The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published on 13 August a report from the first Lao PDR international meeting focused on the conservation of endangered species, which took place on 12 June 2025 in Vientiane.
Nearly 70 representatives from government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, embassies, and the private sector took part in the event, co-organised by IUCN and WWF, with funding from Germany’s GIZ and co-funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).
The event was foxused on “Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures” (OECMs) which are conservation areas outside traditional protected zones that still deliver long-term biodiversity benefits, contributing to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) Target 3, which aims to conserve 30% of the planet by 2030.
Speakers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment stressed the importance of involving communities, the private sector, and local institutions in biodiversity protection. Recommendations included creating a national OECM working group, developing guidelines, integrating OECMs into the next National Biodiversity Strategy, and documenting model case studies across key ecosystems.
IUCN Asia Regional Coordinator Dr Khalid Pasha said recognising and supporting OECMs would help Lao PDR meet global biodiversity commitments while empowering communities and improving climate resilience.
