PROTECTED
LOCATION Laos
133,098 Acres
PROTECTING MOUNTAIN FOREST IN LAOS
LAOS
COST $ 1,755,925
STORED CO2 EQUIVALENT OF
5,232,119 PASSENGER VEHICLE EMISSIONS FOR 1 YEAR
The Annamite Mountains of Laos , which straddle Laos , Vietnam and a small portion of northeast Cambodia , served as an evergreen refuge for many species during the last ice age . As a result , this beautiful landscape is a storehouse of biodiversity with some of the highest rates of endemism — unique species found nowhere else — of anywhere on Earth .
In February , Rainforest Trust along with our local partner , Asian Arks , and the Government of Laos , safeguarded 133,098 acres of vulnerable mountain forest through the establishment of the Khoun Xe Nong Ma ( KXNM ) National Protected Area . This protec-
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tion will help reduce the illegal hunting that has escalated in this remote forest in recent years , with rampant snaring threatening many of the species that call this region home .
KXNM now protects one of the most vital forest blocks in the region , home to several rare species , and thought to be one of the last remaining habitats on earth for the Critically Endangered Saola — a rare antelope often referred to as the “ Asian Unicorn .”
Recent monitoring surveys undertaken by Asian Arks with the support of the local Makong and Chilee indigenous communities have confirmed that KXNM still harbors globally threatened wildlife that can no longer be found in much of the surrounding forests , such as the Critically Endangered Large-antlered Muntjac , Redshanked Douc Langur , as well as the Endangered Crested Argus .
Protecting this forest will store over 24 million tons of carbon — equivalent to the energy use of every home in the state of Maryland for one year — to the benefit of our entire planet and all its species .
TOP : BEE-EATER / SHUTTERSTOCK ; RIGHT : BILL ROBICHAUD ; BOTTOM : FEATHER COLLECTOR / SHUTTERSTOCK