ECOLOGICAL SURVEY of the MEKONG RIVER Between Louangphabang and Vientiane Cities, Lao PDR, 2011-2012
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ECOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE MEKONG RIVER between Louangphabang and Vientiane Cities, Lao PDR, 2011-2012 Introduction 1 The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de for resale or other commercial purposes is Développement, Conservation International, the prohibited without prior written permission of European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the copyright holder. the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. A fundamental Citation: IUCN (2013). Ecological Survey of goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in the Mekong River between Louangphabang biodiversity conservation. and Vientiane Cities, Lao PDR, 2011-2012. Vientiane, Lao PDR: IUCN. 241 pp. The designation of geographical entities in this publication, and the presentation of the Photo credits: material, do not imply the expression of any All photos © IUCN Lao PDR, except indicated opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN, the otherwise Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and Mekong Water Dialogues concerning the Layout by: legal status of any country, territory, or area, or Pafon Nextstep Co, Ltd. of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Coordination: Dararat Weerapong The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN, the Produced by: Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), IUCN Southeast Asia Group Mekong Water Dialogues or other participating organizations. Available from: This report documents the first detailed IUCN Lao PDR biological surveys of a 450 km section of the PO Box 4340 Mekong from Louangphabang to Vientiane in 082/01 Fa Ngum Rd the Lao PDR. Ban Wat Chan, Vientiane, Lao PDR Published by: Tel +856-21-216401 IUCN Lao PDR Also available at: Copyright: www.iucn.org/lao © 2013 International Union for Conservation of www.iucn.org/asia/mekong_dialogues Nature and Natural Resources www.cepf.net Resources: Production of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully cological Survey of the Mekong River between Louangphabang and EVientiane Cities, Lao PDR, 2011-2012 Authors and Contributors Raphael GLEMET IUCN Lao PDR. Project coordinator and main editor. Mark R.BEZUIJEN Consultant, Reptiles and amphibians. Wet season herpetology survey. Samuel C. LESLIE IUCN Lao PDR, Convention on Biological Diversity Governance Officer. Contributing editor. Bryan STUART Curator of Herpetology, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Dry season herpetology survey. Robert J. TIMMINS Consultant, bird and large mammal surveyor. Wet season bird/ Address mammal survey. John W. DUCKWORTH Consultant, bird and large mammal surveyor. Dry season bird/ SV, DS: Living Aquatic Resources Research mammal survey. Contributing editor. Center (LARReC), P.O. Box 9108, Vientiane, Lao P.D.R. James MAXWELL Botanist, Chiang May University. Dry season botany survey. JM: Chiang Mai Herbarium. Dept of Biology, Faculty of Science, Sengvilay SEATEUN Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai province, Lecturer in Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, 50200, Thailand. National University of Laos. Dry and wet season herpetology surveys. VL, SS, NS, CV: Faculty of Science, National University of Laos, Niane SIVONGXAY P.O. Box: 7322, Vientiane Lao P.D.R. Lecturer in Biology, Deputy head of Department of Biology, FoS, NUoL. Wet season aquatic invertebrates survey. BS: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 West Jones Street, Chanda VONGSOMBATH Raleigh NC 27601, U.S.A. Head of Research and Academic Service Division, FoS, NUoL. Dry and wet season aquatic invertebrates survey; dry and wet RG, SCL: IUCN Lao PDR, 82/01 season herpetology surveys. Fa Ngum Road, Ban Wat Chan, PO Box 4340, Vientiane, Lao P.D.R. Sinthavong VIRAVONG Deputy Director, Living Aquatic Resources Research Center RJT: 1123 Monroe Street, Evanston, (LARReC). Fish survey. Illinois, 60202, U.S.A. Douangkham SINGHANOUVONG JWD: 6 Stratton Road, Saltford, Bristol BS31 Deputy Director, Living Aquatic Resources Research Center 3BS, U.K. (LARReC). Fish survey. MRB: P.O. Box 183, Ferny Creek, Victoria, Oulaphone ONGKEO Australia 3786. Consultant. GIS mapping 4 Foreword he Mekong River is one of the major defining natural features of Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Entering the country from China just south of its confluence with the Nanla River, the Mekong winds over 1,800 km south forming Lao PDR’s border with Myanmar and later Thailand Tbefore exiting at Lao PDR’s southern tip into Cambodia. Running the length of the country, the vast majority of Lao PDR is located in the Mekong’s catchment. The Mekong in Lao PDR is part of the globally significant Indo-Burma Hotspot for biodiversity, supporting an impressive array of fauna and flora. The richness of the Mekong’s biodiversity is not only a matter of national pride but of subsistence. The plants and animals harvested in the Mekong and its surrounding habitats provide an important source of food and income for the people who live along its banks. Yet despite its importance, to the people of Lao PDR and to global biodiversity conservation, the Mekong River in the country has not been thoroughly studied. This is particularly true for the 450-km section of river between the cities of Louangphabang and Vientiane in northern Lao PDR. This section is frequently navigated, with numerous villages lining its banks, but has been minimally surveyed since the early French explorers of the 19th and early 20th centuries. To lessen this gap in knowledge, a survey led by IUCN Lao PDR in partnership with the Faculty of Science from the National University of Laos was organised. Information was gathered in wet season 2011 and in dry season 2012. Led by specialists, surveys focused on the inventory of plants, large mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and aquatic invertebrates. Hundreds of species were recorded and specimens were sent to collections, as permanent contributions to science. These are lodged not only in national institutions, but in international ones such as the University of North Carolina. Several globally or regionally threatened species were identified in the survey area including some species that had never before been recorded in Lao PDR. The specialists also looked at threats to biodiversity and made suggestions for the sustainable management of the river’s biodiversity resources, such as the designation of fish conservation areas, seasonal closure of islands important to ground-nesting birds, steps to reduce the illegal reptile trade, and establishment of ecotourism projects. With the completion of this report, a large gap in the knowledge on biodiversity in the Mekong has been lessened. The report represents a strong foundation of baseline information that can be looked to in the future to monitor population shifts and ecological changes in the survey area if they occur. The information contained in this report is testament to the biological treasures Lao PDR contains as well as to their fragility. Additional surveys are now being conducted on livelihoods and management strategies. Hopefully, the expansion of knowledge about Lao PDR’s biodiversity resources will contribute to its protection. For all these reasons it is with great pleasure that the National University of Laos has been involved in this study, through our senior researchers and students. Our institution hopes to continue research in close partnership with development partners and government agencies in this and other stretches of the Mekong River, because many gaps in knowledge still remain. On behalf of Faculty of Science, National University of Laos, I would like to thank all contributing stakeholders, in particular the IUCN Lao PDR for technical and financial supports. Dr Somchanh Bounphanmy Dean of the faculty of Science The National University of Laos 5 Message from IUCN he Mekong River is well known in a general sense - it has a place in the public imagination, is a tourist attraction in its own right and is frequently the subject of intense debate about collaboration between the riparian countries for regional sustainable development. It is all the more remarkable Tthen, that so little is known about the species of fish, crabs, prawns, shellfish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and plants living in the Mekong, and on which millions of people depend for nutritional security and income. As recently as 2009 only 76 fish, 5 plants and no molluscs from the Mekong had been properly assessed for their status in an IUCN Red-listing process. Between 2009 and 2012 an IUCN red-listing study involving dozens of scientist from the region and around the world, assessed 2,515 Mekong freshwater species, concluding that almost 17% of fish and molluscs and 34% of crabs are threatened with extinction – and also highlighting the major gaps in our knowledge where more basic surveys and research are needed. One of these areas is the stretch of the Mekong River between Luang Prabang and Vientiane, which surprisingly has never been subject to any systematic or intensive biodiversity surveys until now. The present surveys were supported by the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF). The results show the importance of this stretch of the river, but also raise significant concerns about deterioration of habitats and decline in numbers of some species. The information contained in this report is extremely useful