Review of statutory and customary law in the Xe Champhone Ramsar site, Lao PDR : implications for a rights-based approach to conservation

In order to gain further experience on rights-based approaches (RBAs) to conservation, the project focused on undertaking a situation analysis in the Xe Champhone Ramsar Site in Lao PDR. It examined the under-researched issue of customary law governing natural resources, including its relationship with statutory law. This publication summarizes and analyses the findings of the field work. It also provides recommendations on how to incorporate customary law governing natural resources into the governance of Ramsar sites in the country. On the basis of the recommendations and at the request of the government, the project drafted two decrees – one national-level decree on management of Ramsar sites in Lao PDR generally, and one for the management of Xe Champhone Ramsar Site. This work complements Lao government research and opens the door for similar research in other parts of the country.