In partnership with Xonnabouly district authorities, organized the Eld’s Deer Project Phase III conclusion meeting early this month (Aug 5) to evaluate the project at the Xonnabouly district office, Savannakhet Province.

One day before the meeting was held, the WWF-Laos team and government partners from Xonnabouly district, together with the protected area patrolling team of WWF’s Eld’s Deer Project conducted a 3-hour study tour in the project area to see the protected habitat of the Eld’s Deer — the only sanctuary for this species in Laos - and had a chance take-in the enchanting scenery of the dry forest, while learning more about the work being done by WWF to save Eld’s Deer.

The Eld’s Deer project is one of many conservation projects operated by WWF-Laos. 

The three-phase implementation in Xonnabouly district, Savanakhet Province, began in 2008 after the endangered species was discovered in 2005, promoting baseline surveys and feasibility studies for the project.

At the onset of the project, there were less than 20 Eld’s Deer in the sanctuary. Thanks to sizable efforts of the project team, who benefitted from the exemplary support from provincial, district and villages authorities, the population of Eld’s Deer has increased three-fold, to reach more than 100 animals to-date living in the sanctuary, an area of approximately 93,000 hectares of dry forest in Xonnabouly.

The meeting was officially opened and chaired by Mr. Khamone Thilavong, Deputy District Mayor of Xonabouly, and was attended by 18 representatives and invited guests from several departments and line ministries at the provincial and district levels, who joined to assess the results of the project.

“The Eld’s deer is a symbol of good luck. We should all play our part to help to protect this beautiful creature, an iconic species of Savannakhet Province,” said Mr. Khamphanh Khounsaksi.

Mr. Khounsaksi also said that Eld’s deer could play a major role in promoting eco-tourism in the province.

Mr. Khounasaki also thanked the project team for their work, which, aside from protecting and increasing the population of Eld’s deer, focused on raising awareness of the vital importance of conserving biodiversity, environmental stewardship and gender equality within communities nearby the sanctuary.

“The project's purpose is not just to increase the population of Eld’s deer, but also to ensure a participatory conservation approach for fostering a healthy dry forest ecosystem.  Such an approach is critical for the livelihoods and quality of life of the people who live in-and-around the project site,” said Mr. Somphone Bouasavanh, the WWF-Laos Country Director, during his closing remarks.

The government of Lao PDR has just signed a new UNDP project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to be implemented over the next 6 years from 2016 to 2022. 

The project is entitled “Sustainable Forest and Land Management in the Dry Dipterocarp Forest Ecosystems of Southern Lao PDR” (SFLM) with the budget of approximately US$12 million.

This new project will be implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and will help the country manage its natural resources, including the dry dipterocarp forests and the Elds’s deer, through protected area management and land use planning, as well as support for improved livelihoods and income generation for local communities.

Over the first three phases, which spanned from 2008 to 2016, the project was operated by WWF-Laos and benefitted from financial and technical support from WWF International and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).  It was implemented under the leadership of the Department of Forestry Resources Management (DFRM) and Department of Forestry (DoF).

Source:
courtesy of KPL NEWS AGENCY

by LAO NEWS AGENCY

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