Nam Et (16625)
Laos, Asia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2012

National site name: Nam Et

Central coordinates: Latitude: 20.3000, Longitude: 103.5167

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 700 to 1600

Area of KBA (km²): 2699.61886

Protected area coverage (%): 93.18

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The IBA is located inside Nam Et National Protected Area, in northern Lao P.D.R. The IBA comprises the upper Nam Neun catchment and adjacent areas in the south-west of the national protected area. The topography of the IBA is mountainous, and elevations range from 800 to 1,500 m asl. Below 1,000 m asl, the vegetation of the IBA comprises mixed deciduous forest and stands of bamboo. Above 1,000 m asl, the vegetation is dominated by mixed deciduous forest and dry evergreen forest with occasional conifers. Many areas of forest have been degraded, particularly at lower elevations, while forest has been cleared from significant areas in the west of the IBA and replaced by secondary grassland (Davidson 1998). To the west, the IBA is contiguous with Phou Louey IBA (LA003). The site was selected as an IBA primarily on the basis of the presence of a large number of biome-restricted species, a significant proportion of which have recent confirmed records from few other sites in Lao P.D.R., although this may, in part, reflect a relative lack of recent ornithological study of montane habitats in the Northern Highlands. In addition, the Nam Neun and its tributaries support Blyth's Kingfisher Alcedo hercules.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) The site has been reviewed and re-confirmed as a KBA in the process of compiling the revised 2011 CEPF Ecosystem Profile for the Indo-Burma Hotspot.

Additional biodiversity: The IBA supports very small number of IBA Key Species of bird (Ai and/or Aii criteria). Only one Key Species, Blyth's Kingfisher has been known, so far. However, the IBA supports nearly 40 species of Biome-restricted assemblages birds and most of which belong to one Biome (Biome 08: Sino-Himalayan Subtropical forest). Also, some of birds are only found in very few sites in Laos. Non-bird biodiversity: Davidson (1998) recorded seven species of important fauna in the IBA: either Sundda Pangolin M. javanica or Chinese Pangolin M. pentadactyla, either Asiatic Black Bear U. thibetanus or Sun Bear U. malayanus, Leopard Cat P. bengalensis, Asian Golden Cat C. temminckii, Leopard P. pardus, Tiger P. tigris and Inornate Squirrel C. inornatus.

Habitats

Land use: nature conservation and research

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Grassland	33
Artificial - Terrestrial	33
Forest	33

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: One of the major threats to biodiversity at the IBA, particularly to populations of many biome-restricted species, is conversion of forest to shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivation is widely practicesd by local people, and is the biggest cause of forest loss within Nam Et Protected Area. Because of the long history of shifting cultivation, most areas of the protected area have been affected by shifting cultivation, and little old-growth forest remains (Davidson 1998). Shifting cultivation is not, necessarily, a threat to all biome-restricted species at the IBA. Some species, such as Jerdon's Buschat Saxicola jerdoni, appear to benefit from annual burning of forest and adjacent habitats, which maintain and promote swathes of tall grass and herbs (Davidson 1998). Hunting is another major threat to biodiversity at the IBA, and is a particulalry threat to populations of several large mammals and, possibly, to ground-dwelling birds. Potential future threats to biodiversity include road development and human resettlement within or close to the IBA (Davidson 1998).

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Intentional use (species being assessed is the target)	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Persecution/control	Ongoing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Shifting agriculture	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target)	Ongoing

Additional information