Nam Kading NBCA (NKD)

0GENERAL INFORMATION

Name Nam Kading Translated

Status Established by PM Decree 164, 29 October 1993

Location Latitude: 18o 11’ – 18o 39’ N Longitude: 103o 54’ – 104o44’ E

Map Sheets

Scale I: 50,000 5746-2 5846-3 5846-2 5745-1 5845-4 5845-1 5945-4 5845-3 5845-2 5945-3

Scale I: 100,000 E-48-53 E-48-54 E-48-65 E-48-66

Scale I: 200,000 E-48-15

Scale I: 500,000 E-48-A

Province Bolikhamxai

Districts Bolikham % Paksan % Pakkading % Khamkerd %

Boundaries To the W and S follows the foot of the hills that rise abruptly from the lowlands. To the E follows the Nam Ao and Nam Xouang, and then foot of hills in the Nam Mouan valley, avoiding settled area on the valley floor. NW boundary follows the Nam Sun.

Area 144,225 ha

Proposed Extensions or Excisions Berkmüller's (1995) boundary excised the inhabited area in the Nam Pheung valley, which has been heavily degraded by shifting cultivation. In the NW, the boundary was extended about 10 km beyond the Nam Sun, into a lower area of forest. A sizeable extension was included in the SE, comprising the Nam Ao valley and part of the Nadi limestone massif.

Forest corridors have been advocated to link NKD to the Khammouan Limestone - Nakai Nam Theun complex to the S and Nam Chouan PNBCA to the E. The KL corridor is proposed to include the NE fringe of the Nam Hai/Hinboun plain and forested ridges bordering the Nam Theun. Assessment of the best location for the Nam Chouan corridor awaits field surveys in that area. It is suggested that the cooridors would be managed as buffer areas, with sustainable local extractive uses permitted, but commercial logging forbidden.

Reasons for Proposed Extensions or Excisions Berkmüller’s (1995) boundaries were drawn so as to maximise coverage of mature forest and minimise the inclusion of heavily degraded areas. Additionally, the Nam Ao valley was proposed for inclusion due to the differing faunal and floral character of its lower-lying forests, and the Nadi Limestone because high altitude karst is poorly represented elsewhere in the Lao PA system. The forest corridors are proposed to contribute towards an extensive complex of protected areas in Central , maintaining gene flow between sub-populations of large vertebrates, and buffering against environmental change. It is hope that the habitat links to the KL and NNT will capture established Elephant migration roots.

Access Route 13 (S) and route 8 skirt the S and SE boundaries. A dry season track runs from route 8 to villages on the SE boundary, and a logging road from Khamkerd district through Viengthong reaches the NE of the area. There are no roads within the NBCA itself, and the rivers are not navigable. Steep, often precipitous slopes mean that access to most areas is only by foot and arduous.

Stakeholder Villages and Population District No. of Villages No. of Villages by type Population I II III IV

TOTAL Note: No villages in main part of NBCA

Principal Local Resource Uses Local people enter the area only occasionally for specific activities, such as to hunt or collect Mai Dam.

Ethnic Composition

2 BRIEF HISTORY

1989 Two helicopter overflights to assess habitat (Nov./ Dec.) 1990 ‘Ground’ survey in June 1991 Selected for management planning and implementation during 1991-1995 by LSFCP and IUCN. This did not occur. 1992 Abandonment of Ban Donme – evacuation was requested by locals due to security concerns. 1993 NBCA declared. 1994/1995 WCS field surveys to assess impacts of planned Theun-Hinboun and Nam Theun 1 hydropower projects (late ‘94 – early ’95). 1998 Theun-Hinboun became operational (31.03.1998). 2008 Nam Theun 1 project suspended until this date, when its economic viability is due to be reviewed (Hydropower Office, verbally).

3 ECOLOGY

Physical Features The Main body of Nam Kading is formed from a massif of steep, densely forested hills at altitudes mostly from 500-1200 m. The area is traversed by the Nam Kading river, which flows from the S to the W boundary, and the Nam Mouan, which enters the area from the E and joins the Nam Kading close to the centre of the NBCA. These major rivers generally form a steep valley system, except around the former settlement of Ban Donme, where the banks of the Nam Kading are gently sloping. The streams that feed these rivers from the surrounding hills are generally seasonal. Exposed rock faces are common, and are especially impressive along the SW border. The escarpment along the W boundary is formed by a major geological contact between the Mz1 and Mz2 units (difficult to make sense of this without more info on local geology – Mz2 are Cretaceous red sandstones, but Mz1, which forms the vast bulk of the NBCA, includes a large range of different facies).

Berkmüller’s (1995) extensions include areas of lower hill forest to the NW and SE, and an area of high altitude limestone karst.

Elevation 160m – 1600m.

Climate On high rainfall finger which extends ENE from NNT to PKK. How is this formed? – air currents from central rising as it reaches uplands on the E side of the Mekong, or wet air from ?

Main Forest Types Mostly dry evergreen/semi-evergreen forest on high relief terrain, but some areas of mixed deciduous. The Nam Kading valley is dominated by broadleaf evergreen forests with a high density of large trees, and of species attractive to frugivores. Surveyors in 1994-1995 considered much of the forest to show signs of past disturbance from fire or cultivation. The natural influence of topography and soil type is not well understood, however, and the forest does show high species diversity with 83 tree species recorded in a sample of 428 individuals from two areas. Three species of dipterocarp accounted for a large percentage of trees recorded.

Forest in the lower relief Nam Ao valley showed large differences in species composition.

Other Habitat Features The stretch of the Nam Kading passing through the NBCA was the most pristine lowland riverine habitat in Laos. It also appeared to form an appreciable biogeographic boundary for arboreal groups such as Callosciurus squirrels and langurs. These values must have been seriously impacted by the Theun-Hinboun hydropower project, however. Recorded Vertebrates1

MAMMALS Common Name Scientific Name National Global Lao Risk Priority Threat Status Category Sunda Pangolin Manis javanica HNP GNT ARL Large loris species No Species Identified - - - Small loris species No Species Identified - - - Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca nemestrina - VU PARL Assamese Macaque Macaca assamensis - VU PARL Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta - GNT PARL Bear Macaque Macaca arctoides - VU PARL Francois’s Langur Semnopithecus francoisi - DD PARL Phayre’s Langur Semnopithecus phayrei INP DD PARL Douc Langur Pythagrix nemaeus HNP EN ARL White-cheeked Crested Hylobates leucogenys HNP DD PARL Gibbon Yellow-cheeked Crested Hylobates gabriellae INP DD LKL Gibbon Dhole Cuon alpinus HNP VU ARL Bear species No Species Identified - - - Back-striped Weasel Mustela strigidorsa - VU LKL Hog Badger Arctonyx collaris - 0 LKL Oriental Small-clawed Aonyx cinerea HNP GNT ARL Otter Otter species No Species Identified - - - Binturong Arctictis binturong HNP 0 ARL Asian Golden Cat Catopuma temminckii INP GNT LKL Asian Elephant Elephas maximus HNP EN ARL Pig species No Species Identified - - - Sambar Cervus eldii - 0 PARL Large-antlered Muntjac Muntiacus vuquangensis - N/A PARL

1 See priority/ threat/ risk classification key at the end of this section. Bos gaurus HNP VU ARL Black Giant Squirrel Ratufa bicolor - 0 PARL Inornate Squirrel Callosciurus inornatus - VU LKL East Asian Porcupine Hystrix brachyura - VU 0

BIRDS Common Name Scientific Name National Global Lao Risk Priority Threat Status Category Red-collared Woodpecker Picus rabieri - Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis HNP Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus tickelli - Wreathed Hornbill Aceros undulatus - Blyth’s Kingfisher Alcedo hercules - Coral-billed Ground Carpococcyx renauldi - Cuckoo Pale-capped Pigeon Columba punicea INP Yellow-vented Green Treron seimundi - Pigeon White-bellied Green Treron sieboldii - Pigeon Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus - River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii INP Small Pratincole Glareola lactea - Rufous-winged Buzzard Butastur liventer - Darter Anhinga melanogaster - Grey Heron Ardea cinerea - Blue-naped Pitta Pitta nipalensis - Blue-rumped Pitta Pitta soror - Swinhoe’s Minivet Pericrocotus cantonensis - Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii - Fujian Niltava Niltava davidi - Green Cochoa Cochoa viridis - Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii - Grey Laughingthrush Garrulax maesi - Sooty Babbler Stachyris herberti - Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus - . CLASSIFICATION KEY (from Duckworth et al., 1999)

National Priority Categories ANP: Acute National Priority; HNP: High National Priority; INP: Intermediate National Priority

Global Threat Categories 0: not listed as of concern; DD: data deficient; GNT: globally near-threatened; GT-CR: globally threatened - critical; GT-EN: globally threatened - endangered; GT-VU: globally threatened - vulnerable; n/a: not applicable.

Lao Risk Status 0: not at risk in Lao PDR; ARL: at risk in Lao PDR; CARL: conditionally at risk in Lao PDR; LKL: little known in Lao PDR; n/a: not applicable; PARL: potentially at risk in Lao PDR.

4 PRINCIPAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NBCA SYSTEM

Biodiversity Values This is a mid/high ranking site for biological importance, the most valuable of the Annamite Fringe NBCAs (Ling 1999), and most important NBCA for evergreen forest conservation in biogeographic subunit 10A after Xe Pian (Berkmüller 1995). There are good numbers of key species for both birds and mammals, including populations of Elephant, Gaur, , gibbons, Sooty Babbler and Rufous-throated Fulvetta. There are furthermore two species of bird not recorded in any other NBCA, including Pale-capped pigeon (GT-VU;LKL), and one of only two NBCAs with confirmed records of Binturong (ARL). In comparison to other NBCAs, the individual populations of the following key species are especially significant – River Lapwing, Wreathed and Great Hornbills, Wire-tailed Swallow, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, large otters, and potentially Francois’ Langur on the Nadi limestone.

Note: All these conclusions are based on assessments made before the Theun-Hinboun hydropower plant became operational. The extent of remaining biodiversity values depends greatly on the severity of the impact of that project, and can only be determined by a renewed program of field surveys.

Watershed Values Presumably high if Nam Theun 1 goes ahead. Although NKD NBCA may only be a minor component of the catchment, the maintenance of good forest cover would probably be critical to reducing siltation rates. Probably not an important source of water for local communities.

Cultural Values

Recreation & Tourism Values Potentially substantial – impressive scenery and forests, and located on the main overland tourist route from to Vietnam.

Greatest single asset, the Nam Kading, is already severely damaged, however, and the Theun-Hinboun plant itself may disfigure the area.

Principal Threats • The Theun-Hinboun hydropower plant operates by diverting flow from the Nam Kading to the Nam Hai outside of the NBCA. A minimum flow of 5 m3s-1 is maintained in the Nam Kading for 14-18 weeks during the dry season. The Nam Kading was the most important feature of the area for wildlife, and the effects of the project on its ecology must have been considerable. Populations of River Lapwing, Long-billed Plover, Crested Kingfisher, Wire-tailed Swallow, Dhole, large otters, Asian Small-clawed Otter, Tigers/large cats, and Elephants – and probably also Gaur, Rhesus Macaque, Lesser Fish-eagle and Siamese Fireback – were predicted to be seriously affected by the project. The severity of these effects to date, and the degree to which they might be reversed or mitigated are unknown. The indirect effects of the project, due to increased access to the area by construction/project staff or infrastructure development nearby, are similarly unknown. The Theun- Hinboun Hydropower Project has no environmental policy to address these auxiliary impacts (E. Hourihan, verbally). • If it goes ahead, the Nam Theun 1 hydropower project will flood a considerable area of riverine forest on the easternmost stretch of the Nam Kading before it exits the NBCA, impounding a large depth of water in a dendritic reservoir. The project can also be expected to produce additional negative impacts due to increased access to the NBCA interior and the presence of construction/operating staff in the area. • Hunting has doubtless already had an effect on populations of large vertebrates, although possibly not to the same extent as in other NBCAs, due to the difficulty of access. One hunting party of >70 individuals was observed by survey team members en route to Ban Donme in the centre of the NBCA. • Shifting cultivation in the Nam Pheung Valley. • Security, especially in the NE section of the area – the current situation is unclear.

5 CURRENT MANAGEMENT

Contact

Staffing

Management Structure No management structure currently in place.

Buildings

Financial Support & Training None at present. Proposed to JICA by DoF.

Current Management Priorities

Possible Research Topics

Other Projects Active in the Area

6 REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS

1 Berkmüller, K. et al. (1993). Protected Area System Planning and Management in Lao PDR: Status Report to mid-1993. LSFCP/IUCN, DoF. 2 Berkmüller, K. et al. (1995). Protected Area System Planning and Management in Lao PDR: Status Report to mid-1995. LSFCP/IUCN, DoF. 3 Duckworth, J. W. et al. (1999). Wildlife in Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report. IUCN/WCS/CPAWM. 4 EWI (1994). Nam Theun 1 Hydroelectric Project, Lao PDR. Report by Electrowatt Engineering Services to Siam United Service Public Co. 5 Flint, C. (1999). Data/Information on Conservation Management and Protected Areas in the Lao PDR. CMS & TNA Project, DoF. 6 Ling, S. D. (1999). A Biological System of Prioritisation for Protected Areas in the Lao PDR. Report to WCS. 7 Norconsult (1994). Theun-Hinboun Power Project: Summary Environmental Impact Assessment Report. Report to the Ministry of Industry and Handicraft. 8 Norpower (1993). Theun-Hinboun Power Project Feasibility Study. Part 1. Report to the Ministry of Industry and Handicraft. 9 Salter, R. E. et al. (1991). Planning and Development of a Protected Area System in Lao: Status Report to mid-1991. LSFCP/IUCN, DoF. 10 SWECO (1992). Nam Theun 1 Hydropower Project Updating of Pre-feasibilty Study. Phase 1. Stockholm SWECO. 11 Wildlife Conservation Society (1995a). A wildlife and Habitat Assessment of the Nam Theun 1 Hydropower Project Area. Report to the Committee for Planning and Cooperation of the Government of Lao and Electrowatt Engineering Services. 12 Wildlife Conservation Society (1995b). A Wildlife and Habitat Assessment of the Theun-Hinboun Hydropower Project Area. Report to the Hydropower Office of the Lao PDR, Ministry of Industry and Handicraft and to Norplan. 13 Wildlife Conservation Society (1996). Regional Assessment of the Effects on Wildlife of Proposed Hydropower Projects in the Nam Theun/Nam Kading Watershed. Report to Norplan. 14 Wildlife Conservation Society (1999). A Wildlife and Habitat Survey of the Nam Kading NBCA, Bolikhamsai Province, Lao PDR.