Ramsar site profile : to assess infrastructure and capacity needs for Beung Kiat Ngong Wetlands, Pathoumphone District, Champassak Province, Lao PDR

The Beung Kiat Ngong Wetlands complex in Champassak Province is one of two wetlands designated as Ramsar sites upon Lao PDR’s accession to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) in 2010. Initial steps have already been taken to set up the instructional structure for site governance. However, much more work will be required to implement conservation activities on the ground and to put into place a long term conservation plan for the site. A key next step for Ramsar implementation will be improvement and expansion of the current draft management plan. However, before work on Management Plan finalization and then implementation can progress, a report or “profile” is needed to explain what is already known about the site and identify key information gaps and conservation priorities. IUCN Lao PDR designed this profile to reflect Ramsar Convention’s 2003 “Guidelines for management planning for Ramsar sites and other wetlands” (Ramsar, 2003) and compiled information obtained during past surveys and projects within this site.