WWF - Life in Lao PDR

Emerging hope for the critically endangered Mekong dolphins

2009-11-20

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – His Excellency Nao Thuok, Director General of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, recently hosted an informal meeting of national and international experts to discuss urgent conservation actions for the critically endangered Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin.

“It is time for all of us to think carefully about how to conserve and recover this increasingly small population of Mekong dolphins. Today is an important step toward building an urgent recovery plan,” said H.E Nao Thuok in his opening statement to the informal meeting at the Fisheries Administration headquarters on October 28.
The Mekong River population of Irrawaddy dolphins has been declining since the mid 1970s. A 2008 Fisheries Administration and WWF study estimates about 70 Irrawaddy dolphins remain in the river, and there is evidence to suggest this population is in danger of extinction.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, in August of this year, the Cambodian Government approved a Sub-decree listing the Mekong dolphin among 58 endangered species protected under Cambodian law. However, despite such progress by the Cambodian Government to conserve and protect the dolphins, additional conservation measures are still urgently needed.

“The Mekong River dolphin is a revered species and an important part of the natural heritage of Cambodia. Its disappearance would represent a tragic loss,” said Dr Randall Reeves, Chairman of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Cetacean Specialist Group, and spokesperson for the international expert panel.

“Our best chance of saving this iconic species from extinction is through joint conservation action,” said Seng Teak, Director of WWF Cambodia. “WWF is committed to continuing work with the Fisheries Administration and the Dolphin Commission on an immediate conservation plan.”

During the meeting, local and international experts presented population and mortality studies on the species, in addition to discussing lessons learned from the extinction of the Baiji dolphin in China.

“If you don’t move quick enough your population will be gone,” said Professor Wang Ding from the Institute of Hydrobiology in The Chinese Academy of Sciences during his presentation on the demise of the Baiji dolphin.

The Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin is ranked as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, and CITES Appendix 1, the highest international forms of threat ranking for endangered species.

The panel of national and international experts put forward key recommendations for immediate conservation action these include, improved enforcement of fishery regulations in collaboration with local communities, data sharing and the quick examination of any dolphin carcasses to determine cause of death.

Participants in the informal meeting included representatives from the Fisheries Administration, Kratie and Stung Treng provincial fisheries authorities, The Mekong River Commission, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Zoological Society of London, the California Marine Mammal Centre, the United States National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, IUCN, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and WWF.

Forests fundamental to effective climate deal

2009-10-25

Buenos Aires, Argentina – The world’s ability to control climate change could be crippled if global leaders do not support clear and effective targets to arrest deforestation at climate talks in Copenhagen in December, WWF said at the conclusion of a key global foresty summit.

As the XIIIth World Forestry Congress finished Friday, WWF called for an ambitious and bold climate deal at Copenhagen to give clear guidance and incentives for the forestry sector to do its part in stopping catastrophic climate change and adapt to predicted changes.

“Setting immediate deforestation targets is a key component of any climate change agreement,” said Rodney Taylor, Director of WWF International’s Forest program.

“If the global deal on climate change ignores the dangers of unchecked deforestation, it will set the world on an accelerated path to savage climate change.”

Despite conservation efforts, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate – 13 million hectares per year, or 36 football fields a minute. It generates almost 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and halting forest loss has been identified as one of the most cost-effective ways to keep the world out of the danger zone of runaway climate change.

To this end, WWF during the Congress proposed a global target of zero net deforestation by 2020 to avoid runaway climate change and stop the current catastrophic trend of species loss.

“A zero net deforestation by 2020 target will set the scale and urgency needed to gather the political will to stop forest loss,” Taylor said.

WWF will continue to advocate for a strong deforestation target to be included in all other relevant international treaties and agreements, including in the Convention on Biological Diversity.

In Copenhagen, negotiators need to agree to strong financial and emissions reduction commitments to craft a climate deal that enables developing countries to halt forest loss.

“WWF received strong feedback at the Congress from various sectors, including governments, other NGOs, and the private sector to support our target on deforestation,” said Gerald Steindlegger, WWF International’s Forest Manager on Global Policy.

Many developing countries already are adopting major deforestation policies that mirror WWF’s call for zero net deforestation by 2020.

On Wednesday, government representatives from Argentina and Paraguay pledged during a special ceremony co-hosted by WWF and its partner organization Fundacion Vida Silvestre at the Congress to work towards zero net deforestation in the Atlantic Forest, and to implement a package of measures that include national legislation to enforce those commitments.

The Atlantic Forest initially spanned 500,000 square kms, shared between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. However, only 7.4 percent of the forest is left today – or about 35,000 square kilometers, making it one of the most threatened and fragmented subtropical forests in the world.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian government already has established a zero deforestation target by 2010 for the Atlantic Forest. Brazil also has pledged to establish protected areas covering at least 10 percent of the forest.

This year, the World Forestry Congress brought together more than 4,000 participants in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

First rattan association of Cambodia, a step to sustainable rattan industry

2009-10-01

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Eleven rattan small and medium enterprise owners and other community rattan processors from Phnom Penh and provinces meet on September 28th to officially form Cambodia’s first rattan association. The agenda will focus on election of a management committee and discussion over conditions and roles of current and future memberships.

"While the association is perceived by members as creating space and opportunity for key actors in the rattan production chain to meet and work together, this institutional initiative is described as a fundamental first step to achieve the goal of maintaining sustainable rattan production and supply. We are delighted to support this project and this activity in particular," said the representative of the European Commission's Delegation in Phnom Penh.

“The formation of the rattan association is critical to ensure understanding of community suppliers, processors and traders about the need to maintain sustainable supply of rattan for clean and better production,” said Mr Lip Cheang, a founder of the rattan association and owner of Kampuchea Samay Thmei rattan factory.

Fast growing economies elsewhere in the region are motivating rapid expansion of processing activities leading to demand for rattan resource at an unsustainable level. There is urgent need to establish a model of sustainable production that can support continuous growth of rattan in forests, while maintaining seasonal harvesting and sustainable supply.

“This is the right time for moving forward with concrete actions that help the development of rattan industry of Cambodia if the country is to export clean and high quality products into international markets, while continuing to sustainably manage rattan resource in forest,” said Mr Ou Ratanak, Rattan Project Manager from WWF.

The rattan association will first of all put a legal identity to a group of rattan suppliers and processors. Such an identity is important for the recognition of their action and goal by national and international societies.

“As a legally established entity, we can make our voice heard when we need support from the Government, for instance, with coordination from WWF and NGO partners, we will meet and dialogue with relevant ministries to obtain licence for our business so that we can legally export our products in the future,” Mr Lip Cheang said.

One of the operational objectives of the association is to also provide Cambodian processors with new knowledge and experience related to rattan, processing techniques, trade and markets. This will be the key learning platform and guide for them to improve their processing and product quality.

“The project identified that processors and exporters are not familiar with using the environmentally-friendly production techniques and that there is lack of understanding about international market requirements,” Mr Ratanak said.

“Limited skill to creatively diversify design and style also refrain Cambodian products from being competitive in the international market,” he added.

WWF is working with Institute for Environmental Science and Technology based in Hanoi and Artisans Association of Cambodia to improve the current non environmentally friendly production practices of rattan as such: wasteful use of rattan during processing, poor grading and storing as well as chemical use, which has negative impacts on the environment and therefore affects the product quality.

“One of the project’s major objectives, funded by European Union, is to engage small and medium enterprises in Cleaner Production, which aim at introducing proper techniques for processing activities to ensure a system of quality assurance,” said Mr Thibault Ledecq, Rattan Programme Manager from WWF.

For more information, contact:
asnarith.tep@wwfgreatermekong.org

Toothless laws encourage rising demand for pangolin

2009-07-14

Singapore - Rising demand for pangolins, mostly from mainland China, compounded by lax laws is wiping out the unique toothless anteaters from their native habitats in Southeast Asia, according to a group of leading pangolin experts.

Illegal trade in Asian pangolin meat and scales has caused the scaly anteaters to disappear from large swathes of Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR, concluded a panel of experts whose findings were announced today by the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC.

China has a long history of consuming pangolin as meat and in traditional medicine, the report states. Due to continual demand and the decreasing Chinese wild population, in the past few years pangolin smuggling from Southeast Asia has resulted in great declines in these producing countries wild populations, as well.

Although the animals are protected under national legislation in all Asian range states, and have been prohibited from international trade through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 2002, this legislation is having little impact on the illicit trade.

Pangolins are the most frequently encountered mammals seized from illegal traders in Asia, and are highly unusual in not possessing teeth.

Pangolins, like the laws designed to protect them, lack bite, commented Chris R. Shepherd, Acting Director for TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

Pangolin populations clearly cannot stand the incessant poaching pressure, which can only be stopped by decisive government-backed enforcement action in the region.

According to pangolin hunters and traders, there are so few pangolins left in forests throughout Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR, they are now sourcing animals from their last remaining strongholds in Southeast Asia and beyond.

Recent large seizures back up these reports. They include 24 tonnes of frozen pangolins from Sumatra, Indonesia, seized in Viet Nam, and 14 tonnes of frozen animals seized in Sumatra in 2008. There have also been recent instances of African pangolins seized in Asia.

Pangolins save us millions of dollars a year in pest destruction, says Dr Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. These shy creatures provide a vital service and we cannot afford to overlook their ecological role as natural controllers of termites and ants.

The key to tackling the pangolin crisis is better enforcement of existing national and international laws designed to protect pangolins, better monitoring of the illegal trade, and basic research to find where viable pangolin populations still exist and whether ravaged populations can recover given adequate protection, according to the report.

The experts on pangolins included scientific researchers, government law enforcement officers from most Asian pangolin range States, CITES Management and Scientific Authorities and animal rescue centres, who convened at a workshop hosted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore at the Singapore National Zoo.

TRAFFIC's work on pangolins was supported by National Geographic and Sea World Bucsh Gardens.

Toothless laws encourage rising demand for pangolin

2009-07-14

Singapore - Rising demand for pangolins, mostly from mainland China, compounded by lax laws is wiping out the unique toothless anteaters from their native habitats in Southeast Asia, according to a group of leading pangolin experts.

Illegal trade in Asian pangolin meat and scales has caused the scaly anteaters to disappear from large swathes of Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR, concluded a panel of experts whose findings were announced today by the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC.

"China has a long history of consuming pangolin as meat and in traditional medicine," the report states. "Due to continual demand and the decreasing Chinese wild population, in the past few years pangolin smuggling from Southeast Asia has resulted in great declines in these producing countries wild populations, as well."

Although the animals are protected under national legislation in all Asian range states, and have been prohibited from international trade through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 2002, this legislation is having little impact on the illicit trade.

Pangolins are the most frequently encountered mammals seized from illegal traders in Asia, and are highly unusual in not possessing teeth.

"Pangolins, like the laws designed to protect them, lack bite," commented Chris R. Shepherd, Acting Director for TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

"Pangolin populations clearly cannot stand the incessant poaching pressure, which can only be stopped by decisive government-backed enforcement action in the region."

According to pangolin hunters and traders, there are so few pangolins left in forests throughout Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR, they are now sourcing animals from their last remaining strongholds in Southeast Asia and beyond.

Recent large seizures back up these reports. They include 24 tonnes of frozen pangolins from Sumatra, Indonesia, seized in Viet Nam and 14 tonnes of frozen animals seized in Sumatra in 2008. There have also been recent instances of African pangolins seized in Asia.

"Pangolins save us millions of dollars a year in pest destruction," says Dr Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. "These shy creatures provide a vital service and we cannot afford to overlook their ecological role as natural controllers of termites and ants."

The key to tackling the pangolin crisis is better enforcement of existing national and international laws designed to protect pangolins, better monitoring of the illegal trade, and basic research to find where viable pangolin populations still exist and whether ravaged populations can recover given adequate protection, according to the report.

The experts on pangolins included scientific researchers, government law enforcement officers from most Asian pangolin range states, CITES Management and Scientific Authorities and animal rescue centres, who convened at a workshop hosted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore at the Singapore National Zoo.

TRAFFIC’s work on pangolins was supported by National Geographic and Sea World Bucsh Gardens.

Please note:
There are four species of pangolin in Asia; Thick-tailed Pangolin Manis crassicaudata, Philippine Pangolin M. culionensis, Sunda Pangolin M. javanica and Chinese Pangolin M. pentadactyla.

All pangolins in illegal trade are wild-sourced as they cannot be captive bred on a commercial scale.

In the wild, pangolins breed slowly, producing just one young at a time, making populations particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation.

For further information:
Elizabeth John, Senior Communications Officer, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia
jlizzjohn@yahoo.com, Tel: +603 7880 3940

Richard Thomas, Global Communications Co-ordinator, TRAFFIC
Richard.thomas@traffic.org, +44 1223 279068

Sarah Horsley, Media Relations Officer, IUCN
sarah.horsley@iucn.org, +41 22 999 0127

Sarah Janicke, Species Communications Manager, WWF International
sjanicke@wwfint.org, +41 79 528 8641

About TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of IUCN and WWF.

www.traffic.org

About IUCN
IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges.

IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.

IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,000 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 60 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world.

www.iucn.org

Mekong dolphins on the brink of extinction

2009-06-18

The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) population inhabits a 190km stretch of the Mekong River between Cambodia and Lao PDR. Since 2003, the population has suffered 88 deaths of which over 60 percent were calves under two weeks old. The latest population is estimated between 64 and 76 members.

“Necropsy analysis identified a bacterial disease as the cause of the calf deaths. This disease would not be fatal unless the dolphin’s immune systems were suppressed, as they were in these cases, by environmental contaminants,” said Dr Verné Dove, report author and veterinarian with WWF Cambodia.

Researchers found toxic levels of pesticides such as DDT and environmental contaminants such as PCBs during analysis of the dead dolphin calves. These pollutants may also pose a health risk to human populations living along the Mekong that consume the same fish and water as the dolphins.

“These pollutants are widely distributed in the environment and so the source of this pollution may involve several countries through which the Mekong River flows. WWF Cambodia is currently investigating the source of the environmental contaminants,” said Dr Dove.

High levels of mercury were also found in some of the dead dolphins. Mercury, suspected to be from gold mining activities, directly affects the immune system making the animals more susceptible to infectious disease.

“A trans-boundary preventative health programme is urgently needed to manage the disease affected animals in order to reduce the number of deaths each year,” said Seng Teak, Country Director of WWF Cambodia.

Limited genetic diversity due to inbreeding was another factor in the dolphin deaths.

“The Mekong River dolphins are isolated from other members of their species and they need our help. Science has shown that if the habitat of cetaceans is protected then populations can show remarkable resilience,” said Mr Teak.

The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin has been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 2004.

Governments take action to protect Mekong giant

2009-06-18

The Governments of Lao PDR and Thailand have declared an early end to the 2009 Mekong giant catfish fishing season in an effort to protect the critically endangered species.

The Mekong giant catfish is one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, measuring up to 3 metres in length and up to 350 kilograms in weight.

The decision by authorities in Bokeo province, Laos, and Chang Rai province, Thailand, to ban fishing was taken to allow wild stocks of the species time to recover from two decades of unsustainable fishing pressure. This decision also supports the implementation of the Aquatic Animals and Wildlife Law of Lao PDR, which lists the Mekong giant catfish as an endangered species in need of protection.

“This is an important step in the right direction,” said Trang Dang Thuy, Mekong Ecoregion Coordinator with WWF Greater Mekong. “If this immense species is to survive all of the Mekong states must act together to better manage and protect the species and its critical spawning habitat,” she said.

This year’s giant catfish fishing season was due to run from April 24th to May 27th, however, policy makers in Bokeo province restricted Lao fishermen from participating in the hunt. The Bokeo Governor office then sent a letter to the Chiang Rai Governor office requesting Thailand’s cooperation. In response, Thailand stopped fishing for the Mekong giant catfish on May 7th, three weeks prior to the official end of the season.

Prior to the request, a female giant catfish weighing approximately 230 kg was captured by fishermen from Hat Krai village in Chiang Rai. This was the only catch reported during the 2009 season.

“The Mekong giant catfish is a part of Lao and Thai culture and if we want future generations to enjoy it, we need to stop fishing now. If the Mekong giant catfish becomes extinct, this fishing custom that has been passed from generation to generation, for hundreds of years, will disappear,” said Bounthong Sapakdy, Head of the Fisheries Division of the Lao Department of Livestock and Fisheries.

WWF and the Mekong River Commission and have been working with the communities and government agencies of Lao PDR and Thailand to develop trans-boundary management practices and policy for this globally important species.

“WWF is working with Thai Department of Fisheries to try and pinpoint the Mekong giant catfish spawning sites. If the spawning sites are located then they can be protected and these Mekong giants will have a better chance of recovering,” said Yangyong Sricharoen, Mekong giant catfish project manger for WWF Thailand.

Very little is known by science about the ecology or migration behaviour of the species, which is under increasing pressure from numerous threats. Estimates state there are only a few hundred – or less – of these Mekong giants left in the wild.

The Mekong giant catfish has been declining rapidly in numbers over the years. The Mekong River Commission says that more research needs to be conducted into the potential consequences of proposed hydropower schemes along the mainstream of the Mekong, especially in the lower part of the basin where dams could endanger the Mekong giant catfish further by acting as barriers to fish migration.

“If a single one of the proposed Mekong mainstream dams are constructed it will block the migration pathway of migratory fish like the Mekong giant catfish, effectively separating the fragile population into separate groups above and below the dam,” continued Trang Dang Thuy.

“This would have serious consequences for the Mekong ecosystem, with knock-on impacts on the livelihoods and food security of 60 million people dependent on the river's fishery,” she said.

The Mekong giant catfish is listed as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List, the highest degree of threat listing before a species becomes extinct in the wild. The species is also protected by national legislation in both Thailand and Lao PDR.

WWF and the Lao Govt. sign an agreement to strengthen local park management

2009-05-02

A two year project for improving the Xe Pian National Protected Area management was signed today in Vientiane by WWF and the Champasak Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO). This project aims to improve the national park management system through training.

A memorandum of understanding ceremony was held at the Department of Forestry office, chaired by Thongphat, the Deputy Director General of Department of Forestry and attended by WWF staff, Xe Pian National Protected Area’s head, the head of Champasak Division of Forestry, representative of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other concerning government agencies.

“This project is intended to strengthen the capacity of the PAFO to manage the protected areas and wildlife conservation. The project will work closely with the government of Laos to improve the management of Xe Pian National Protected Area,” said Pachith Noraseng, Deputy Director of the Champasak PAFO at the signing ceremony.

The aim of this project is by the end of 2010, people within six villages will be aware of the importance of national park biodiversity and its services, and the forestry staff of two districts will be well experienced on the proper national park management system.

The project will serve to develop opportunities for other national parks in the southern Laos by conducting preliminary surveys and by involving staff in training to gain skills, knowledge and experience in protected area management, he further explained.

Xe Pian National Protected Area is located in the far south of Laos in Champasak and Attapeu Provinces. Its geography is hilly lowland with extensive areas of flat lands. The Xe Pian National Protected Area includes a variety of habitat types making a mosaic of semi-evergreen forest, mixed deciduous forests and wetlands.

Xe Pian National Protected Area, with an area of 240,000 ha, has been identified as one of the top three most important national protected areas in Laos both for biodiversity value and management priority.

Currently, many activities were conducted in Xe Pian National Protected Area. In 1993 wildlife surveys were carried out by IUCN and in 2005-2006, WWF conducted wildlife surveys and found dramatic declines in areas that previously had rich wildlife population accordingly the IUCN surveys.

Over the past two years, WWF in collaboration with the Champasak Provincial Tourism Agency conducted an ecotourism project in the Xe Pian National Protected Area. On offer are guided treks to local villages, forest walks to view wildlife, bird watching, and canoeing on wetlands. All activities benefit to local communities and national park.

“This is a bigger scale project for WWF to work in Xe Pian National Protected Area that will improve the Xe Pian management system. We hope that its success can be applicable to other national parks in Laos” said Roland Eve, the country director of WWF Greater Mekong – Laos Country Programme. It helps ensure wildlife and natural resources. It also supports sustainable local community livelihoods that mostly rely on its healthy natural resources, he further added.

This project is funded by WWF Switzerland and focuses on Pathoumphone and Kong Districts where the Xe Pian is located.

WWF and Lao Govt. sign an agreement to push for sustainable rattan industry

2009-04-22

A new plan for the sustainable production of rattan in Laos and the Mekong region was signed today in Vientiane by the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) and WWF.

The plan aims to achieve cleaner and more efficient production and to give rural communities and industries an economic incentive to conserve forests. By 2010 up to 40 villages in Laos will be working towards a greener management of rattan production and supporting sustainable livelihoods.

“This regional project contributes to the development of the rattan industry in the Lao PDR, where rattan resources have a big potential. It gives a unique opportunity to strengthen the national economy and promote the domestic rattan industry, said Dr Sananh Chounlamany, vice president of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at the signing ceremony in Vientiane, 21 April. A successful delivery can be a model for other sectors needing to modernize production to meet global market opportunities, he added.

The three year project forms the second phase of the initiative A Switch to Sustainable Rattan Harvest and Production Programme. The project´s first phase (2006-2008) implemented by National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) worked with six target villages and semi-processing factories in Lao PDR and Cambodia to establish a model for sustainable rattan harvest and supply.

“The project will demonstrate how sound environmental management can create a win-win situation for communities, businesses and the environment. By linking sustainable rattan harvesters and suppliers with credibly certified producers and responsible buyers, approximately 50,000 hectares of the Greater Mekong’s rattan-rich forests can be conserved said Roland Eve, country director WWF Laos programme.

Rattan are climbing palms (belonging to the Palm family) with tough stems is widely used for food, shelter and other products.The global rattan trade is estimated at US$ 4 billion. More than 50 species in Lao PDR form the basis of an extensive rattan-processing industry. Around 90 percent comes from natural forests.

“At the moment rattan resources are decreasing due to overexploitation. Methods for sustainable harvesting and cleaner production will provide long-term livelihoods for local peoples and make them good guardians of the forest, said Thibault Ledeecq, rattan programme manager at WWF´s Greater Mekong Programme.

The project - funded by the European Commission and the global furnishings company IKEA - will focus on the Bolikhamxay, Vientiane and Sekong provinces. Around 300 small and medium-sized enterprises across the Mekong region will be aware of the importance of cleaner production and at least 120 of these will have introduced concrete measures by the end of 2010.

WWF and Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV, started the first phase of WWFs rattan project in Sopphouan, a small village of almost 400 inhabitants outside Lak Sao in the province of Bolikhamxay

Tonginn Keomany, a 70-year-old Lao woman, is already counting the benefits. Like other farmers in the area, she depends mainly on family-based rice production and other small-scale crops.

“Rattan is good for food and handicrafts. I weave lots of useful things for the household”, said Mrs Tonginn, who added that she hopes the project will continue to be a success.

“Last year our village earned 8,500,000 kip (approximately 1000 USD) in additional income from rattan seedlings and rattan cane. This is an important contribution to the livelihood of farmers, said Sonephet Keomany, 43 years, headman of Sopphouan village.

70 percent of rattan sales go to the village fund which contributes to a local school and health service — and 30 per cent goes to the individual members. They are also able to take out micro loans at a 2 percent interest rate from the fund.

To secure a long term use of the resource, the villagers have started nurseries and plantations, which they proudly show to visitors. This bold initiative entails an entirely new way of thinking and requires careful long-term planning.

“Now we have successfully identified key rattan species and are developing a viable model for sustainable management. A forest protected area with pilot research plots have been set up and we have provided rattan handicrafts training in the village, said Bouaphet Bounsourath, project manager from WWF in Lao PDR who works closely with the villagers.

“This is a different way of doing things and it changes everything. Earlier there was no control and only poorly implemented forest management”, he added.

Rattan program protects Greater Mekong forests, boosts local economies

2009-03-23

A new sustainable rattan program recently launched by WWF will help save the remaining forests of the Greater Mekong Region – while benefiting communities and pumping up local economies.

Rattan is widely used for food, furniture and other products and traded extensively across the region, in the European Union and worldwide markets.

Tonginn Keomany, a 70-year-old Lao woman who lives in the village of Sopphouan on the Vietnamese border is already counting the benefits from the first trial phase of the innovative program.

Like other farmers in the area, she depends mainly on family-based rice production and other small-scale crops to feed her family.

“Rattan is good for food and handicrafts,” said Tonginn, who added that she hopes the project will continue to be a success. “I weave lots of useful things for the household.”

The program, A switch to sustainable harvest rattan production and supply launched on 5 March in Hanoi, Vietnam, and will benefit many more villagers.

The program aims to achieve cleaner and more efficient production of rattan by reducing the use of pollutants in its production, making the supply chain of rattan more efficient so less is wasted, and encouraging its sustainable use in Greater Mekong forests.

This in turn will improve the production of rattan and give communities, governments and industries an economic incentive to conserve forests.

By 2010 it is expected that up to 100 villages in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam will be working towards a greener and sustainable management of rattan production.

The sustainable rattan program is part of ongoing WWF efforts during the last three years to establish a community based network for sustainable rattan harvesting in six villages in Laos and Cambodia.

Many villages in the Greater Mekong Region rely on the rattan trade which accounts for 50 percent of their total cash income, making this a major contributor to poverty alleviation in rural areas.
“We have successfully identified key species of rattan and are now in the process of developing a viable model for sustainable rattan management,” said Bouaphet Bounsourath, the rattan project manager in Laos. “This model includes the creation of seedling nurseries, plantations, pilot research plots as well as hands-on training in handicraft manufacture

“We have helped the villagers to organise themselves and also established protected areas in the forest.

“This makes a big difference. Previously there was no control and poorly implemented forest management.”

Under the new program, 70 percent of rattan sales go to a village fund which contributes to improving the local school and health services. Thirty percent goes to the individual villagers, who also can take out micro loans at a 2 percent interest rate from the fund.

“Last year our village earned 8,500,000 kip (approximately 1,000 USD) in additional income from rattan seedlings and rattan cane,” said 43-year-old Sonephet Keomany, the head of Sopphouan village.

Over the last three years, the pilot WWF-IKEA Sustainable Rattan Harvesting and Production Project (2006-2009) has worked in two countries and among six villages, demonstrating that community management can result in sustainable production and marketing of rattan.

The second phase of the program is being funded by the European Union with co-financing from the international furnishings company IKEA and the German development finance institution DEG.

“Another big win will be that an increased number of rattan processing companies will deliver environmentally friendly products to Europe and other worldwide markets,” said Thibault Ledecq, regional rattan program manager.

Stronger push for sustainable rattan production in the Greater Mekong region gives new hope to the forests

2009-03-05

Hanoi, Vietnam: A new program for sustainable production of rattan in the Greater Mekong region was launched today. It aims to achieve cleaner and more efficient production and give communities, governments and industries an economic incentive to conserve forests. By 2010 up to 100 villages in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam will be working towards a greener and sustainable management of rattan production.

“We are delighted to support this project which will benefit consumers, industry and the environment alike. It aims to mitigate negative impact of rattan production on humans and the local environment, but if we are to succeed all stakeholders in Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam must work together transparently,” says the representative of the European Commission's delegation in Hanoi.

The European Union finances 80 percent of the programme’s total budget of 2.4 million euros, with co-financing from the international home-products retailer IKEA and the German development finance institution DEG.

The global rattan trade is estimated at USD 4 billion. More than 50 species of rattan in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam form the basis of an extensive rattan-processing industry. Vietnam exports almost 60 percent of all finished rattan products to the European Union. However, much of the pre-processing taking place in Cambodia and Lao PDR poses serious health risks to the workers, and the methods used cannot compete in the global market. Many villages rely on the rattan trade which accounts for 50 percent of their total cash income, making this a major contributor to poverty alleviation in rural areas.

“At the moment rattan resources are decreasing because of overexploitation. The implementation of sustainable harvesting and cleaner production will provide long-term livelihood security to local people. It makes them good stewards and guardians of the forest,” says Thibault Ledecq, rattan programme manager at WWF´s Greater Mekong Programme.

By the end of the project at least 40 percent of targeted small and medium enterprises in the supply chain will be actively engaged in clean and safe manufacture of rattan products, and 15 percent will export sustainable and environmental friendly products to Europe and worldwide markets.

Media Contacts:

- Thibault Ledecq, WWF rattan program manager
   Mobile Vietnam: + 84 122 862 887

- Hoang Thi Minh Hong, WWF Greater Mekong, Communications Manager
   Mobile in Vietnam: +84 90 3403686

- Marie von Zeipel, Senior Press Officer, WWF Sweden
   Mobile in Lao PDR: +856 0207424166

More information:

Over the last three years, WWF-IKEA Sustainable Rattan Harvesting and Production Project (2006-2009) worked in two countries and with six villages. This pilot project demonstrated, through a community based model, that sustainable rattan resource management can go along with sustainable production and marketing.

Around 800 hectares of forest are under sustainable management with more than 60 households gaining economic benefit from the project. Increased knowledge of rattan and strengthened research capacity at national university level has been reached during the first phase of the project.

Based on the good results during the pilot project, the second phase is now being initiated. The programme is funded by the European Union with co-financing from the international home-products retailer IKEA and the German development finance institution DEG.

Elephants under threat as illegal ivory price soars in Viet Nam

2009-02-16

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Indochina’s few surviving elephants are under increasing threat from booming illegal ivory prices in Viet Nam, according to a new market analysis released today by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

An assessment of the illegal ivory trade in Viet Nam said Vietnamese illegal ivory prices could be the highest in the world, with reports of tusks selling for up to USD1500/kg and small, cut pieces selling for up to USD1863/kg.

Most of the raw ivory was said to originate from the Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic, with small amounts from Viet Nam and Cambodia.

“This is a worrying trend that indicates even more pressure is being put on already fragile Asian Elephant populations,” said Azrina Abdullah. Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

According to IUCN figures, no more than 1,000 elephants are believed to survive in Lao PDR, while in Viet Nam, fewer than 150 are believed to exist. In December 2008, TRAFFIC released a report that found evidence of widespread smuggling of live Asian Elephants and their ivory from Myanmar.

Mammoth ivory from Russia was also used in small quantities, but no African raw ivory was found, although it was still being illegally imported into Viet Nam up to at least 2004.

Trade in ivory was outlawed in Viet Nam in 1992, but a major loophole in the legislation exists because shops can still sell ivory in stock dating from the prohibition. This allows some shop owners to restock illegally with recently-made carved ivory.

In 2008, TRAFFIC surveyed 669 retail outlets across Viet Nam and found 73 (11%) selling a total of 2,444 ivory items. Whilst the scale of the ivory market was smaller than in previous surveys, there were signs of increasing demand and overall numbers of craftsmen had increased since 2001. Ho Chi Minh City had the most retail outlets (49) and ivory items (1,776), but Ha Noi, with only 10 outlets, had the highest number of craftsmen.

“Although fewer ivory items were seen in 2008 than in 2001, worked ivory is increasingly being sold directly to buyers through middlemen or on the Internet, bypassing retail outlets,” said Abdullah,

“Continued demand for illegal ivory is driving the prices so high,” explained Abdullah.

Recent seizures in and outside Viet Nam also suggest that most raw ivory is being supplied to China.

The main buyers of ivory were from China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) and Thailand, local Vietnamese, American-Vietnamese and Europeans, in that order.

“This insidious illegal trade is further threatening the highly endangered elephants of Asia and must be stopped,” said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of the Species Programme for WWF-International.

The report recommends that Viet Nam should comply with its obligations under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), particularly regarding the reporting of ivory seizures, that national regulations and their enforcement should be tightened and offenders prosecuted, and that ivory for sale in retail outlets should be confiscated by the government and destroyed.

The report also recommends better training for wildlife law enforcement officers and continued participation in the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) and similar initiatives that aim to control the illicit trafficking of ivory and other wildlife products in the region.

The investigation into ivory trade in Viet Nam was supported by WWF-Netherlands, and the publication of the report, An assessment of the illegal ivory trade in Viet Nam, was supported by the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation.

Greater Mekong a biological treasure trove: more than 1000 new species discovered in a decade

2008-12-15

Over a thousand new species have been discovered in the Greater Mekong Region of Southeast Asia in just the last decade, according to a new report launched by WWF.

First Contact in the Greater Mekong reports that among the 1068 species newly identified by science, between 1997 and 2007, were the world’s largest huntsman spider, with a leg span of 30 centimetres, and the startlingly hot pink coloured cyanide-producing “dragon millipede”.

While most species were discovered in the largely unexplored jungles and wetlands, some were first found in the most surprising places. The Laotian rock rat, for example, thought to be extinct 11 million years ago, was first encountered by scientists in a local food market, while the Siamese Peninsula pitviper was found slithering through the rafters of a restaurant in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand.

“This region is like what I read about as a child in the stories of Charles Darwin,” said Dr Thomas Ziegler, Curator at the Cologne Zoo. “It is a great feeling being in an unexplored area and to document its biodiversity for the first time… both enigmatic and beautiful,” he said.

The findings, highlighted in this report, include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, 4 birds, 4 turtles, 2 salamanders and a toad. The region comprises the six countries through which the Mekong River flows including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan. It is estimated thousands of new invertebrate species were also discovered during this period, further highlighting the region’s immense biodiversity.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Stuart Chapman, Director of WWF’s Greater Mekong Programme. “We thought discoveries of this scale were confined to the history books. This reaffirms the Greater Mekong’s place on the world map of conservation priorities.”

The report stresses economic development and environmental protection must go hand-in-hand to provide for livelihoods and alleviate poverty, and ensure the survival of the Greater Mekong's astonishing array of species and natural habitats.

“This poorly understood biodiversity is facing unprecedented pressure… for scientists, this means that almost every field survey yields new diversity, but documenting it is a race against time,” said Raoul Bain, Biodiversity Specialist from the American Museum of Natural History.

The report recommends what is urgently needed to protect the biodiversity of the region is a formal, cross-border agreement by the governments of the Greater Mekong.

“Who knows what else is out there waiting to be discovered, but what is clear is that there is plenty more where this came from,” said Chapman. “The scientific world is only just realizing what people here have known for centuries.”

Global Forest and Trade Network Workshop

2008-09-19

The first Global Forest and Trade Network-Laos (GFTN-Laos) workshop was held in Vientiane on September 16th by the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and WWF.

The workshop brought together timber sector stakeholders to explore the benefits of gaining Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification under GFTN-Laos membership.

The GFTN is a WWF initiative to eliminate illegal logging and timber trading and improve the management of valuable and threatened forests. The Lao PDR chapter of GFTN, GFTN-Laos, provide timber producers and processors with a framework within which they can achieve FSC certification and make trade links with a global network of responsible buyers, helping stimulate an economically bouyant and environmentally sound forest industry within Lao PDR.

GFTN General Director Richard McLellan travelled from Gland, Switzerland, for the workshop that was attended by representatives from the private sector including Burapha Ago-Forestry Co Ltd, Oji Lao Plantation Forest Co Ltd, and the ANZ Bank. The workshop drew upon the expertise and experience of the Sustainable Forestry and Rural Development (SUFORD) project, the Department of Forestry, the Department of Industry, the Lao National Wood Products Association, IUCN and WWF.

The GFTN-Laos workshop was one step toward achieving a strong and unified approach to tackling the rise in global forest trade in Lao PDR.

“We aim to find a path forward for sustainable forest management in a very important part of the world,” said Mr Mc Lellan speaking before the workshop.

Mr Mc Lellan described the issues facing Lao PDR as being similar to those of any country with large forest resources.

“There is a need to tackle unsustainable and illegal forest practice, and to strengthen institutional structures to ensure viable and sustainable Lao forest industry in the long-term,” he said.

The GFTN currently links more than 350 companies and entrepreneurs in more than 30 countries around the world. Members have annual forest products sales exceeding US $52.9 billion per year, and manage over 25.2 million hectares of forests in progress to certification. Key services of the GFTN to member companies include technical support and facilitation of trade links between companies committed to achieving and supporting responsible forestry.

World environment day - better early than wet

2008-06-08

This year, World Environment Day is scheduled on 5 June but teachers and students from WWF’s pilot Green Club Project came together in, Champassak Province, Lao PDR for an early celebration before the end of school term.

This year’s theme “Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy” recognises the growing importance of climate change. “Lao PDR is in a unique position to contribute to the world’s movement to curb climate change because of its large covering of forest. By sustaining forests and adopting more environmentally friendly practices, like not burning rubbish, we can help reduce carbon emissions,” said Somphone Bouasavanh, chief technical advisor for the Biodiversity Corridor Initiative (BCI) Project.

During the day, the students sang, played, and participated in drawing competitions led by energetic volunteers from the Participatory and Training Development Centre (PADETC). The teachers took the opportunity to share lessons learned from their first term running the club.

“Green Club’s goals match the Green School’s goal of the Ministry of Education. We support Green Club by assigning our staff to facilitate and implement activities,” said Orlahanh Xaisanpanya, director of the Pathoumphone District Education Office.

Paseuth Bouakeo, director of Pathoumphone High School, said, “We showed them how to plant trees so they can do by themselves at home. They are proud to be part of the World Environment Day.”

Green Club is an extracurricular environmental education programme that works in collaboration with PADETC, the Mobile Conservation Unit and the District Education Department to train teachers in environmental issues and hands-on teaching techniques to promote environmental awareness and stewardship among students. The project is supported by the Embassy of Finland and run as part of the BCI Project.

For more information, please contact:
Nicole Frisina
Communications Officer
WWF Greater Mekong - Lao PDR Country Programme
Tel: +856 21 216080
Email: nicole.frisina@wwfgreatermekon.org

Reducing deforestation: Lao PDR and carbon trading

2008-06-08

A new opportunity has developed for Lao PDR to be involved in the international carbon trading market. Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) was recently endorsed at the Conference of Parties 13th of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali to provide incentives for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation by providing finances for the sustainable development of forests and biodiversity conservation.

REDD is one of the key schemes under consideration for the second commitment period post Kyoto Protocol for reduction of greenhouse gasses that will aid around 20 developing countries to make credible estimates of their national forest carbon stocks and develop strategies to reduce deforestation and land degradation.

Lao PDR’s Department of Forestry has engaged various stakeholders, including WWF, to prepare Lao PDR’ proposal for inclusion in REDD. The country’s extensive national protected areas and protection forests provide a strong basis for initial REDD strategies as they encompass about 50 percent of national forest cover, requiring strengthened management capacity.

Under REDD, this country aims to raise public awareness of national and global benefits of participating in carbon trading. Land-use planning and titling programmes are stepping stones to engage village communities in emission reduction including the phasing out of slash-and-burn agriculture.

In Champassak Province, where WWF is engaged with Government and communities in the ADB funded Biodiversity Corridor Initiative (BCI), could potentially be a pilot area for the REDD initial development. The area has undergone extensive land-use planning and delineated areas of protection forest. Also potential is the conservation forest area within the XEFOR II Project site in Xekong Province. The creation of the Forest and Trade Network could play a role in REDD by ensuring sustainable forest management of production forests.

WWF’s experience and knowledge of protected area management will be critical in supportting Lao PDR’s government to implement REDD strategies. Strengthening protected area management at all levels, especially the inclusion of rural communities will be important to ensure a possible future commitment under REDD.

For more information, please contact:

Rob McWilliam
WWF-US
Tel: + 856 21 216080
Email: rob.mcwilliam@wwfgreatermekong.org

WWF participates in Third Greater Mekong Subregion Summit

2008-04-02

During the Third Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR from 30 to 31 March, 2008, Heads of State from Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam chart the region’s economic development and integration over the years ahead.

The Greater Mekong Subregion Summit was held on 30-31 March in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Heads of States from the six countries chart the region’s economic development and integration over the years ahead.
© WWF

The Greater Mekong Subregion Summit is not just any meeting. This is a triennial event where government leaders decide on major issues—infrastructure, trade and markets among others—that are fast changing the region as we know it.

At the Third GMS Summit, new commitments have been made; leaders of the Mekong region have agreed to intensify efforts to protect forests and reduce environmental risks, strengthen sustainable management of natural and cultural sites, and implement new biofuel and rural renewable energy development initiatives.

But there is an urgent need to demonstrate tangible results towards environmental protection in the GMS.

For WWF, the GMS can be a successful model for sustainable growth if environmental management is integrated into economic development. By invitation of the region’s governments, WWF already articulated its recommendations for safeguarding the region’s environment in the region during the GMS Environmental Ministers Meeting in January 2008.

Mr Roland Eve (Country Director for WWF Lao PDR, far right), talking with Mrs Monemany Nhoybouakong (Minister’s Office for Water Resources and Environment of Laos, second right) during the Third Greater Mekong Subregion Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR on March 30-31, 2008.
© WWF

As a partner of the GMS, WWF continues to develop practical solutions to ensure environmental integrity, including natural connectivity, in the region.

Among others, this includes putting in practice examples of natural resources management, and environment-friendly roads design and hydropower development.

For more information, please contact:

Roland Eve
WWF Lao PDR Country Director
Tel: +856 21 216080
Email: roland.eve@wwfgreatermekong.org

WWF-US Vice-President visits wetland project

2008-02-24

WWF-US Senior Vice-President Tom Dillon, made time out of a busy schedule of engagements in the region to visit That Luang marsh on the outskirts of Vientiane in Lao PDR.

That Luang marsh provides a range of important services to the urban population living in the area, including flood protection, water treatment and other environmental services.

In a three-year project, WWF is working with partners and government agencies to achieve waste water treatment through effective wetland restoration of the marsh via a range of activities including:

· Urban and wetland planning

· Design of a wetland treatment system for Vientiane's wastewater

· Pilot schemes for wetlands treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater

· Training of project staff in wetland assessment and monitoring techniques

As he toured the site, Dillon was very impressed with the potential of what he saw.

"This project is exactly the sort of project that WWF should be involved in. It is a great compliment to the work of the WWF in the region that we can be involved in environmental enhancing projects in remote areas as well as major cities such as Vientiane,'' he said.

“This project is an example of management techniques and scientifically based knowledge being used as conservation tools. All within a project which fits in well with the traditional Asian desire for harmony between nature and people," he added.

Dillon said he believes projects such as the “That Luang marsh” are prime examples of the benefits of introducing environmental planning at the very early phase of project development to avoid the destruction of valuable natural habitat.

"Here we have a project which is not 'high tech' in its implementation, but it is highly sustainable, and highly transferable as a model for waste water treatment throughout the region," he said.

For more information, please contact:

Chris Greenwood
Communications and Environmental Education Adviser
WWF Greater Mekong - Cambodia Country Programme
Tel. +855 23 218 034 (Ext.105)
Mobile. +855 09 2916454
Fax.+855 23 211 909,
E-mail: chris.greenwood@wwfgreatermekong.org

When plantations threaten forests, better planning needed

2008-02-22

A recent surge of large-scale land concessions for plantation agriculture is creating environmental and social problems across the Dry Forests and Greater Annamites areas of Cambodia and Lao PDR. Expanding production of rubber, sugar, and bio-fuel crops, such as jatropha, is accelerating deforestation, fragmenting corridors for wildlife, encroaching into protected areas, and creating conflicts with communities.

Cambodia and Lao PDR are emerging as bulk suppliers of low-cost agricultural commodities for their neighbors. A wave of foreign investment from China, Thailand and Vietnam is bringing economic growth and job opportunities, but also increasing pressure on land and the local communities who utilize these natural resources through agriculture, fisheries and the collection of non-timber forest products. This trend is set to continue with the Lao PDR government, for instance, targeting by 2020 a total area of 500,000 hectares of industrial crop plantations.

Integrated land-use planning is urgently needed to better plan this expansion and to manage these natural resources. A holistic approach to planning should involve rural communities, government agencies and the private sector. However, current planning processes in both countries are plagued with many problems: basic lack of resources and capacity within the relevant institutions, unclear division of responsibilities between provincial and national authorities, as well as inadequate participation by local communities.

WWF has recently begun an ambitious effort to support larger scale planning activities in areas of Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia, and Champassak Province, Lao PDR. WWF will work alongside key government partners, such as Lao PDR’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and National Land Management Authority (NLMA) and relevant agencies in Cambodia’s Mondulkiri Province, and local communities.

“A key challenge is combining top-down and bottom-up approaches to planning,” says Anouxay Phommalath, land-use planner for WWF Lao PDR, “This means finding ways to get both the government and communities around the same table.”

The Lao portion of the project kicked off with WWF and the NLMA mapping a recent surge of concessions in Pathumphone District, Champassak Province, where WWF is already managing part of the Asian Development Bank - funded Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative (BCI).

In Cambodia, an upcoming multi-stakeholder workshop in Mondulkiri will discuss land-related challenges and opportunities within the province. “Mondulkiri is currently experiencing a period of rapid change,” says Moul Phath, conservation planning specialist at WWF Cambodia, “Recent improvements in road access and security have led to an influx of investment.” Twenty-six land concessions have already been granted in Mondulkiri though many of the actual projects remain on the drawing board.

Later in 2008, the project will support the creation of integrated development plans for these areas to ensure future economic growth, including agricultural expansion, takes place more sustainably and inclusively. Both countries have the opportunity to chart a new course for the sustainable development of their natural resources, but this will depend fundamentally on better approaches to planning.

For more information, please contact:

Jonathan Cook
Agriculture, Trade and Poverty Advisor
WWF Greater Mekong Programme
Tel: +856 (0)21216080
Mob: +856 (0)20 7878516
Email: jonathan.cook@wwfgreatermekong.org

Economic growth: another big threat to the environment

2008-02-21

Tom Dillon, WWF-US senior vice-president gave a speech concerning the impacts economic development has on the environment at the second Environment Minister’s Meeting (EMM). The meeting was held January 2008 in Vientiane, Lao PDR with the participation of ministers of the environments from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) to review the region's environmental progress over the past three years.

"The rapid growth and expansion of GMS has taken its toll, in particular with unforeseen environmental costs in the form of illegal wildlife and timber trade. Minerals, metals, timber and species are being extracted from the forests at a dizzying pace while the Mekong River, the region's most vital lifeline, is being dammed,” Dillon said.

He also highlighted a recent United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report which said that economic growth, coupled with growing population pressures in the Greater Mekonghad led to widespread pollution, land degradation and depletion of natural resources. Unless these issues were addressed, the report warned, the changes may cause irreversible ecosystem damage with far-reaching implications for economic activities that depend on natural resources.

The outcome from the EMM is a joint regional environmental statement, to be carried forward to the tri-annual, GMS Summit - a heads of state meeting - also to be held in Lao PDR in late March, 2008.

He called on the environmental ministers of the region to take a strong message to the GMS Summit in March, which built on their commitment in 2005, but made a further commitment to safeguard the Biological Conservation Landscapes (BCLs) which surround the GMS’s current economic growth corridors.

"These BCLs need to be protected via a new management framework that defines the standards for sustainably designed hydropower and road developments and applies responsible standards to mining. Such a framework also needs to incorporate climate proof investment models that can anticipate climate change impacts and foster the resiliency of communities and conservation areas," Dillon said.

Representing WWF, the only non-governmental organization (NGO) to speak at the forum, Dillon congratulated the ministers for recognizing the importance of sound environmental management to the future development of the region.

''You, the environment ministers of GMS, know better than anyone else how closely your country's economy and environment are intertwined. Indeed, it was you who, in 2005, said that the key GMS economic sectors depended critically on the conservation and contribution of healthy systems and at that meeting reaffirmed your commitment and political will for a better environment," said Dillon.

For more information, please contact:

Chris Greenwood
Communications and Environmental Education Adviser
WWF Cambodia Country Programme
Tel. +855 23 218 034 (Ext.105)
Mobile. +855 09 2916454
Fax.+855 23 211 909,
E-mail: chris.greenwood@wwfgreatermekong.org