THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF THE RIVER LAPWING VANELLUS-DUVAUCELII IN SOUTHERN LAOS

The river lapwing inhabits wide, slow rivers with sand or gravel bars and islands. The southern Lao population may represent 1.5-3% of the w orld population. Rivers used by river lapwings are selected for settle ment by people, and birds suffer from human disturbance: numbers of ri ver lapwings and villages per km of river are inversely correlated. Po pulations remote from human pressure are further threatened by hydropo wer development. The river lapwing is only one of a community of decli ning birds of sandbar habitats; four other species are approaching nat ional extinction in Laos. A substantial proportion of a major catchmen t should be protected. Further studies and a monitoring programme for the river lapwing are needed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right s reserved.