Wildlife Conservation Society, Lao PDR

During the past 25 years, WCS Lao PDR has successfully implemented 23 projects with the Government of Lao PDR, supported by more than 30 donors. WCS began working in Lao PDR in the 1980s, surveying wildlife and habitats around the country to assist the government to create Lao PDR’s national protected area system. In the early 1990s, WCS documented wildlife and habitats in many of the newly created national protected areas and began supporting the government to train protected area managers, as well as raise awareness about illegal wildlife trade. WCS established a country office in Lao PDR in 1994. Our vision at the Lao PDR Program is that the unique ecosystems of Lao PDR thrive indefinitely and are valued by the people of Lao PDR, and the world, for their biodiversity, natural beauty, and the services they provide to humanity. A core thematic to support that vision is protection and improved management of biodiversity values by building the capacity of government and local stakeholders, improving management of wildlife and wild places through community engagement, and combatting illegal wildlife trade.