The amazing Annamites: where the wild things hide
Wednesday 23 September 2026, 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), London.
Have you heard of a place on Earth as rich as the Amazon, with evolutionary patterns similar to the Galapagos, and more ancient than the Himalayas?
Spanning Lao, Viet Nam, and Cambodia, the Annamite Mountains form a wild and enchanting landscape of ever-wet rainforests, spectacular limestone karst, and cascading rivers.
A living museum of fauna and flora stretching back to the Miocene and beyond, where many species have persisted almost unchanged through millions of years of evolution. Yet time is rapidly running out.
From the frontline of conservation in Southeast Asia, the Saola Foundation will share our cutting-edge approach to protecting the unique biodiversity of the Annamite Mountains Bioregion. That approach is built around the search for the Saola, unrecorded in the wild since 2013.
Our story is one of determination, courage and adventure, demonstrating the power of combining indigenous skills and knowledge with world-leading expertise and technology, embarking on one of the most ambitious initiatives of our generation, within a wilderness many have never heard of.
Speakers
- Robert J. Timmins, Technical Director, Saola Foundation
- Phonesouk Chanthalavong (Hamnoy), Field Team Leader, Saola Foundation
- Dr. Lorraine Scotson, Chief Executive Officer, Saola Foundation
Details
Wednesday 23 September 2026, 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR. Entrance on Exhibition Road.
Tickets from £20.
