FACT SHEET LAOS
© CK WONG / WWF GREATER MEKONG
Indochinese Tiger
Landscape approach adopted
in effort to save wild tiger populations Revered in many Asian cultures, the tiger is a ‘flagship’ species for the Asian forest ecosystem, yet there are as few as 3,200 tigers surviving in the world’s forest, occupying only 7% of their historical range. The situation is so severe, that the wild tiger faces extinction in little over a decade.
Map of Lao PDR: Tiger Landscape Class I Class II
Today, wild tigers face unrelenting threats including hunting, habitat destruction, depletion of prey species and illegal wildlife trade. The primary threat to Indochinese tigers, found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, is direct poaching of both tiger and its prey species, compounded by the destruction of tiger habitation through unsustainable infrastructure development and conversion for agricultural purposes. This fragmentation forces tigers to inhabit scattered patches of land, isolating populations and increasing accessibility for poachers.
Class III Potential Landscape
In Lao PDR, there are as few as thirty wild tigers left, confined to evergreen forests of the Northern Annamites in Northern Laos and the Dry Forests/Central Annamites landscape in Southern Laos. Very little data is available relating to the current populations of wild tigers in Laos, yet rather than concentrating efforts and limited funding to confirm presence of this majestic species, WWF has firstly pioneered a landscape based approach across Southern Laos to identify priority areas that indicate potential tiger populations and where conservation will most benefit the long-term survival of wild tigers.
SOUTHERN LAOS
As such, WWF in partnership with the Lao Government has long term commitment to several national protected areas (NPA), these include Xe Pian has potential for rapid tiger recovery with new project supporting the improvement of management effectiveness to reduce poaching and recover wildlife populations. Recent interview surveys indicate areas that are thought to support tiger in and around Xe Pian NPA and Dong Ampham NPA, including the connecting forest corridors between the two protected areas. In addition, a large mammal survey will collate baseline data of species populations found within the NPAs that could help with the identification of populations of prey species where protection efforts need to be focused. Further work relating to other prey species, Eld’s Deer, continues in Savannakhet province, as WWF in collaboration with Government agency supports the Eld’s Deer Sanctuary project which aims to increase specie populations whilst maintaining a healthy forest ecosystem.
Forest Categories NPA Protection Forest Production Forest Provincial Boundary