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Thursday, January 15, 2026
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This Week

Lao authorities have completed a National Tiger Recovery Action Plan for 2026–2035, acknowledging that habitat degradation, widespread snaring, and declining prey populations continue to prevent the return of wild tigers, which were last confirmed in the country in 2013.

Information published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on 6 January confirmed that the plan was finalised on 26 December 2025 during a national consultation led by the Department of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, with support from WWF Laos and participation from relevant government agencies and conservation partners.

Officials said the strategy focuses on restoring tiger populations through designated conservation landscapes, improved forest management, and closer alignment with national forestry and biodiversity strategies. 

Priority areas include sites with remaining ecological potential, such as Nam Poui National Protected Area, which continues to support diverse wildlife and key habitats.

Illegal wildlife snaring was identified as one of the most serious barriers to recovery. Conservation groups estimate that millions of wire snares remain scattered across protected forests in Laos and neighbouring countries, killing animals indiscriminately and sharply reducing prey species essential for sustaining large predators like tigers. Conservation groups estimate the snares threaten more than 700 terrestrial species.

WWF Laos noted that the absence of tigers points to broader ecological stress. 

As apex predators, tigers play a critical role in regulating ecosystems by keeping prey populations in balance, supporting forest health and the natural resources that communities depend on.

Conservation partners said that once the plan receives formal ministerial approval, implementation will focus on habitat restoration, rebuilding prey populations, removing snares, and strengthening protection in priority landscapes. 

Authorities stressed that sustained cooperation between government agencies and conservation organisations will be essential to reversing forest decline and creating conditions for tigers to eventually return.

The action plan now awaits endorsement at the ministerial level before nationwide implementation begins. 

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