This report provides an overview of existing data about the wetlands, including its ecology, biodiversity, socio-economic values, management and threats. The bulk of the information presented in this report was gathered from project reports from key organizations working in the wetlands and surrounding areas over the past decade or so, as well as from documents prepared for the sites nomination when Lao PDR joined the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 2010.
This work forms part of a preparatory phase leading to a handbook providing guidelines for the sustainable utlization and integrated management of tropical peatlands. The papers cover the resource and its conservation; social cultural and economic factors affecting utlization; forestry management approaches; case studies; and concludes with a summary of the workshop sessions focusing on future directions.