Ecotourism motivates villagers to conserve wildlife

Benefits generated by ecotourism in northern Laos have helped people to make a change from hunting and consuming wildlife to conserving endangered species, an expert in the field has said. 

The Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park has become a model project for developing ecotourism in Laos as it benefits more than 2,000 households in 26 villages, representing one-third of all villages located within the park.

Country Programme Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Dr Santi Saypanya told Vientiane Times recently that ecotourism positively impacts almost everyone in the local community.

The income from tourism benefits villagers, who sell food and other products to visitors, and the village development fund, and it also finances other conservation activities.

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