Posted on August, 12 2025

Vientiane, Laos: 12 August 2025 – On World Elephant Day, WWF-Laos marks the occasion with a major step toward protecting one of Laos’ last remaining wild elephant populations. For the first time, a fecal DNA survey has been conducted in Nam Poui National Protected Area (NPA) – one of the country’s few strongholds for the endangered Asian elephant.

Across Southeast Asia and China, only about 8,000-11,000 wild Asian elephants remain, making this work in Nam Poui NPA and other key elephant habitats in Laos even more urgent. Conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Forestry and Environment, through the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department (PAFO), the survey aims to estimate the size and distribution of Nam Poui NPA’s wild elephants and assess their genetic diversity.

From February to May 2025, 348 samples were collected across key areas known for seasonal elephant movement in Nam Poui NPA and surrounding areas. Priority zones were identified using historical human-elephant conflict records, camera trap data, and other field information on known elephant use areas. The field team – comprising staff from WWF-Laos, students from the National University of Laos, PAFO, and other local partners – received specialist training from Laos’ Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) on sample collection and DNA extraction techniques.


“Understanding how many elephants remain and the areas where they live is critical for effective planning and protection to ensure their survival,” said Phayvieng Vongkhamheng, WWF-Laos’ Priority Site Coordinator for Nam Poui NPA. “This is the first comprehensive use of advanced science to study elephants in Nam Poui, and the results will guide our conservation actions for years to come.”
 

The samples are currently being extracted at the ECC’s lab before being exported to the Smithsonian’s Genomics team in Washington, D.C., for full sequencing and analysis, with results expected in 2026. These findings will provide critical information for planning conservation actions, improving habitat connectivity, and reducing human–elephant conflict. The data will provide a robust population estimate, insights into genetic diversity, and information that could help assess connections with elephant herds in neighbouring Thailand, highlighting the importance of protecting dispersal areas that extend beyond national boundaries.

In Laos – as in many other places – habitat loss and degradation, loss of range connectivity, negative interactions with people, and poaching have driven declines in wild elephant populations. With no comprehensive, up-to-date, and confirmed national data, the DNA results from Nam Poui NPA will provide the first scientific estimate for this key landscape and could guide similar studies in other elephant habitats across Laos. By applying these tools to answer key questions about population size, distribution, and trends, conservation partners can better address the underlying causes of decline.


“This work is a starting point, and with the knowledge we gain, we can provide data and work closely with the government and our partners to better protect elephants not just in Nam Poui NPA, but also share it as essential background information for other elephant habitats across Laos. Only through strong collaboration and shared commitment will we ensure the long-term survival of these iconic animals in our country,” added Phayvieng.


Nam Poui NPA covers over 191,000 hectares and is home to elephants and other threatened species, including gaur, sun bear, Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, and white-handed gibbon. Protecting elephants here helps safeguard ecosystems that support both biodiversity and local communities.

For more than a decade, WWF-Laos has been supporting elephant conservation in Nam Poui NPA through management planning, biodiversity surveys, land-use planning, law enforcement training, conflict mitigation, patrols, and community awareness. The current fecal DNA survey, financially supported by WWF-US, is part of a renewed effort to closely monitor elephant populations and contribute to the government’s National Elephant Action Plan. With support from the Wyss Foundation, WWF-Laos will expand patrol presence in Nam Poui NPA by establishing a dedicated Elephant Monitoring Team and assisting the government in its efforts to GPS-collar wild elephants across the landscape. Separately, WWF-Laos has also recently established a partnership to strengthen the collaborative management of the protected area.

While tools such as DNA analysis and GPS tracking are valuable for understanding and managing elephant populations, they are simply tools that answer questions rather than solutions in themselves. The ultimate goal remains the long-term protection and, in some cases, restoration of elephant habitat. Without this, scientific interventions alone cannot secure the survival of the species.

On this World Elephant Day, WWF is calling on national governments, private companies, and other stakeholders to become ‘Elly Allies’ and improve measures to protect Asian elephants. In Laos, WWF-Laos urges government agencies, local communities, the private sector, and the international community to join forces in safeguarding the country’s wild elephants – ensuring they remain a living symbol of Laos, roaming freely in its forests for generations to come.


– Ends –


For media inquiries, contact:
bounpone.sookmexay@wwf.org.la
Communications Manager, WWF-Laos