Wildlife of Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report - IUCN

Wildlife of Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report
264
Species
Association
with
wetlands
Recent
records
Wetland habitat is primarily
Forest
streams
Rocky
rivers
Pools
amid
dryland
Persists in
cultivation
Locally
distributed
non-breeding
visitor
Clamorous Reed Warbler +++ ? ? ?
Striated Grassbird +++ + +
White Wagtail + + +
Citrine Wagtail +++ + +
Yellow Wagtail ++ + +
Grey Wagtail +++ + +
Paddyfield Pipit + +
Red-throated Pipit ++ + +
• Baya Weaver +++ + +
• Asian Golden Weaver +++ + +
Yellow-breasted Bunting ++ + +
MAMMALS
• Eurasian Otter +++ -
[• Hairy-nosed Otter] +++ -
• Smooth-coated Otter +++ +
• Oriental Small-clawed Otter +++ +
[• Lowe’s Otter Civet] +++ -
Crab-eating Mongoose ++ + +
• Fishing Cat ++ +
• Irrawaddy Dolphin +++ +
• Hog Deer ++ -
[• Wild Water Buffalo] ++ -
Species in square brackets have not been confirmed to occur in Lao PDR. Bulleted species (•) are key species for conservation (Annex 6).
Association with wetlands: +++, almost invariably in wetlands; ++, strongly associated with wetlands and although individuals may be
found outside with some regularity, species’s population probably depends on wetlands; +, frequently in wetlands, but may not depend
upon them.
Recent records: +, yes; ?, provisionally; -, no.
Habitat association: + indicates that the species is found primarily within the habitat indicated.
Persists in cultivation: the species is observed frequently in cultivated areas and may be independent of natural / semi-natural wetlands.
Local non-breeding visitor: the species visits Lao PDR only as a non-breeder and is scarce, scattered, or irregular in distribution. Some
additional species which have undergone catastrophic recent declines through human agency and are only now scarce non-breeding
visitors. They are not indicated as such in this column, as this is not a natural situation and breeding populations could perhaps be reestablished
with appropriate management.
The wetlands of Lao PDR are of outstanding international importance (Claridge 1996, Thewlis et al. 1998). The Ramsar Convention
defines wetlands as ‘areas of marsh, fen, peatland, or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static
or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters’. Many of
the habitats included do not occur in Lao PDR (e.g. all salt, brackish and tidal wetlands), and some habitats provided for under this
definition which do occur in Lao PDR are of minimal biodiversity conservation importance; following Claridge (1996), rice paddies and
aquaculture ponds are omitted from further consideration here. In contrast to Claridge, however, rivers, even including small forest
streams, are retained in the definition as used here. This is necessary because many wetland bird and large mammal species occur in both
non-flowing and flowing wetlands. Because they are also in areas preferentially settled by people, the current system of NBCAs underrepresents
the occurrence of many types. Thus, their vertebrate wildlife has been under-surveyed, but current indications are that many
species are under steep national decline (birds: Thewlis et al. 1998; mammals: this table). In recognition of the importance of the habitats
and the conservation needs of vertebrates, CPAWM has a specific wetland unit.
The present list is given for guidance in anticipation that future field surveys will rectify the present imbalance. Species are classified