Collaborative Management with Local Communities for the Conservation of Karst Resources at Him Nam No National Park, Laos
Session Type
Plenary Session: Sustainbility and Community
Start Date
18-8-2020 9:45 AM
Description
Hin Nam No is a karst protected area in central Laos, for which a nomination as a natural World Heritage site is being prepared. Due to limited financial and human resources, however, there is a lack of capacity and in-formation to effectively manage and monitor the protected area. In response, a collaborative management (co-management) system has been established for Hin Nam No, in which local communities play an active role, and have more powers and responsibilities for management of the natural resources on which they depend. Thus, there is a shared goal of biodiversity and geodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation in and around Hin Nam No. There are 18 ‘guardian’ villages surrounding Hin Nam No, comprising about 8000 people. Village rangers from the guardian villages are in-volved with patrolling and monitoring, and assist with exploration and field research in Hin Nam No. Village ecotourism guides from several villages guide tours to caves and walks in the spectacular karst landscape of Hin Nam No. There has been a 16% improvement in management effectiveness since co-management of Hin Nam No was initiated in 2014, with major improvements in technical capacity and management skill. Further work on capacity enhancement, implementation of management plans and adaptive management, and sustainable financing will be required to sustain this system of co-management, and thus protect and con-serve the karst resources of Hin Nam No.
Recommended Citation
Bolger,, Terry Presenter, "Collaborative Management with Local Communities for the Conservation of Karst Resources at Him Nam No National Park, Laos" (2020). Conservation of Fragile Karst Resources Proceedings. 1.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/con_karst_res_proc/con_karst_pro_2020/day_one/1
Collaborative Management with Local Communities for the Conservation of Karst Resources at Him Nam No National Park, Laos
Hin Nam No is a karst protected area in central Laos, for which a nomination as a natural World Heritage site is being prepared. Due to limited financial and human resources, however, there is a lack of capacity and in-formation to effectively manage and monitor the protected area. In response, a collaborative management (co-management) system has been established for Hin Nam No, in which local communities play an active role, and have more powers and responsibilities for management of the natural resources on which they depend. Thus, there is a shared goal of biodiversity and geodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation in and around Hin Nam No. There are 18 ‘guardian’ villages surrounding Hin Nam No, comprising about 8000 people. Village rangers from the guardian villages are in-volved with patrolling and monitoring, and assist with exploration and field research in Hin Nam No. Village ecotourism guides from several villages guide tours to caves and walks in the spectacular karst landscape of Hin Nam No. There has been a 16% improvement in management effectiveness since co-management of Hin Nam No was initiated in 2014, with major improvements in technical capacity and management skill. Further work on capacity enhancement, implementation of management plans and adaptive management, and sustainable financing will be required to sustain this system of co-management, and thus protect and con-serve the karst resources of Hin Nam No.
Comments
This presentation was part of the Plenary Session: Sustainability and Community. Sustainability and Community Mangers and researchers from across the globe shared perspectives on the strengths and challenges to man-aging karst resources and the UNESCO programs de-signed to protect these environments. Topics covered a broad spectrum including collaborative management, efficacy of UNESCO protected area designations in safeguarding cave and karst geogheritage, geotourism roles and potentials, public perception, use of tradi-tional knowledge to guide karst management, and ge-oeducational and geotouristic opportunities offered by speleological activities.