Posted on May, 30 2025

• Phou Xieng Thong National Protected Area, covering 87,853 hectares, was officially declared an ASEAN Heritage Park on 19 September 2024. 
   
• Nam Poui National Protected Area, spanning 191,200 hectares, followed on 3 October 2024. 
   
• WWF-Laos congratulates the Lao government on this significant achievement and reaffirms its commitment to supporting and strengthening conservation efforts in both protected areas.  
   

ASEAN Heritage Parks are recognized as protected areas of high conservation importance, preserving a complete spectrum of representative ecosystems of the ASEAN region. The inclusion of Nam Poui and Phou Xieng Thong highlights not only their biodiversity value, but also their role as flagship sites attracting regional and international attention as models for sustainable protected area management. 

“WWF-Laos applauds this important milestone and reaffirms our commitment to working alongside the Lao government, protected area authorities, and local communities,” said Loris Palentini, Country Director of WWF-Laos. “This recognition clearly shows what we can achieve together through long-term vision, collaboration, and a shared commitment to protecting nature – our life support system, and ensuring the well-being of people, including ourselves. Looking ahead, WWF-Laos stands ready to scale up its support to ensure these landscapes continue to thrive – ecologically, economically, and culturally, for the benefit of today and future generations.”

With their new ASEAN Heritage Park status, Nam Poui and Phou Xieng Thong are gaining broader recognition not only for their national significance, but also as flagship sites for conservation at the regional level – attracting international attention for their ecological value and potential as models of sustainable protected area management. 

Nam Poui spans over 191,000 hectares and is one of the most ecologically important protected areas in Laos, now also for ASEAN. It is one of the few remaining strongholds for wild Asian elephants in the country, and supports many other threatened species, including gaur, sun bear, Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, Asian golden cat, dhole, Indochinese grey langur, and a remnant population of white-handed gibbon. The area is also identified as having high potential for tiger recovery from neighboring Thailand and plays a vital role in regional biodiversity conservation. 
 
Phou Xieng Thong covers an area of nearly 100,000 hectares across Champasak and Salavan provinces, is known for its wild orchids, rocky outcroppings, and significant cultural and religious sites. It is the only NPA in the country located along the Mekong River, and hosts a rich variety of animal and plant species, some endangered. The Mekong River divides this area into two key habitats: Phou Xieng Thong NPA in Laos and Pha Taem National Park in Thailand. This division establishes the area as a critical transboundary for biodiversity conservation, encompassing aquatic life, wildlife, and forest ecosystems. 
 
These two newly designated ASEAN Heritage Parks have long been conservation priorities for WWF-Laos. In Nam Poui, WWF-Laos has been working for over a decade with the Lao government on forest management, wildlife protection, and community livelihood improvement – efforts recently strengthened by a new partnership agreement signed on May 22. In Phou Xieng Thong, a nearly five-year collaboration focuses on freshwater and biodiversity conservation, particularly sustainable aquatic resource management, while promoting climate-resilient, community-based fisheries along the Mekong. 
 
WWF-Laos remains committed to supporting the effective and inclusive management of these newly recognized parks, alongside other priority sites under its upcoming five-year strategic plan, to ensure they continue to deliver lasting benefits for biodiversity, local communities, and future generations.