IUCN Laos

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.

The Xe Champhone wetlands in Savannakhet 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 been taken to set up a Ramsar committee tasked with managing the site. However, to date, the only conservation activities that have occurred at the site to date have been a very small selection of international donor funded projects.

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.

Although the rules regarding REDD have not been set, it is already clear that the extent to which an individual country will be able to attract international investment and REDD payments will depend to a considerable extent on its ability to put in place a system that rewards forest managers who are changing their behaviour to reduce deforestation and degradation.