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Wildlife conservation message highlighted at the
2010 Lao Elephant Festival
The Laos Illegal Wildlife Action Group, building
on the momentum of the Wildlife Conservation Campaign launched at
last year's South East Asian Games, took its conservation message up
to Sayaboury Province for the 2010 Lao Elephant Festival.
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The annual Lao Elephant Festival
attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Sayaboury Province and
this year was held again in its birthplace, Hongsa District, in
Ban Viengkeo.
The Wildlife Conservation Campaign took advantage of this
opportunity to spread messages about the importance of combating
illegal wildlife trade and promoting a healthy environment to
support biodiversity conservation and rural livelihoods. |
Elephant Procession at the festival.
Photo: Charlotte Hicks |
The Ambassador of the Unites States to Lao PDR, H.E. Mr Ravic
Huso, launched the campaign at the festival with a speech on the
main stage, followed by an address by Campaign staff member, Mr
Souphamith Naovalat of the World Bank.
Mr Huso noted that habitat loss and the illegal trade of wildlife
species undermine sustainable natural resource management and cause
economic losses, and he applauded "the steps the government has
already taken to protect its wildlife, such as prohibiting the
hunting, sale, and purchase of protected species throughout Lao PDR".
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In addition to a booth, activities for children and
surveying, the campaign sponsored an Outdoor Cinema at the
festival, which showed wildlife conservation themed movies,
documentaries and advertisements over three nights.
The campaign activities at the Elephant Festival were
generously supported by the United States Embassy in Lao PDR,
DFDL Mekong, the Free the Bears Fund, GTZ, and Green Discovery
Laos.
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Local children join in the fun
with games, quizzes and singing at the Campaign booth.
Photo: Charlotte Hicks. |
| The Action Group behind the campaign will continue to build
a broad coalition among all sectors of society in Lao and the
region to combat the illegal wildlife trade and support
biodiversity conservation. |
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About
the Campaign for Wildlife Conservation
The Lao Illegal Wildlife Trade Action Group was established in
2009 and was initiated by the Lao National Department of Forest
Inspection and the Division of Forest Resources Conservation. It is
the role of these agencies to guard Lao PDR’s forests and protected
areas through conservation and protection of biodiversity, and
prevention, detection and suppression of forest and wildlife crime.
The Working Group includes representatives from government, NGOs and
international organizations.
An initiative of the Working Group, the Campaign for Wildlife
Conservation was launched in late November 2009, to coincide with
the 25th South East Asian Games in Vientiane. Globally, illegal
wildlife trade is the third largest illegal trade (after arms and
drugs), and South East Asia is a hotspot for the trade. Lao PDR is a
source, conduit and consumer country for traded wildlife.
Website:
www.wildlifetradelaos.org
Contacts Ms Charlotte Hicks
IUCN, Lao PDR
Tel: +856-21-216401 ext. 124
Mobile: +856-20 614 0051
Email: charlotte@iucnlao.org
Ms Souridahak Sakonhninhom
World Bank, Lao PDR
Tel: +856-21-450-010
Mobile: +856-20 222 1332
Email:
ssakonhninhom@worldbank.org |
