The Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, in collaboration with the Ramsar Regional Center – East Asia (RRC-EA) and with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will organize the National Training on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Wetland Management in Savannakhet Province from Sep 10-12, 2025.

The training is part of the UNDP–GEF Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF)-financed project Integrated Water Resource Management and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (IWRM–EbA) in the Xe Bang Hieng River Basin and Luang Prabang City. Running from 2022 to 2026, the project supports the Government of the Lao PDR in strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities to floods and droughts through ecosystem-based solutions that integrate water resource management with biodiversity conservation.

More than 50 participants are expected, including wetland managers, site officers, provincial and district officials from the Offices of Natural Resources and Environment (PONRE and DONRE), researchers from Souphanouvong University, and representatives from conservation partners such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and UNDP.

The training will feature technical sessions on Ramsar Site designation and wetland management planning, presentations on experiences from Attapeu and Champasak Provinces, and panel discussions on lessons learned from community-led wetland initiatives. A highlight of the programme will be the field visit to the Xe Champhone Ramsar Site in Champhone District, where participants will apply monitoring tools such as the Rapid Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services (RAWES), the Ramsar Site Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (R-METT), and the Wetland Vulnerability Assessment Tool (WETVAT).

Experts from the IWRM–EbA Project will play a key role in the training. Dr. Deependra Joshi, Chief Technical Advisor, will present lessons learned from connecting water and wetland management in the Xe Bang Hieng River Basin, while Mr. Phingsaliao Sithiengtham, Project Coordinator, will co-lead technical exercises on applying the RAWES approach in both classroom and field sessions. Their involvement reflects the project’s strong contribution to advancing ecosystem-based wetland management in Lao PDR.

“This training will help enhance wetland conservation and management in Lao PDR while also promoting community resilience to the impacts of climate change,” said Mr. Singthong Phanthamala, Director of the River Basin Management and Development Planning Division, Department of Water Resources. “By building technical capacity and fostering collaboration, we are creating a stronger network of wetland managers equipped to safeguard these critical ecosystems.”

Wetlands such as the Xe Champhone Ramsar Site are vital for regulating water systems, sustaining biodiversity, and supporting livelihoods in rural communities. However, increasing pressures from agriculture, urbanization, and climate change have made their sustainable management more urgent than ever. The training builds on previous IWRM–EbA project interventions in Savannakhet and Luang Prabang and reflects the government’s commitment to integrated water resource management and nature-based solutions. It also reinforces Lao PDR’s role in advancing the objectives of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, to which it has been a signatory since 2010.

Over the past four decades, UNDP has partnered with the Government of Lao PDR to address climate change, reduce disaster risks, protect biodiversity, and promote inclusive, sustainable development. This training is part of that ongoing collaboration to ensure that local communities and ecosystems are better prepared for the challenges of a changing climate.