Phou Xang He National Protected Area is a national protected area in Savannakhet Province in central

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

. This mostly pristine forested park is home to a large variety of important animal and bird species. The park is home to the Phu Tai and

Katang The Katang (Kataang) ( lo, ຊົນເຜົ່າກະຕາງ; ) are an ethnic group predominantly living in Laos. A few live elsewhere in Southeast Asia. In 2015 there were 144,255 living in Laos, making them one of the largest subgroups ...

ethnic groups and 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

Phou Xang He National Protected Area is located about east of

Savannakhet Savannakhet (ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ), officially named Kaysone Phomvihane ( lo, ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ; th, ไกสอน พมวิหาน) since 2005 and previously known as ''Khanthaboury'' (ຄັນທະ ...

, near the village of Phalan and covers parts of Assaphone, Thaphalanxay, Phin, Xepon and Viraboury districts. The park's area has been estimated at .

Flora and fauna

The park's main forest types are evergreen, mixed deciduous and dry

dipterocarp Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fru ...

forests. Mixed deciduous forest has the largest coverage at 44% of the park's area. Nycticebus pygmaeus 004

Threatened animal species in the park include

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 ...

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 ...

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

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 ...

black crested gibbon The black crested gibbon (''Nomascus concolor'') is a Critically Endangered species of gibbon found in China, Laos, and northern Vietnam, with four subspecies. Taxonomy The taxonomy of the species is confused. Previously grouped in the gen ...

François' langur François' langur (''Trachypithecus francoisi''), also known as Francois' leaf monkey, the Tonkin leaf monkey, or the white side-burned black langur is a species of lutung and the type species of its species group. It is one of the least studied ...

giant muntjac The giant muntjac (''Muntiacus vuquangensis''), sometimes referred to as the large-antlered muntjac, is a species of muntjac deer. It is the largest muntjac species and was discovered in 1994 in Vũ Quang, Hà Tĩnh Province of Vietnam and in cen ...

, gaur, pygmy slow loris, dhole,

Asian black bear The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It lives in the Himalayas, sout ...

, sun bear,

banteng The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of cattle found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their domesticated counterparts, but are otherw ...

and large-spotted civet. Phou Xang He's large area and relatively pristine state make the park important in conserving these species in an undisturbed habitat. Other park species include

macaque The macaques () constitute a genus (''Macaca'') of gregarious Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. The 23 species of macaques inhabit ranges throughout Asia, North Africa, and (in one instance) Gibraltar. Macaques are principally ...

and douc langur. Mountain Fulvetta

Bird life includes the threatened

red-collared woodpecker The red-collared woodpecker (''Picus rabieri'') is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destructio ...

. Other less vulnerable species include

ratchet-tailed treepie The ratchet-tailed treepie (''Temnurus temnurus'') is a species of bird in the crow and jay family Corvidae. The species is also known as the notch-tailed treepie. It is monotypic within the genus ''Temnurus''. The species has a disjunct distr ...

and

mountain fulvetta The mountain fulvetta (''Alcippe peracensis'') is a 14 to 15.5 cm long species of bird in the Alcippeidae family. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam in subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The black-b ...

Threats

Phou Xang He faces a number of environmental threats. Local poverty has resulted in hunting and forest product harvesting in the park. Some habitat loss has resulted from expansion of lands for agriculture. Road development and improvement may increase opportunities for illegal trade in wildlife and forest products.

References

{{Reflist , refs = {{cite web , title = Phou Xang He NBCA , url = http://www.ecotourismlaos.com/directory/protected_areas/phouxanghe.htm , publisher = Greater Mekong Subregion Sustainable Tourism Development Project in Lao PDR , accessdate = 16 March 2015 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402125714/http://www.ecotourismlaos.com/directory/protected_areas/phouxanghe.htm , archivedate = 2 April 2015 {{cite book , last1 = Ray , first1 = Nick , last2 = Bloom , first2 = Greg , last3 = Waters , first3 = Richard , title = Lonely Planet Laos , edition = 8th , publisher =

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarked ...

, date = February 2014 , pages = 209 , isbn = 978-1-7432-1825-9 National Biodiversity Conservation Areas Protected areas established in 1993 Geography of Savannakhet province

Geography

Flora and fauna

Threats

See also

References