Nam Phui National Protected Area

Asia > Laos > Nam Phui National Protected Area

Summary

• White-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) are present in Nam Phui National Protected Area.
• The population size is unknown.
• The population trend is decreasing.
• The site has a total size of 1,912 km².
• Key threats to gibbons are forest fires, hunting and illegal pet trade.
• Conservation activities have focused on anti-poaching patrols.

Site characteristics

Nam Phui National Protected Area lies on the west bank of the Mekong, in Laos. It is one of the largest protected areas of the country, covering 1,912 sq.km (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). The area is covered with mixed deciduous and dry evergreen forests. The area still has native teak forests and many important hardwood species. There are 41 villages in and around the protected area. The site is home to a considerable number of Asian elephants, and it is the only place in Laos with a population of white-handed gibbons (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).

Table 1. Basic site information for Nam Phui National Protected Area

Area	1,912 km²
Coordinates
Designation	National Protected Area
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical dry forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

There are five main sites in Nam Phui where the presence of white-handed gibbons has been reported (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). These are in the southern part, in Phou Tong, Phou Dam/Phou Pu, Houy Saheun watershed, Phou Khaothong and Navene. Only one or two groups per site were estimated by local villagers in a 2010 interview survey (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). Overall, the population is very low and very scattered (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). Gibbon songs have not been heard in some parts of the site anymore for some years, indicating a population decline (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Nam Phui National Protected Area

Species	Year	Total number indiv. (95% CI)	Total number groups (95% CI)	Density ​​[groups/km²​] (95% CI)	Area	Method	Source	Comments	A.P.E.S. database ID
Hylobates lar	2010				Nam Phui National Protected Area	Interview survey and identification by songs	Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010

Threats

The main threats to gibbons at the site include forest fires and hunting. In addition, a newly built road crossing the site has resulted in increased wildlife hunting. The forest in northern Nam Phui has become severely degraded. Hunting gibbon infants for pets has also been reported (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Nam Phui National Protected Area

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development		Unknown
2. Agriculture & aquaculture		Unknown
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors	4.1 Roads & railroads	High		The site is bisected by a road that connects Ban Navene to Thongmixay District (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). The road has led to forest fragmentation and increased hunting (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).	Ongoing (2010)
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High		Hunting and capture of gibbon infants for illegal pet trade (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).	Ongoing (2010)
6. Human intrusion & disturbance		Unknown
7. Natural system modifications	7.1 Fire & fire suppression	High		Habitat loss due to forest fires (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).	Ongoing (2010)
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases		Unknown
9. Pollution		Unknown
10. Geological Events		Absent
11. Climate change & severe weather		Unknown
12. Other options		Absent

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

In comparison to other NPAs in the country, Nam Phui has good basic infrastructure (e.g. office building, large meeting room, dorms) and the number of staff is fairly adequate (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). The staff regularly patrol the area and investigate poachers and illegal loggers. Hunters have been fined and a number of chainsaws and timber have been confiscated. WWF's Elephant Conservation Project is helping improve staff capacity and supporting Nam Phui's activities (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Nam Phui National Protected Area

Category	Specific activity	Description	Year of activity
1. Residential & commercial development	Not reported
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	Not reported
3. Energy production & mining	Not reported
4. Transportation & service corridors	Not reported
5. Biological resource use	5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	The staff regularly patrol the area and investigate poachers and illegal loggers (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).	Ongoing (2010)
6. Human intrusion & disturbance	Not reported
7. Natural system modifications	Not reported
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases	Not reported
9. Pollution	Not reported
10. Education & Awareness	Not reported
11. Habitat Protection	Not reported
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	Not reported

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Due to a limited budget, there is a lack of conservation awareness raising activities, zoning management and other activities to ensure better support of the site’s management (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).

Table 5. Challenges reported for Nam Phui National Protected Area

Challenge	Source
Lack of financial means	Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Nam Phui National Protected Area

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Phiapalath, P. & Saisavanh, V. (2010). Gibbon surveys: Nam Phui National Protected Area and Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area. Online: https://www.iucn.org/sites/dev/files/import/downloads/gibbon_surveys_final_sep_12_2010.pdf

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 04/04/2022