Nongtha wetland features in environment protection
 
Vientiane Times, 29 Jan 2010
 
With the backdrop of Nongtha wetland, Chanthabouly district governor
expressed his wish that the human residents could have as much
appreciation of the environment as the birds that visit the lotus
flowers there each year.
 
Mr Saythong Keodouangdy spoke to Vientiane Times yesterday at a
ceremony organised by the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) to mark “Wetland Day” on February 2.
 
More than 10,000 birds make the wetland their temporary home when the
lotus flowers are in bloom.
 
Mr Saythong said while birds understood the importance the wetland as
a source of food and sustenance, too many residents of the village and
surrounds didn't care about protecting their environment.
 
Nongtha wetland has long been an important source of food for the
local people, providing edible plants, traditional medicines, fish and
other foods.
 
Development in the area is encroaching on the wetland and polluting
the water yet many residents do not seem to care, Mr Saythong said.
 
Seasoned fisherman Mr Bounmy Bhodhisane complained to the press that
he and other partners in the area can now catch a total of only six to
seven kilos of fish per day if they are lucky.
 
“This is different from the past, when we used to catch 12-24 kilo per
day. Today, just one kilo is difficult,” he explained.
 
Known affectionately as Grandpa Bounmy, he has spent more than 60
years fishing the area and is worried that if Nongtha's environment is
destroyed, then the fish will disappear into memory.
 
With this in mind, representatives of the IUCN and government
officials in Vientiane organised a ceremony to promote protection of
the wetland.
 
Working with local organisations, they came together to organise
activities with the local media to raise the level of awareness of
environmental protection.
 
IUCN Country Representative, Ms Latsamy Sylavong, said that the role
of the media was very important in promoting protection efforts.
 
The participants were briefed on Wetland Day and the importance of
wetlands to those animals and people that depend on them.
 
Participants from concerned government sectors, local officials and
people from the village were in attendance.
 
The media interviewed several of the officials and found them to be
very supportive of the cause.
 
“This wetland is very important for the livelihood of these people, we
should work together to increase awareness so people can continue to
use it well into the future,” Ms Latsamy said.
 
Head of Nongtha village, Mr Souphan Keobounma, said that a few years
ago some people from outside the village began using electric-shock
fishing methods in the pond.
 
He said this was a dreadful practice because it kills all nearby fish
and aquatic life, not only the ones that can be eaten.
 
“We worked with the headmen from the other villages to discourage this
practice as well as making sure everyone knew it was illegal. We have
not had that sort of problem since,” Mr Souphan said.
 
Since 2003, the IUCN has been marking the day with various activities.
 
Last year they celebrated with students of the National University of
Laos, while this year reaching out to the media was the emphasis.
 
Activities organised included environmentally themed lessons for the
village's primary school students, who learnt all about the importance
of the wetland to their lives and those of the animals that rely upon
it.