After a stopover in the humming riverside town of Pakse in Southern Laos, a team from IUCN and CEPF embarked on the first leg of our trip along a largely unpaved climb to Khamtue village. We were greeted by the district governor, adorned in a muted green Xout Lao, traditional attire often worn for special occasions. He walked us through a clearing where a crowd of community members gathered.
Those living along this stretch of the Mekong River reported declines in fish stock and diversity in recent years. The community shared that reviving fish populations is not only important for maintaining the health of the river, but also essential for sustaining the diet and livelihoods of this remote village. A fish conservation zone (FCZ) was recently set up, with support from WWF-Laos and funding from CEPF, to manage fishing and allow numbers to recover. This is essential along this part of the lower Mekong that has deep pools that provide refuge for fish to feed and breed.
Through this project, WWF-Laos has worked with more than 100 local community members, in villages across Thailand and Laos, to set up 13 FCZs covering over 75 hectares along the Mekong. Travelling with locals in a boat along the river, our team was able to see the conservation zone and discuss the successes and challenges of cross-border collaboration with Thailand. Lessons learned on introducing alternative livelihoods opportunities for women as well as patrol technology will continue to be documented and shared across the two countries to better protect their shared source of life.
After enjoying a meal prepared by the community, our team drove northward along the Mekong River and arrived at the mouth of the Xe Banghiang River – one of the last free flowing major tributaries of the Mekong River and an important habitat for the Endangered Giant Freshwater Stingray and Mekong Freshwater Stingray. We visited Kaengdon, one of the five villages where WWF-Laos is receiving support from IUCN and CEPF to raise awareness about these species and work with locals to protect habitats that are vital for their continued survival.
WWF-Laos is empowering communities to set up FCZs as well as equipping and training teams to monitor and report illegal fishing in the conservation zones. We sat down for a lively meeting with the villagers who play a vital role in the success of conservation efforts. Mr Bounpeng Xaiyavong, head of the community patrolling team, explained that the locals have noticed an increase in the number of fish since setting up the conservation zone. Others shared that seeing increasing fish populations has incentivised them to continue conservation efforts.
Following our meeting, we joined with members of the monitoring team on the banks of the mighty river running adjacent to the village. Once aboard their narrow boats, the engines fired to life and we set off downstream towards the conservation zone, coming across fishermen returning with their daily catch, and small garden beds growing fresh herbs and vegetables. We stopped off along the sand banks to see the important feeding habitats for stingrays and other fish, that lined the river’s edge.
Meet members of the community patrol team who are actively monitoring the conservation zone and protecting endangered fish species, including the stingray
After a debrief with the WWF-Laos team, we journeyed further north to Savannakhet province, arriving at Tamsoum village near the Xe Champhone Ramsar site, where there is a recovering population of the Critically Endangered Siamese Crocodile. Here, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have been working with the local communities for over a decade to conserve the species and improve management of the complex network of rivers, small forest pools and oxbow lakes which provide valuable water and food resources.
During the breeding season, community members monitor the wetlands for crocodile nests. Once a nest is found, the eggs are collected and carefully transported to the village for continued incubation and monitoring. If eggs are left in the wild, they are susceptible to being eaten by other animals or being lost by a large storm or flood.
Once hatched, the young crocodiles are transferred to a facility in the village where they are cared for by the locals for the first 32 months. “Protecting them means our children and grandchildren can see them in the future, so I’m happy,” Mr Phon Keokaisone, one of the longest serving crocodile caretakers at the village, shared. 115 crocodiles have been successfully released back into the surrounding wetland, where they’re closely monitored by the locals and WCS Laos.
Early the next morning, we joined the community members as they expertly paddled their slim boats silently across the wetlands to visit oxbow lakes where crocodiles nest. Locating crocodiles and their nests amongst the twisting network of habitats in the wetlands is challenging, but new technologies are becoming more accessible and cost effective. WCS uses drones equipped with cameras to monitor the crocodiles and assess how they use different habitats during seasonal changes.
Sounantha Boutxakittilath, WCS’s Biodiversity Officer, shares how they’re working with the locals to protect Siamese Crocodiles
Xe Champhone wetland is also home to an abundance of bird species that breed in the floodplains, as well as the Southeast Asian Softshell Turtle. In Dondeng village, an hour’s drive from the crocodile facility, WCS is working with communities on a similar population recovery programme for this turtle species.
After days traveling along the rivers, we journeyed back to the capital, to meet the team from the Saola Foundation who are leading a crack team of local and international experts to find one of the world’s rarest mammals. Last seen on a camera trap in 2013, Saolas are on the brink of extinction with only 100 individuals estimated remaining in the wild. Urgent efforts are needed to locate and conserve them.
The Saola Foundation field team will mount an unprecedented two-year intensive search surveying the dense forest of the Annamite Mountain range in Laos to track down the Saola through DNA testing. Among the team members are also two working dogs who will be trained to detect dung from hoofed mammals that is then tested for Saola DNA. The Saola Foundation is the first organisation in Laos to use a rapid DNA testing platform to test samples in the field with already over 240 dung samples tested. Their process will not only provide vital information about the behaviour and ecology of the Saola, but also provide important insights about other ungulates in the landscape.
During a visit to their office in Vientiane, we took a tour to walk around their lab to see the intricate DNA testing of ungulate dung in hopes of tracing the Saola. The Foundation will start their search in March 2025, continually adapting their process as they learn more about the Saola.
Why missions like this are important
CEPF and IUCN invest in organisations that work to protect globally threatened species and empower communities to play an active role in conservation. “These visits are an important part of how we monitor the progress and impact of grant funded projects, but they are equally important opportunities to advise and support partners as we jointly seek to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems that are essential for our well-being,” noted Alex McWilliam, Regional Coordinator, Species and Habitats, IUCN Asia. We left with a renewed sense of hope that, equipped with the right tools and information, local communities are striving daily to protect the region’s most vital ecosystem.
IUCN, as the Regional Implementation Team, will continue working with CEPF to equip local organisations and communities with the tools to protect biodiversity across the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.
