Conservation Value:

The Nakai-Nam Theun National Park (~4,000 km²), located in the Annamite Mountain Range, is one of the largest remaining contiguous forest blocks in the Indochinese peninsula and has a very high level of biodiversity and endemism. In Lao PDR this national park has been ranked as the highest priority for its national and global biodiversity importance. In 2008, the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project recreated a 450 km² reservoir, flooding the core habitat of the resident elephant population (Elephas maximus) on the Nakai Plateau. Prior to the completion of the dam, the population was estimated at 132 elephants. Its current conservation status is unknown.

Threats:

Across mainland Southeast Asia, the greatest threat to large vertebrates is overhunting, as is the case for the Nakai-Nam Theun National Park, where many species have been extirpated or have had their populations greatly reduced in the past 2 or 3 decades.

Actions & Results:

Surveying using a non-invasive genetic sampling method to provide information on the population size, genetic diversity and social structure of the elephant population on the Nakai Plateau and surrounding areas. With this information in hand, technical meetings with stakeholders and partner organizations will establish a protocol for the long-term monitoring of the elephant population and the drafting of a Conservation Action Plan for the species. In November 2022, Association Anoulak began field work in eight survey zones selected with help from local partners. Each survey zone will be surveyed 5 to 6 times over a period of 5 to 6 months (‘Replicates’) for a maximum of 14 days, with an approximate 14-day interval between each sampling Replicate. Once field work is completed, the samples will be processed and analyzed in laboratories in Laos and France. The results will be published and presented to local partners in late 2023.