Champassak folk benefit from Beung Kiat Ngong Ramsar Wetland conservation project

Households in eight villages surrounding the Beung Kiat Ngong (BKN) Ramsar Wetland in Pathoumphone district, Champassak province, are benefitting from the Lower Mekong Basin Wetland Management and Conservation Project at the BKN Ramsar Site.
The project works to improve livelihoods and provide jobs in local communities, especially the making of handicrafts.
The benefits of the initiative were observed last week when project staff and reporters visited the BKN Ramsar Site in Pathoumphone district and  celebrated the 10th anniversary of the site being included in the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, known as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Project Manager, Deputy Director of the Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Lao National Mekong Committee Secretariat, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Dr Duangmany Luangmany, said the main goals of the project were the rehabilitation, conservation and management of wetlands and ecosystem services at the site, as well as improving the livelihoods of local communities.
The project has funded the construction of schools in two villages and built resource centres in villages.
It has also funded training courses in the making of natural mats and baskets and supplied technical expertise and equipment for cattle fattening.
Funding was also provided to build a community water supply using a solar energy system for 36 families in Kalaenoi village.
The Lower Mekong Basin Wetland Management and Conservation Project (MRWP) also provided 200 million kip to village development funds in four target villages, equalling 50 million kip for each of the four village development funds. This is aimed at facilitating livelihoods development and poverty reduction at the BKN Ramsar site.
“Fifty families in Nongmakek village are now making mats using locally-sourced natural materials after attending training courses. This brings in extra income and gives them permanent jobs,” Dr Duangmany said.
Another activity supported by the project is cattle fattening, which is being carried out by two families in Nongmakek village and three in Phapho village.
The cattle fattening programme began in the middle of August and the first group of animals are expected to be big enough for sale in mid-October.
The project is also supporting seven families to grow mulberry trees and breed silkworms and five families to make pakato (tiny fish) bamboo tube products and padaek (fermented fish sauce).
Head of the Kha Mat handicraft group and the Vice Chief of Nongmakek village, Ms Noudeng Keo-Osa, said the project was providing jobs by ordering the products that people made, as well as providing training so locals could improve their handicraft skills.  
The Lower Mekong Basin Wetland Management and Conservation Project has received financial support from the German government through the KfW Development Bank.
The total financial support for the project is 2 million euros. The Lao government’s contribution in kind is US$300,000 to roll out the project over a five-year period from 2017-2022.
The Beung Kiat Ngong Wetlands are made up of a number of important wetland types, including swamps, lakes, peatlands and marshes. The site covers 2,360 hectares and is located in Pathoumphone district, Champassak province, about 56km south of the provincial capital, Pakxe.
The wetlands are suitable nesting sites for water birds and provide a source of food, such as plants, insects, fish and other small animals, for birds, wild and domestic animals, and humans. Many kinds of fish species remain in the area, according to the project.

By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update September 30, 2020)