Six Monthly Technical Progress Report July 2011December ... - WWF

Challenges
and
solutions
Currently,
there
is
a
serious
lack
of
capacity
in
Lao
(WWF
Field
Office
and
Xe
Sap
NPA)
to
drive
the
activities.
This
is
a
very
urgent
issue
which
is
currently
addressed
through
a
focused
head
hunting
recruitment
process.
We
are
positive
that
experienced
and
competent
staff
will
be
appointed
from
the
1 st 
of
February
2012.
Intermediate
result
2.15
By
end
of
the
project,
infractions
(violation
of
law,
agreements
and
rules/illegal
activities)
into
Xe
Sap
protected
area
have
been
reduced
by
at
least
30
%
(e.g.
based
on
trends
in
snare
traps
detected,
confiscation
of
timber
and
wildlife,
logging
roads).
Progress
A
wildlife
protection
strategy
workshop
was
organized
from
27‐29 th September
2011
to
identify
areas
of
conservation
importance
and
threats.
These
results
will
be
fed
into
a
Protection
Strategy,
which
will
be
developed
concurrently
with
the
Management
Plan.
Intermediate
result
2.16
By
end
of
the
project,
mammal
species
diversity
and
numbers
in
particular
for
ungulate
species
show
upward
trends
Progress
Mammal
monitoring
protocols
for
the
Xe
Sap
NPA
are
being
developed
for
focal
landscape
species:
large
ungulates
(including
large‐antlered
and
Annamite
muntjac,
serrow)
and
buff‐cheeked
crested
gibbon.
Training
of
field
teams
in
survey
methodologies
should
be
implemented
by
June
2012
and
baseline
occupancy
estimates
for
each
site
by
March
2013.
A
detailed
biodiversity
survey
report
for
Xe
Sap
NPA,
with
annotated
bird
and
mammal
species
lists,
will
be
available
at
the
end
2012.
Through
this
process,
indicators
will
be
developed
which
will
form
the
basis
of
a
proper
monitoring
strategy.
Monitoring
ungulates
in
Indochinese
ever
wet
forests
is
extremely
difficult
due
to
both
the
shy
and
elusive
habits
of
focal
species,
and
greatly
reduced
densities
due
to
historic,
and
continuing
hunting
pressure.
However,
the
CarBi
project
will
pioneer
a
novel
survey
technique
involving
the
genetic
analysis
of
haemophagous
leaches
to
detect
large
mammals,
including
ungulates,
within
all
CarBi
protected
areas.
Trials
have
already
demonstrated
these
methodologies’
potential
for
detecting
cryptic
species
including
Troung
Son
Muntjac
and
Annamite
Stripped
Rabbit.
During
this
survey
period,
a
draft
field
data
collection
and
analysis
protocol
have
been
developed.
It
is
hoped
that
these
will
allow
monitoring
of
ungulates
within
an
occupancy
framework.
Intermediate
result
2.17
On
an
annual
basis
as
of
project
start,
the
effectiveness
of
the
patrolling
and
Management
Information
System
(MIST)
has
been
externally
verified
and
validated
19