Commentary NAT. NAT. HIST. BUL L. SIAM Soc. 42 ・3-21 ， 1994 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ALONG THE THAI-LAO BORDER Sompoad Srikosamatara* and Varavudh Suteethorn** ABSTRACT During During April 1993 ， a brief survey was made to examine 1) wildlife conservation n巴訂 Pha Pha Taem National Park ，Ubon Ratchathani Pr ovince ， 2) along the Th aトLao border of northem northem Th ailand especially ne 紅 Nam Poui Nature Reserve in Lao PDR and cross-coun 位y wildlife 回 de between 3) Th ailand and northem Lao PDR and 4) Th ailand and southem Lao PD R. Very little wildlife is left at Pha Taem National Park and 白e main objective of 血E park park is for tourism. Widespread slash-and-bum farming by highlanders and a good road b凶lt along 出eτbai-Lao border on 出e Th ai side were seen near Nam Poui. It is possible 白紙 a trans-boundary trans-boundary park between Pha Taem 加 d Phou Xiang 百 ong can be established ， while a park park between Nam Poui and other protected 釘 'eas in Th ailand is hard to visualize. Wildlife trade trade along the Th ai-Lao border of northem Th ailand was less than between Thailand and southem southem Lao PDR as previously reported by SRIKOSAMATARA et a l. (1992). Law enforce- ment ment to prevent wildlife trade on the Lao side at B 叩 Mai opposite to Kh ong Chiam ，Ubon Ratchatani Ratchatani Province ，will help a great deal to conserve wildlife in Lao PD R. It is suggested 白紙 banteng should be listed under CITES App 巴ndix 1 as the vo1ume of the trade between Th ailand and Lao PDR is very high ， and their homs resemble those of kouprey which is classified classified as an endangered species. 町 TRODUCTION Th ailand and Lao PDR 紅 e always seen as brotherly countries as 血ey are siωated in close close proximity and share similar ethnicity ，language and culture. Since 1975 relations between Th ailand and Lao PDR have not been good due to the differences in political ideology. ideology. Lao PDR has followed communist ideology while Thailand has followed constitutional constitutional monarchy. The relationship between the countries has improved since 1989 ， after after the border conflict at Ban Rom Klao (s 印刷TAPANTE et al.， 1988). In 1994 ，Thailand i1l w i1l give financi a1 aid of about US$ 3 rnillion (about 2% of the total foreign development assistance assistance to Lao PDR; S 百 JART-FOX ， 1991 : 4; TRANKELL ， 1993 : 6) which has increased from US$ 0 .4 rnillion in 1993 (Bangkok Post Daily newspape κ5 ，7 December 1993). The aid aid is mainly for agriculture ，education and health. One area that Thailand has not con- sidered sidered is to help her younger sister country sustain her natural resources. Th is will not only help Lao PDR to continue econornic development but also help maintain her biodiversity * Dep 訂 tment of Biology ，Faculty of Science ， Mahidol University ，Rama 6 Road ， Bangkok 10400 ，Th ailand 紳 Vertebrate Paleontology Section ，Geological Survey Division ，Department of Mineral Resources ，Minis 町 of Industry ，Rama 6 Road ， Bangkok 10400 ，百 ai1 如 d 3 4 SOMPOAD S Rl KOSAMATARA AND VARAVUDH SUTEE 加 O 削 for for the fu 加re generations of Laotian people. Wildlife is ap 制 of natur aI reso 町 ces which curren tI y Th ailand has a major influence in depleting in Lao PD R. Th is is because Thailand is one of the major consumers of wildlife resources from Lao PDR (SRIKOSAMAT ，組 A et aI.， 1992; BAIRD ， 1993; SAL 百 R，1993). 百 ailand is aI so situated in cI ose proximity to Lao PDR so 出at some 紅 'eas could be set aside as transboundary parks. Nam Poui and Phou xi 佃 g 百long are two Nature Reserves aI ong the Th ai-Lao border. Nam Poui (1， 150 km 2) bordering with northern 百lailand ， will be under m 佃 agement im- plementation plementation in 1994 while Phou Xiang 百 long (995 km 2) in southern Lao PDR will be under under m 佃 agement implementation in 1998 (BERKMULLER et aI.， 1993; SOURYYAKANE 1993). 1993). As a part of an ongoing prc 炉 t to supply basic information (see S阻 KOSAMAT 組 A et aI.， aI.， 1992) 白at will be helpful for wildlife conservation and m 叩 agement in Lao PDR ，we planned planned a month-long trip to s町 vey wildlife in Xe Bang Nouane Nature Reserve (1， 325 km 2) in southern Lao PDR in April 1993. We unfortunately had to change plans due to ac 紅 accident ne 紅 Nakhon Ra tchasima in Th ailand. Mter the accident ，SS went to Vientiane Vientiane during April 1-9 ， 1993 to consult with the Nation aI Office for Nature Conser- vation vation and Watershed Management of Lao PDR ，Forest Resources Conservation Pr oject of La o-Swedish Fores 町 Programme and IUCN Laos. We were informed 伽 t the Mekong Committ 閃 was interested in assessing the feasibility of creating a trans-boundary park aI ong 血e Mekong Ri ver between Pha Taem and Phu Xiang Th ong Nation aI Parks (W.P. code: code: 3.4 .1 1/ 93 ，MKGIR. 92066). Coincident with 0 町 interest in the area due to 0 町 brief S町 vey in 1991 (SRIKOSAMAT 組 A et aI.， 1992) ，we decided to look more cI osely at wildlife conservation conservation in Pha Taem Nation aI Park in 百lailand. We were aI so able to s町 vey 血e wildlife wildlife trade aI ong the Th ai-Lao border in northern Th ailand where little information was obtained obtained during our recent study (S 即 KOSAMAT 組 A et aI.， 1992). We aI so examined the area area next to a protected 紅 'ea in Lao PDR ，Nam Poui. We report here the results of 血e survey ，and discuss the possibility of cooperation between 百lailand and Lao PDR on conservation conservation issues. STUDY SITES AND METHODS 百le route of survey in Pha Taem Nation aI Park and adjacent 釘 eas in 百凶land during April April 10- 17 ，1993 ，c叩 be seen in Figure 1. 0 町 S町 vey route aI ong the Th ai-Lao border of of northern Th ailand from Loei to Am phoe Mae Sai ， Chiang Rai Pr ovince ， during April 23-28 ， 1993 c姐 be seen 泊 Figure 2. We drove to the area ， asked people about wildlife and w aIk ed or hiked about if there were any promising signs. We used a road map (scale 1:1 ，600 ， 000) and topographic maps (合 om 白e Royal Survey Dep 紅加lent) sc aI e 1:250 ，000 and 1:50 ，000 d町 ing 血e survey. Satellite images (sc aI e 1:1 ，000 ，000) 飽ken d町 ing 1989- 1990 企om ANON. (1 991) ，and images of Pha Taem Nation aI Park ，Phou Xi ang 百long Na 加 re Reserve and adjacent areas (L 州 SA 下 5 TH ，sc aI e 1:250 ，000 ，Band 2-3 -4， taken in 7 Janu 紅 y 1989) were aI so used. WlLDLLFE CONSERVATION ALONG THE THAI-LAO BORDER 5 LAO PDR 5 0 10 IS '-'-'-'-'-'-----'-----' Km Thai- Lao boundary Survey Route Boundary of National Pmk in Thail and Boundary of proposed protected area in Lao PDR Figure I. Survey route within Pha Taem National Park and nearby area. 6 SOMPOAD SRIKOSAMATARA AND VARAVUDH SUTEETHORN MYANMAR 0 !020304050 100 Km Thai Lao boundary Province boundary in Thailand Province boundary in Lao PDR @ Town - Survey route Figure 2. Survey route along the Thai-Lao border in northern Thailand. Ban Rom Kao and Ban Nam Tuang are Hmong vill ages. WILDLIFE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ALONG THEτ 百AI-LAO BORDER 7 RESULTS Wildlife Wildlife Conservation and Management in Pha Taem National Park Pha Taem was declared as a national park on 31 December 1991. It covers an area of of 340 km2• From the sate 1li te images (ANON. ， 1991; Fig. 3) there is less forest in 官 lailand 白血 in Lao PD R.百 le main vegetation type in the p紅 k is dry deciduous diptercarp forest wh i1 e mixed deciduous forest dominated by La gerstroemia spp. (Far 凶ly Lythraceae) can a1 so be seen. In m 創 ly areas ， one can see large 紅 'eas filled with the bare sandstone rock. Clumps of Pinus merkusii Jungh. & De Vriese (Far 凶ly Pinaceae) c組 be seen in some 紅 .eas even at an elevation of about 100 m ， which has not been reported in PHENGKLAI (1 972 ，1973) 阻 dW 田 TMO 阻(1 984). Clumps ofpines grow 加 the dry deciduous diptercarp forest forest and 白ey 紅 e possibly pioneer species growing after the forests are disturbed. There is is a Thai-Danish Research Station (1 0.4 km 2) under the S i1 viculture Division of the Roy a1 τ'h ai Forest Department near Ban Ba Hai. τ'h ep 釘 k borders with Lao PDR in which the Mekong acts 剖 the barrier. The Mekong there there is about 1.2-1.5 km wide during the dry season. 百le northem bound 紅 y with the Mekong is near Ban Sarnrong wh i1 e the southem boundary is ne 紅 Ban Kum. People st il1 use use boats to travel a1 0ng the Mekong in the northem p訂 t of the nation a1 park ，especially between between Ban Sar 町 ong ，Ban Pachan ，Ban Dong Na ，Ban Pak La and Ban Kh am Ta Kh wian. At the present time there is no management pl 組 for Pha Taem Nation a1 Park.