2 Status of taxonomic knowledge of Lao wildlife National species diversity 1 Mammals 1 Birds

Wild life is one of significant to the ecological services, in the natural forest, some species of mammals and inset or warm are living in soil, they are one factor to made the soil high quality, for the terrestrial species as some mammals, birds, butterfly are also pollinators, seed disperses, and pest controllers.

Wildlife in Lao PDR has direct economic value for the people of Lao. Many rural people, particularly in the remote areas are dependent on bartering or selling of wildlife, including the trade of medicines made from wildlife, wildlife meat, and for zoo collections. Wildlife is consumed at all levels in society and the trade is both domestic and international, moving wildlife throughout the country and across its borders.

Biodiversity is an important role in socio-economic for the Lao people in rural areas, as we have known in the early elephant is significant animals of Lao religious cultural. In historical time it was " Pathetlao Lanexang" means the land of million elephants, mostly Lao people use elephants for draught animals are use for carrying timber, ride for tourism purpose, Transportation. For others species, Lao peoples are normally believe to pet of the wield life at the home, that made the home look like the natural place, some Lao peoples believe to brink a life of animals and bird to release at the temple, that they have a good luck of their life, and healthy, especially in Vat Si Muong Temple, Vientiane Municipality.

• local hunting for consumption, recreation, internal trade, and to protect crops and livestock;

• hunting and capture of wildlife for international trade. This is principally for traditional oriental medicines, but also for meat, captive display or rearing and horn and antler trophies.
In addition, principal indirect threats to wildlife in Lao PDR are:

• clearance of forest and other habitats for agriculture (principally rice) and plantation forestry;

• commercial logging (legal and illegal);

• hydropower development

• road network development (often in support of the three foregoing factors);

• over-harvesting of prey species (for example, suppression of Tiger numbers by over-hunting of ungulates, or possibly, of otter numbers by over-fishing).

Most of hunting in Lao PDR has probably been by minorities who live in the hill country. Some of their wildlife meat and products are sold at provincial markets to lowland people. They hunt with modern and muzzle-loading guns, hunting dogs, snares and deadfall traps. The two main types of snares used in the country are made from nylon strings meant for small terrestrial mammals and bird, and made from cable, effective for large mammals including bear, tiger, Sambar, muntjac and Gaur. The population are continued increased reducing and some species was extinct in the past few year as Chinese Three-striped Box Turtle Cuora trifasciata , kouprey Bos sauveli and some species of water bird will be extinct in the next few year.

elephant was shot by illegal poacher for tusk in Nakai Plateau, 2001.

Lao PDR has significant expanses of habitat and internationally important populations of many species, but a strong cultural appetite for hunting and a recent increase in trade are leading to major depletion of wildlife (Nooren and Claridge, 2001). Most of the wildlife trade in Lao is driven by demand outside the country, including Lao, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and various other ethnic minorities from different affiliations (government, military, large and small businesses). Besides the international trade, domestic trade has less threat to wildlife but still is problematic for the future of wildlife populations. Wildlife is commonly seen in markets around Vientiane, even openly sold at the domestic air terminal at the Wattay airport. The wildlife trade in Lao is quite complicated. There are individual and groups of traders all with their own characteristics for example: hunter, itinerant trader, middleman, large trader or opportunistic trader.

In remote areas of the country local people are practicing shifting cultivation clearing forestland for agriculture purposes. This is putting pressure on the quality of forest in areas of high biodiversity. It is in the government plan to stop shifting cultivation by the year 2020.

Currently forest fire is a threat to bio-diversity in many parts of Lao PDR. At all government, levels there should be a project plan that focuses on forest fire prevention. This plan should include methods and inform on forest fire prevention for the farmer who uses fire to clear land and clean fields. Forest fire prevention should be strongly enforced and monitored to see the effects on areas of high bio-diversity.

Logging is the main cause for deforestation. In addition to shifting cultivation, logging concessions convert large tracts of healthy forest into more degraded lands. But more importantly these logging activities develop roads deep into the forest interior creating easier access for wildlife hunting. The government has regulations and policies for projects and companies to follow for logging practices. These regulations should be strongly enforced by forest officials on duty with the logging company. Some revenue-generating program should be implemented to produce budget for bio-diversity management at the same time.

Hydropower can be seen both as a threat and as benefit to bio-diversity. Large tracts of land get flooded in the inundation areas during dam construction displacing wildlife from natural habitat, but if hydro power projects develop funding mechanisms for conservation, the trade off maybe worth it. Several developing countries use power revenues to support conservation activities in and around the hydropower project. This is best illustrated in Lao PDR by the Nam Luek and Nam Thuen II hydro power projects. Currently 1% of electricity generating revenues from the Nam Luek hydropower project will go back to managing the Phu Khao Khuay National Protected Area.

Poisoning both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife is used widely in Lao PDR. The excessive use of poison has large impacts on wildlife populations. Government regulations on the use of poison for fishing and hunting should be enforced by local authorities. Public awareness programs are need to help local people understand the impacts of excessive poisoning of wildlife and agriculture pests such as insects and rats.

Some industry factory was release the water with chemical or released the smoke to the air, that also poison on plant and insect.
6.3.2.Animal /human conflict (depredation of livestock and crops)

Wildlife are widely distribution in Lao, and although number are much reduced from historic levels. The incidents of wildlife/human conflict is several situation as attacks on humans, crop raiding and tiger attacks domesticated animals. all the reason are pressured by human increasing activity, that cleared for the cultivation, hunting, trade, forest fire.

Elephant was shot during sugar field damaged by farmer in Banna, Thapabath district, Bolikhamxay Province 2000.

The threat to amphibians and reptiles from introduction of exotic species is low in Lao PDR. However, two potential sources are worthy of mention. First, the Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans, a turtle native to south-east U.S.A., has been introduced in many countries around the world, including neighboring Thailand, by released animals from the pet trade (Jenkins 1995, Cox et al. 1998). This species was seen for sale in a Vientiane aquarium shop in December 1998 (BLS). Escaped individuals of this successful colonist could pose a threat to native populations of turtles by competitive exclusion or spread of disease, were the species to become popular for food, as pets or as release animals in Buddhist tradition. Whether the threat of colonisation by this exotic outweighs the possible benefits from relieving pressure on native species as food and trade commodities is unknown. Secondly, at least two commercial frog farms, one in Vientiane (J. Foppes verbally 1999) and one near the Lao border in Udom-Ratchatani, Thailand (T. Hansel verbally 1998) reportedly rear native ranid frogs that have been hybridised with a large African ranid (of a yet undeter-mined species) for domestic sale in markets. Native populations of frogs could be displaced or genetically altered by escaped individuals of these larger products of artificial selection.

Although this revision considers only land vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians), it is hoped that future sister publications will cover fish, invertebrates and plants. Some information is already available on these groups (e.g. Vidal 1960, Gressitt 1970 and references therein, Howarth 1985, Fidloczky 1988, Roucou 1990, Evenson 1991, Roberts and Warren 1994, Kottelat 1996: Annex) and the information base is likely to be expanded in the near future. A national red data book is now needed, to list realistic action points to achieve this long-term aim.