Encroachment for cattle grazing and opium cultivation are primarily threats to Nam Et-Phou Louey fauna in that they encourage more opportunistic hunting inside the park's habitat; more persons encouraged to spend more time (armed) deeper inside the interior habitat. Additionally, however, these activities also degrade gibbon habitat by removing forest cover, primarily through annual burning. Similarly, roads built into the park are also primarily a threat in that they improve access to this type of unsustainable hunting.

Encroachment for cattle grazing and opium cultivation are primarily threats to Nam Et-Phou Louey fauna in that they encourage more opportunistic hunting inside the park's habitat; more persons encouraged to spend more time (armed) deeper inside the interior habitat. Additionally, however, these activities also degrade gibbon habitat by removing forest cover, primarily through annual burning. Similarly, roads built into the park are also primarily a threat in that they improve access to this type of unsustainable hunting.

Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park (NEPL NP) is located in some of the poorest districts in the country and is home to 100 communities and over 30,000 people who rely on its natural bounty for sustenance. Over-harvesting of wildlife and plants, agricultural encroachment, and potential mining and hydropower inside the totally protected zone of the NP threaten the long-term sustainability of the area to support its people. Lack of natural resource management systems in controlled use zones and low understanding among local people about conservation’s long-term benefits are undermining its sustainability. The challenge is, therefore, to develop management systems and build awareness among local people about conservation in order to improve the sustainable harvest of wild plants and animals for local use and provide local people with greater food security.

Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park (NEPL NP) is located in some of the poorest districts in the country and is home to 100 communities and over 30,000 people who rely on its natural bounty for sustenance. Over-harvesting of wildlife and plants, agricultural encroachment, and potential mining and hydropower inside the totally protected zone of the NP threaten the long-term sustainability of the area to support its people. Lack of natural resource management systems in controlled use zones and low understanding among local people about conservation’s long-term benefits are undermining its sustainability. The challenge is, therefore, to develop management systems and build awareness among local people about conservation in order to improve the sustainable harvest of wild plants and animals for local use and provide local people with greater food security.

The management unit of NEPL (NEPL MU) is a branch of the Lao PDR Department of Forestry (DOF) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and is supported by Wildlife Conservation Society's Lao PDR branch through technical support of activities and fundraising assistance. NEPL MU and WCS follow an integrated management approach that is underpinned by strong community engagement and participation. WCS trains and supports the NEPL MU to create a model for protected area management in the country. Key management components such as outreach and awareness, natural resource protection, biodiversity monitoring, community livelihoods development, and improved land use practices work in harmony to ensure a balanced more strategic approach to protected areas and landscape level conservation.

The management unit of NEPL (NEPL MU) is a branch of the Lao PDR Department of Forestry (DOF) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and is supported by Wildlife Conservation Society's Lao PDR branch through technical support of activities and fundraising assistance. NEPL MU and WCS follow an integrated management approach that is underpinned by strong community engagement and participation. WCS trains and supports the NEPL MU to create a model for protected area management in the country. Key management components such as outreach and awareness, natural resource protection, biodiversity monitoring, community livelihoods development, and improved land use practices work in harmony to ensure a balanced more strategic approach to protected areas and landscape level conservation.