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

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 The phin ( th, พิณ, ) is a type of lute with a pear-shaped body, originating in the Isan region of Thailand and played mostly by ethnic Laotians in Thailand and Laos. It has frets on the neck over which two or three metal strings run that a ...

, 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'' = f ...

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 ...

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 ...

, leopard, clouded leopard,

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 ...

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 ce ...

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

pygmy slow loris The pygmy slow loris (''Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus'') is a species of slow loris found east of the Mekong River in Vietnam, Laos, eastern Cambodia, and China. It occurs in a variety of forest habitats, including tropical dry forests, semi-everg ...

dhole The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It ...

, Asian black bear,

sun bear The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a species in the family Ursidae (the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'') occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly at the shoulder and weighing ...

, banteng and

large-spotted civet The large-spotted civet (''Viverra megaspila'') is a viverrid native to Southeast Asia that is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Characteristics Pocock described the large-spotted civet as varying in colour from silvery-grey to golden ...

. 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 and

douc langur The doucs or douc langurs make up the genus ''Pygathrix''. They are colobine Old World monkeys, native to Southeast Asia, which consists of these 3 species: red-shanked douc, black-shanked douc, and gray-shanked douc. Description The douc ...

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 and mountain fulvetta.

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 The Greater Mekong Subregion, (GMS) or just Greater Mekong, is a trans-national region of the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia. The region is home to more than 300 million people. It came into being with the launch of a development program i ...

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 embarke ...

, 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