Peafowls persist at Ban Nakay IBA

Fifty years ago, Green Peafowl Pavo muticus was found throughout Laos but, today, it is known from only six sites. The main reason for this dramatic decline is hunting. The decline in the Lao population has been mirrored by declines in the other parts of the species' range, and it has already gone extinct in Malaysia. Consequently, the species is considered to be globally threatened.

As part of the Danida-funded project Improved conservation planning through institutional strengthening in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, the Forest Inventory and Planning Centre, the Division of Forest Resources Conservation, the Wildlife Conservation Society and BirdLife International have been identifying and documenting Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Laos. One of the first IBAs to be identified was Ban Nakay in Phou Khao Khouay Protected Area. This IBA was identified on the basis of the discovery of a population of Green Peafowl at the site in 1994. However, as there have been no published records of this species at the site since 1995, it was considered necessary to conduct a rapid field survey to assess its current status.

A survey team, comprising Khamsene Ounekham, Michael Hedemark and Jack Tordoff, visited Ban Nakay IBA between 1 and 3 February 2002. Local people guided the team to a peafowl roost site, where fresh droppings and tracks were seen. During dawn and dusk counts at the roost site, a minimum of five birds were heard calling and a single bird was seen, confirming the persistence of the species at the site.

Given the amount of suitable habitat available and reports by local people of other roost sites in the area, it is likely that Ban Nakay IBA supports a significant but not large population of Green Peafowl. Although the population remains highly susceptible to hunting, a community-based conservation initiative at the site appears to have controlled this activity. A more immediate threat is posed by timber extracting, which is taking place throughout the site. It is hoped that this activity can be controlled, at least within the peafowl roost sites, and that the future of the Green Peafowl population at Ban Nakay IBA can be secured.