Located in the remote northern province of Luang Namtha on Lao PDR's border with China, the 222,400-hectare Nam Ha National Protected Area includes some of the country's most significant wilderness areas. Altitudes range from river valleys and plains to northern highland peaks, supporting a broad range of habitats and biodiversity.

Since 1999, conservation efforts in the area have been linked to improving the potential of local ecotourism, which now underpins the economy for the area's 57 villages and 3,451 households. Community members are trained as eco-guides and operate village-based lodges and forest camps. They are also trained to monitor threats to biodiversity in the protected area, supporting the work of the critically under-resourced Protected Area Management Unit. The project has provided a model for co-management of Laos's protected areas.