Ministry makes Savannakhet forest national conservation area for Eld’s deer

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on Monday named the Eld’s deer conservation forest in Savannakhet province as a national conservation area for the endangered species.
The announcement was made at the Ecosystem Conservation Centre in Xonbouly district of Savannakhet to mark the National Day for Fish Release and Aquatic and Wildlife Conservation, according to Lao National Radio.

The Ministry worked in cooperation with the Savannakhet Provincial Administration Office for the measure.
The government plans to develop the conservation site as a new natural tourism site to generate more income for the local people so that they can improve their lives and protect and improve the forests and biodiversity.
An official from the Forestry Department said the Eld’s deer conservation forest was a provincial conserved forest before being upgraded to a national conservation area. This is also the first wildlife conservation area in the country.
The protected forest covers 130,000 hectares in the five districts of Xonbouly, Thapangthong, Phalanxay, Songkhon and Phin. Most of the forest falls within Xonbouly district.
The official said that in the past, the number of Eld’s deer in the area had decreased, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has cooperated with the local administrative since 2002 to protect the wildlife.
In 2016, the United Nations granted some funds to support the conservation of the ecosystem in the Eld’s deer forest. The residents of 16 villages in the five districts also provided some assistance, and the number of Eld’s deer increased to 200.
The Eld’s deer conservation forest has rich biodiversity, including 278 kinds of bird, 67 species of mammals, 47 species of reptiles, 38 species of amphibian animals, nine fish species and more than 126 kinds of plants and trees.
A 2015 survey put the forest cover in the area at 58 percent. With an annual average increase of 2 percent, forest cover is expected to rise to 68 percent by 2020, according to last year’s report from the Forestry Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update July 14, 2020)