Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention)

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.

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. Much more work will be required to implement larger scale conservation activities on the ground and to create a long term plan for managing the site.

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.

La présente évaluation de l'efficacité de gestion des sites Ramsar d'Afrique de l'Ouest a été réalisée à partir d'un échantillon de treize sites en Afrique de l'Ouest, répartis dans cinq pays (Bénin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia et Mali), francophones ou anglophones.