Support to Food Security and Aquatic Biodiversity

Geographical location:

Asia/Pacific > Southeast Asia > Lao People's Democratic Republic

Summary

Laos is a culturally diverse country globally renowned for its unique biodiversity and natural resources. The Mekong River carves a path down its length and is home to some of the last wild populations of Mekong giant catfish. Development pressure from intensive agriculture, hydropower, road infrastructure and logging, however, are having increased impacts on the health of many of the country’s rivers, lakes and wetlands.

WWF is working in Laos, particularly along the Mekong, supporting local communities to develop strategies that focus on sustainable biodiversity and natural resource management. This includes setting up community fisheries and fish sanctuaries.

Background

Development pressure from intensified agriculture, hydropower, road infrastructure and logging are having increased impacts on the health of aquatic ecosystems.

The ComFish project follows previous work by WWF Lao on community fisheries management. The experience of past activities and relationships with local stakeholders has helped to guide the development of ComFish. The project is now ready to continue working with government partners like the Lao National Mekong Committee and the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, as well as community groups at village level.

Objectives

1. An inventory of critical habitats based upon local ecological knowledge is created for 6 tributaries of the Mekong River in Lao PDR.

2. A community fisheries network is created to strengthen the role and legal framework for communities to manage aquatic biodiversity and participate in decision-making processes related to aquatic resources management.

3. An integrated approach to river basin management strengthens the management and conservation of aquatic biodiversity from rivers, wetlands and rice fields in 3 provinces.

Solution

ComFish will work to increase the participation of rural communities in the management and conservation of the natural resources used in daily life. It will support the WWF Living Mekong Programme objectives for the Mekong Basin.

The project will seek to integrate the knowledge and concerns of rural communities into national strategies and policy. Using local knowledge and solutions to management ensures that regulations are effective and followed at field level. Institutionalizing this knowledge and approach will help to inject a rural voice into national policy.

Achievement

Since 2005 the ComFish project has facilitated a process to establish 72 new fisheries co-management arrangements between villages and local government agencies. These new village regulations establish fish sanctuaries in areas identified by fishermen as being important fish habitats.

Typically these habitats focus on deep pools in the river channel, but other examples include seasonal streams (spawning habitat) and wetlands. The size of each conservation zone varies from being smaller than 1ha to over 30ha. Regardless of size, the fishermen claim there are immediate benefits to local fisheries and aquatic biodiversity.

The project has also assisted the Lao Government to draft the first Fisheries Law which came into effect in 2010. As part of this process the project has published Fisheries Co-management Guidelines which are a key resource in implementing the new fisheries law.

In 2010 the project will publish an Inventory of Fisheries Co-management which contains the details of each freshwater protected area, including maps of locations and the details of the regulations.