Nam Ha National Protected Area is a national protected area in Luang Namtha Province in northern

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

. This mostly forested park is home to a variety of ethnic groups and diverse animal and plant species. The park is an

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

destination.

Geography

Nam Ha National Protected Area is located about southwest of

Luang Namtha Luang Namtha (''Luang Nam Tha'') ( Lao: ມ. ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ) is a district as well as the capital of Luang Namtha Province in northern Laos. The city lies on the Tha River (''Nam Tha''). Luang Namtha is a popular tourist desti ...

and covers parts of all five of the province's districts. The park's area is . The park encompasses the Nam Ha Important Bird Area with an area of . Elevations range from about to the park's peak at . The park incorporates three rivers which drain into the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

: the Nam Tha, Nam Fa and Nam Long. The Nam Tha is the Mekong's first major tributary after entering Laos.

History

In 1980 Nam Ha was identified as a Provincial Protected Area. In 1993 Nam Ha National Protected Area was initially decreed to cover . This was extended in 1999 to cover the present area of . In 2003 Nam Ha was designated an

ASEAN Heritage Park ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) are selected protected areas in the ASEAN region that are known for their unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness and outstanding values in scenic, cultural, educational, research, recreational and tourism. Its vi ...

, the only one in Laos. In 2006 the Nam Ha Ecotourism Project (a joint

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

–Lao project to sustainably manage the park) won the

Equator Prize The Equator Prize, organized by the Equator Initiative within the United Nations Development Programme,

Flora and fauna

The park's main forest type is mixed secondary

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

forest including secondary evergreen forest. At the park's lower elevations, in the Luang Namtha plain, human modification of the forest is evident and habitats include

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

and scrub areas. Animal species include Assam macaque,

clouded leopard The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a cl ...

, gaur,

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...

and a possibly unique species of

muntjac Muntjacs ( ), also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, (URL is Google Books) are small deer of the genus ''Muntiacus'' native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Muntjacs are thought to have begun appearing 15–35 million years ago, ...

. The frog species '' Amolops akhaorum'' is only known from the park. It is named for the local Akha people who helped with the fieldwork of the team who discovered the species in 2007. The park is host to diverse bird species: about 300 species are recorded here. A few species are unique in Laos to Nam Ha:

crested finchbill The crested finchbill (''Spizixos canifrons'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-eastern Asia from China and India to Indochina. Taxonomy The crested finchbill was formally described in 1845 by ...

white-bellied redstart The white-bellied redstart (''Luscinia phaenicuroides'') is a species of bird of the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam, where its natural habitat is temperate forests. ...

and white-necked laughingthrush.

Threats

Nam Ha faces a number of environmental threats. The most significant is slash-and-burn agriculture. Harvesting of forest products, including timber, is also a threat. Hunting of wildlife is conducted by both residents and outsiders. Domesticated animals roam freely, disturbing wildlife and damaging wild habitats. Clearance of forested land for rubber plantations has occurred. File:Forest Nam Ha NPA Laos.jpg, Park forest File:Village Nam Ha NPA Laos.jpg, Village within NPA

References

{{ASEAN Heritage Parks National Biodiversity Conservation Areas Protected areas established in 1993 Geography of Luang Namtha province ASEAN heritage parks

Geography

History

Flora and fauna

Threats

See also

References