Beung Kiat Ngong Wetlands

Beung Kiat Ngong Wetlands.16/06/2010; Champasak Province; 2,360 ha; 14°45'N 106°03'E. Beung Kiat Ngong Wetlands lie partly within Xe Pian and the Dong Hua Sao National Protected Areas. This important wetland complex includes swamps, lakes and marshes and is the only place in Lao where peatland areas are found. This tributary of the Xe Khampho River supports up to 200-300 fish species and is important for fish spawning (e.g Channa sp.) and moving upstream during the wet season. During the dry season it acts as a sanctuary for the Walking catfish (Clarias batrachus) and some 20 other fish species. Aquatic habitats are home to freshwater tortoises such as the vulnerable Malayan snail-eating turtle (Malayemys subtrijuga), and the site is important as a feeding area for waterbirds that may occasionally also nest there. The site is important for flood control and maintaining ground water, and local people engage in subsistence and commercial fishing, harvesting of wild vegetables, rice and non-timber products, as well as over 350 species of medicinal plants. Threats include peat extraction for fertilizer, unsustainable fish harvesting, and conversion of marsh areas into rice-paddy. The Agriculture and Forestry District Office and the Water Resources and Environment Agency are responsible for the management of this site. Ramsar site no. 1941. Most recent RIS information: 2010.

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