The majority of Lao citizens derive most of their protein from food culled from nature, not from farms or ranches. How threatening traditional hunt­ing habits are to species survival in Laos is debatable given the nation's extremely sparse population. But, combined with habitat loss, hunting for food is placing increasing pressure on wildlife numbers.

The cross-border trade in wildlife is also potentially serious. Much of the poaching that takes place in Laos's NPAs is allegedly carried out by Vietnamese hunters who have crossed into central Laos illegally to round up species such as pangolins, civets, barking deer, goral and raccoon dogs to sell back home. These animals are highly valued for both food and med­icinal purposes in Vietnam, Thailand and China, and as the demand in those countries grows in line with increasing wealth, so too do the prices buyers are prepared to pay.

Foreign NGOs run grass roots education campaigns across Laos in an effort to raise awareness of endangered species and the effects of hunting on local ecosystems. But as usual, money is the key to breaking the cycle. And while hunters remain dirt poor, the problem seems here to stay.

In more densely populated areas such as Savannakhet and Champa-sak provinces, the overfishing of lakes and rivers poses a danger to cer­tain fish species. Projects to educate fishermen about exactly where their catch comes from, and how to protect that source, have been successful in changing some unsustainable practices. One area given particular at­tention is fishing using explosives. This practice, whereby fishermen throw explosives into the water and wait for the dead fish to float to the surface, is incredibly destructive. Most fishermen don't realize that for every dead fish they collect from the surface, another two or three lie dead on the river bed. The practice is illegal in Laos, and anecdotal evidence suggests education and the law have reduced the problem.