Activity Name:  Southeast Asia Wildlife Conservation

Country of Implementation: Lao PDR

Implementing Institutions:  The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Host Country Counterpart Institutions:  Government of Lao PDR

	Estimated Expenditure by Fiscal Year of Implementation
Fiscal Year	1999
Amount	$161,875

Operating Unit: Funding: ANE/SEA                     Managing: G/ENV/DAA

Objective Number:  498-015 1999 SEA-08

Brief Activity Description:  The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has identified wildlife trade as one of the key threats to the health of the Lower Mekong Forests Ecoregion.  This EAPEI activity provides technical assistance for combatting illegal wildlife trade in Lao PDR and neighboring countries.

EAPEI funding is being provided to WWF-US for this activity through a USAID Leaders and Associates Cooperative Agreement (LWA) that was executed in September 1999.  WWF has completed and submitted a work plan for this activity to USAID and will be implementing the activity over the coming year.   The activity will support the following:

·           Support and guidance to the Government of Lao PDR in regard to its ascension to CITES.  This assistance will include production of awareness materials on CITES, translations of relevant CITES documents for decision-makers into the LAO language and organization of a national-level workshop in cooperation with the Wildlife Conservation Society, IUCN, and Traffic Indochina.

·           Development of improved Lao PDR regulations governing wildlife trade.  Assistance will be provided through WWF’s participation in the Lao National Working Group for Wildlife Regulations to increased awareness and understanding of the effects of illegal wildlife trade at all levels of government and to draft appropriate regulations for Wildlife Trade.

·           Strengthened law enforcement capacity at border crossings and other field sites.  This will be done by training a team of national-level trainers and by developing a training curriculum with government partners to improve wildlife identification and law enforcement.

·           Improved law enforcement capacity at eight border crossings between Lao, Vietnam and Thailand.   WWF will conduct training at the border crossings using the nation team and will also provide technical assistance and some equipment.