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WORKING PAPER REDD+ at the crossroads Choices and tradeoffs for 2015–2020 in Laos Michael B. Dwyer Micah Ingalls Working Paper 179 REDD+ at the crossroads Choices and tradeoffs for 2015–2020 in Laos Michael B. Dwyer Center for International Forestry Research Micah Ingalls Cornell University Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Working Paper 179 © 2015 Center for International Forestry Research Content in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ISBN 978-602-1504-82-6 DOI: 10.17528/cifor/005536 Dwyer MB and Ingalls M. 2015. REDD+ at the crossroads: Choices and tradeoffs for 2015–2020 in Laos. Working Paper 179. CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia. Photo by Michael B. Dwyer CIFOR Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede Bogor Barat 16115 Indonesia T +62 (251) 8622-622 F +62 (251) 8622-100 E [email protected] cifor.org We would like to thank all donors who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Fund. For a list of Fund donors please see: https://www.cgiarfund.org/FundDonors Any views expressed in this paper are those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of CIFOR, the editors, the authors’ institutions, or the financial sponsors. Table of contents Acknowledgments v Executive summary vi ບົດສະຫລຸບຫຍໍ້ vii 1 Introduction 1 2 REDD+ in Laos: The project landscape 4 3 “Forget all these maps”: A genealogy of the Lao political forest 8 4 Choices and tradeoffs (i): Location and drivers selection 13 4.1 Focusing on smallholders: Driver engagement by project 13 4.2 Selective engagement: The case of Xe Pian 15 4.3 Relocating and rescaling: The case of CliPAD 17 5 Choices and tradeoffs (ii): patialS transparency of development 20 6 Choices and tradeoffs (iii): ropertyP formalization 25 6.1 Zoning and titling: A genealogy of rural land tenure in Laos 26 6.2 REDD and land tenure: An open question 26 7 Conclusions and recommendations 28 8 References 34 Annexes 39 1 Lao National Assembly Cabinet Office Notice 273, 21 August 2014 39 2 Titling coverage in Laos before October 2008 40 List of figures and tables Figures 1. REDD+ timeline in Laos. 5 2. REDD+ projects in Laos, 2009-2014. 6 3. Development of Laos’s political forest. 8 4. Key events since 1990. 9 5. Published estimates of total land concession numbers for Laos. 11 6. Schematic of Xe Pian REDD project geography. 16 Table 1. Drivers identified and engaged by particular projects in Laos. 14 v Acknowledgments Numerous key informants contributed to the ມີຫລາຍຄົນທີ່ໄດ້ປະກອບສ່ວນເຂົ້າໃນການຄົ້ນຄ research and analysis presented below; we thank ວ້າ ແລະ ວິເຄາະຂໍ້ມູນ ສຳລັບບົດຄົ້ນຄວ້ານີ້; ພວ you all. We also thank Dr. Krystof Obidzinski and ກເຮົາຂໍສະແດງຄວາມຂອບໃນມາຍັງທຸກຄົນ, Dr. Steve Lawry at CIFOR for helping sharpen the ໂດຍສະເພາະແມ່ນ ພວກເຮົາຂໍຂອບໃຈມາຍັງ analysis and presentation, and Dr. Thoumthone ດຣ. Krystof Obidzinski ແລະ ດຣ. Steve Lawry Vongvisouk at the National University of Laos for his ຈາກ CIFOR ທີ່ໄດ້ຊ່ວຍເຮັດໃຫ້ກາວິເຄາະຂໍ້ມູນ translation of the Executive Summary. ແລະ ການນຳສະເໜີບົກຄົ້ນຄວ້ານີ້ ສົມບູນຂຶ້ນ ແລະ ຂໍຂອບໃຈ ມາຍັງ ດຣ. ທຸມທອນ ວົງວີສຸກ ຈາກມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລແຫ່ງຊາດ ທີ່ຊ່ວຍແປບົດສະຫລຸບຫ ຍໍ້ຈາກພາສາອັງກິດເປັນພາສາລາວ vi Executive summary This study examines key choices and tradeoffs that areas, they have created a pair of challenges that confront current efforts to reduce emissions from REDD practitioners must currently confront. The deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in first is lost opportunity. By not engaging industrial Laos. Drawing on key informant interviews and drivers of forest loss, REDD misses an important document analysis conducted between late 2013 and chance to engage with high-level economic decision late 2014, it builds on recent work by other scholars making; this has implications not only for climate on REDD’s policy landscape and wider sociopolitical mitigation, but more importantly for current efforts context in Laos, but focuses on the landscape of to make Laos’s current trajectory of natural resource- projects as a window into policy-level debates. Policy intensive development socially, environmentally and has long been an uncertain arena in Laos, both for economically more sustainable. The second challenge REDD and elsewhere; looking at the project scale is more immediate. Due to the political-economic helps provide insight into how the current balance of circumstances under which forest loss occurs, there is clarity and ambiguity, both domestically and globally, a significant gap between loss that is planned and loss are being addressed by Laos’s REDD practitioners. that can be accounted for under REDD’s “national We focus on three sets of choices and tradeoffs: (1) circumstance” allowances for planned deforestation. those involving driver engagement – namely, the This means that REDD’s positive impacts on choices and tradeoffs that surround which drivers mitigating forest loss, to the extent that they occur, of deforestation and degradation REDD projects may be swamped by planned but unaccountable attempt to mitigate; (2) choices and tradeoffs forest loss, and thus difficult or impossible to verify. involving spatial transparency and development Thinking bigger on issues from driver engagement planning, which are relevant to many spheres of to spatial planning and concession regulation to land governance but have special application to REDD’s tenure and rural livelihood possibilities thus presents process of impact measurement (or reference levels); not only a series of opportunities, but a series and (3) choices and tradeoffs related to property of imperatives. formalization, which are also relevant well beyond REDD, but impact REDD efforts through their Following two overview sections on the current state influence on forest loss related to insecure livelihoods of REDD efforts in Laos, we present three sections at the farm-forest edge. on the three sets of choices and tradeoffs outlined above. The conclusion then discusses ways in which We argue, in short, that REDD is at a crossroads in industrial drivers of forest loss could be usefully Laos, and needs to “think bigger” – both to remain engaged. We focus on the significant potential for relevant, and even to survive. To date, REDD shared analysis and policy action that exists between projects have made relatively conservative choices REDD’s existing challenges and current government on driver engagement, focusing on smallholder- efforts to make development – and particularly related drivers like shifting cultivation and small-scale investment – more effective from an economic agricultural expansion, to the exclusion of drivers perspective. While such an approach must include like agro-industrial concessions, mining concessions social and environmental considerations, it privileges and energy and transportation infrastructure. the economic arena as one where opportunities exist While these choices have been based on calculated on issues that have, thus far, been REDD’s greatest decisions made in the context of REDD project stumbling blocks. vii ບດົ ສະຫບົດສະຫລຸບຫຍໍ້ລບຸ ຫຍ 㛉 ຕິດພນກັ ບມາດຕາການັ ໃນການດາເນ ນວຽກງານ REDD ບດົ ສະຫລບຸ ຫຍ 㛉 (ຫລ ື ເສັຕ㛉ນທຽບຖານິດພນກັ ບມາດຕາການັ (reference levels)ໃນການດ); (3)າເນ ທາງເລນວຽກງານ ອກື REDD ບດຄົ ນຄວົ㛉 າ㛉 ນ 훉 ແມນໄດ່ ສ㛉 ກສາຶ ທາງເລອກື (choices) ແລະ ແລະ ການ(ຫລເລ ື ອກໄດື ເສັ㛉ນທຽບຖານເລ㛉 ອກເສຍື (reference ສາລ ບການຖັ levels)ຄອງຊື ); (3)ບສັ ທາງເລນິ ອກື ການເລອກໄດື ບດຄົ ນຄວເລ㛉ົ㛉 ອກເສຍື າ㛉 ນ 훉 ແມ (tradນໄດ່ eoffສ㛉 ກສາຶ s) ສ ຳລ ທາງເລບັ ການອກື ຈດຕັ (choices)ງັ㛉 ປະ ແລະ ທ່ ເປັນທາງການແລະ ການ, ເຊ່ເລງການຈິ ອກໄດື ດຕັ ເລ㛉 ງປະຕັ㛉ອກເສຍື ິບດັ ວຽກງານສາລ ບການຖັ REDDຄອງຊື ບສັ ນິ ຕິບດກັ ດຈະກິ ການເລາ ອກໄດື ເພ່ ືອຫລຸດຜເລ㛉 ອກເສຍື ອນການປ່ (trad່ອຍອາຍພeoffs) ສຳລ ິດບ ັ ການຈາກຈດຕັ ງັ㛉 ປະ ມຜ ນກະທົ ທບ່ົ ເປ ຕັນທາງການ່ ອດຕິ ພິ ນົ ,ທ ່ ເຮເຊ່ັດໃຫງການຈິ 㛉ປ່າໄມດຕັ 㛉ງປະຕັ㛉ຖກທື າລາຍິບ ດັ ວຽກງານ ເຊ່ງິ REDD ທາລາຍປ ຕ່າໄມິບດກັ 㛉 ດຈະກິ ແລະາ ເພການເຮ່ ືອຫລຸດຜັດໃຫອນການປ່ 㛉ປ່າໄມເສ㛉 ່ອຍອາຍພ່ອມໂຊມື ິດ ຈາກ ເປັນປະເດມ່ ັນຜ ນກະທົ ທ່ ກຽວຂ່ ບົ ອງກຕ㛉 ່ ອດຕິ ບຄວາມບັ ພິ ນົ ທ່ ເຮ່ ໝັດໃຫນຄັ㛉 ງທາງດົ㛉ປ່າໄມ 㛉 ານຖ㛉 ກທື ການາລາຍ ເຊ່ງິ (REDD) ຢທ່ໃນ າລາຍປ ສປປ່າໄມ ລາວ 㛉 . ພວກເຮແລະ ົາໄດການເຮສ㛉 າພາດພາກສ ັດໃຫ㛉ປ່າໄມວນ່ ເສ㛉 ່ອມໂຊມື ດາລ ງຊົ ວ ເປດິ ັນປະເດຂອງປະຊາຊ່ ັນ ທ່ ກນົຽວຂ່ ທ່ ອາໄສຊອງກ㛉 ບຄວາມບັ ບພະຍາກອນປັ ່ ໝນຄັ㛉 ງທາງດົ ່າໄມ 㛉 ານ㛉 ການ ທ່ ກຽວຂ່ ອງ㛉 (REDD ແລະ) ຢ ່ໃນ ວ ເຄາະບິ ສປປ ລາວນດາເອກະສານຕັ . ພວກເຮົາໄດາງໆ່ ສ㛉 າພາດພາກສ ໃນ ວນ່ ເປັນພື㛉ນຖານການດດາລ ງຊົ ວ ດິ າລ ຂອງງຊົ ວ ປະຊາຊດິ . ນົ ທ່ ອາໄສຊບພະຍາກອນປັ ່າໄມ 㛉 ຊວງ່ ທ㛉າຍປທ່ ກຽວຂ່ 2013ອງ㛉 ຫາແລະ ທ㛉າຍ ວປເຄາະບິ 2014,ນດາເອກະສານຕັ ເຊ່ງໃນນິ ນັ㛉 ໄດມ㛉າງໆ່ ໃນ ເປັນພື㛉ນຖານການດາລ ງຊົ ວ ດິ . ພວກເຮົາໄດຕງຂັ㛉 ສ㛉 ນທະນາວົ າ ວຽກງານ REDD ໃນ ສປປ ການລວບລວມຊວງ່ ເນທ㛉າຍປອໃນຂອງບື㛉 2013 ດຄຫາົ ນຄວົ㛉 ທ㛉າຍາ㛉 ປທ ່ ໄດ2014ເຮ㛉 ,ັດການສ ເຊ່ງໃນນິ ກຶ ນັ㛉 ໄດມ㛉 㛉 ່ ລາວ ປຽບເໝພວກເຮືອນກົາໄດບເສັ ຕ㛉 ງຂັ㛉 ັ㛉ນທາງສ ສ㛉 ນທະນາວົ ່ ແຍກ າ່ ແລະວຽກງານ ພວກເຮ REDDົາຈະ ໃນ ສປປ ສາ ໃນໄລຍະຜການລວບລວມານມາ່ ເນໂດຍສະເພາະແມອໃນຂອງບື㛉 ດຄົ ນຄວົ㛉 ນ່ າ㛉 ບທນດາບັ ່ ໄດເຮ㛉 ດົັດການສກຶ ຕອງໄດຄລາວດໃນປະເດິ ປຽບເໝ່ ັນທືອນກ່ ກວາງກວບເສັ ັ㛉ນທາງສາເກ່ າົ ່ເຊແຍກ ່ງທິ ງສອງຂັ ແລະ ພວກເຮ ຄ㛉 ດິ ົາຈະ ຄນຄວົ㛉 າ㛉 ສາທ່ ມ ເນ ໃນໄລຍະຜອໃນື㛉 ກວມເອານມາ່ ົານະໂຍບາຍ ໂດຍສະເພາະແມ ທ່ ກຽວ່ ຂອງກ㛉 ນ່ ບັບ ນດາບັ ດົ 㛉 㛉 㛉 ່ ນ 㛉 ກ່ເພ ່ ຕືອເຮອງໄ㛉 ັດໃຫດຄ㛉 ວຽກງານດໃນປະເດິ ່ ັນທREDD່ ກວ າງກວ㛉 ສາມາດາເກ່ ່ຍາົ ນຍື ເຊງຢົ ່ງທິ ໄດ ງສອງຂັ . ຄ㛉 ດິ ວຽກງານຄ REDDນຄວົ㛉 າ㛉 ແລະທ່ ມເນ ອໃນສື㛉 ງຄັ ມວົ ກວມເອທະຍາການເມິ ົານະໂຍບາຍອງື (socioທ່ ກຽວຂ່ - ອງກ㛉 ບັ 㛉 ່ 㛉 ປດຈຸບັ ນັ ນນ 훉 㛉 ໂຄງການກ່ເພ ່ ືອເຮ ັດໃຫREDD㛉ວຽກງານ ຍງເປັ REDDັນທາງເລ ສາມາດອກໃນເຊື ຍນຍືງ ງຢົ ່ໄດ .㛉 political ວຽcontexts)ກງານ REDDຢ່ໃນ ສປປແລະ ສລາວງຄັ ມວົ. ໃນບທະຍາການເມິ ດຄົ ນຄວົ㛉 ານ㛉 ອງື 㛉 (socio- ອະນຸລກັ ປດຈຸບັເຊ່ງມິ ນັ ຈຸດມຸ ນ 훉 ໂຄງການງໝາຍ ເພREDD່ ືອຫລຸດຜ ຍອນສາເຫດຂອງງເປັ
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    Displacements and Hmong Transnational Politics, 1975-2010

    Dreaming of Home, Dreaming of Land: Displacements and Hmong Transnational Politics, 1975-2010 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Her Vang IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dr. Erika Lee, Advisor July 2010 © Her Vang 2010 All rights reserved ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In 1933, the Lakota author Luther Standing Bear suggested that written history was second best to oral tradition because “a people enrich their minds who keep their history on the leaves of memory.”1 For much of their history, the Hmong also stored their past not in books but on “the leaves of their memory,” and they passed down their history orally from one generation to the next. Parents in Euro-America read to their children to put them to sleep, but Hmong children traditionally fell asleep listening to their parents tell Hmong folklores and their own family history. Storytelling and history- telling were important parts of traditional Hmong culture and livelihood. A Hmong child who learned the most Hmong folklores and knew the most about the family’s history often grew up to become the leader of the family and the clan. Today, the keeper of the family’s past is still the leader of the family and the clan. A Hmong leader knows all the secrets of his family and clan, and he is responsible for resolving all disputes involving his family and clan. Despite this significance, history, I admit, has not always been my chosen field of academic inquiry. First, I previously had no strong motivation to do written history because written history, for the Hmong, was secondary to their oral tradition.
  • LAND RIGHTS of INDIGENOUS PEOPLES in SOUTH-EAST ASIA Land Rights of Indigenous Peoples in South-East Asia ALEXANDRA XANTHAKI*

    LAND RIGHTS of INDIGENOUS PEOPLES in SOUTH-EAST ASIA Land Rights of Indigenous Peoples in South-East Asia ALEXANDRA XANTHAKI*

    LAND RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA Land Rights of Indigenous Peoples in South-East Asia ALEXANDRA XANTHAKI* [Very little has been written on indigenous rights in South-East Asia. This article attempts to address issues concerning indigenous land rights in the region, arguing that there is a clear gap between the existing situation and the relevant standards of the international human rights system. After a short overview of the international human rights framework currently binding South-East Asian states, the article analyses issues of indigenous land ownership and control by indigenous peoples over matters affecting their land rights. The article then discusses traditional economic activities, natural resources, indigenous environmental management and finally to issues of relocation and compensation. In each of the aforementioned areas, indigenous land rights are generally non-existent or very weak. Even on occasions when national legislation has recognised strong indigenous land rights, the lack of political motivation to properly enforce these rights impedes their full realisation. The article demonstrates that this inadequacy is inconsistent with international standards on the prohibition of discrimination, protection of minority cultures and more specifically on indigenous land rights, as are recognised in international instruments, interpreted by international bodies and transferred into national practices.] CONTENTS I Introduction II The General Framework III Collective Ownership and Possession IV Consultation and Participation V Traditional Activities and Natural Resources VI Relocation VII Restitution and Compensation VIII Conclusions I INTRODUCTION Recent reports suggest that indigenous peoples in South-East Asia face serious problems, some of which endanger their very survival in a rapidly changing environment.1 Despite the gravity of the indigenous peoples’ situation, indigenous rights in South-East Asia have attracted relatively little interest from the international legal community.
  • Hmong Ruhi Hamid 020905 En.Pdf

    Hmong Ruhi Hamid 020905 En.Pdf

    DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EXTERNAL POLICIES OF THE UNION DIRECTORATE B - POLICY DEPARTMENT - STUDY "The Human Rights Situation in Laos with Particular Emphasis on the Situation of the Hmong People" Abstract: The Hmong people of Southeast Asia are believed to have originated in China, and some scholars argue that their customs preserve many elements of an ancient civilisation from an area that is now China. The expansion of the Han Chinese people forced the resisting Hmong and other indigenous minorities to flee southwards into the northern areas of present-day Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, early in the nineteenth century. Due to a constant cycle of rebellions and brutal reprisals, this process continued for several decades DGExPo/B/PolDep/Note/2005_ 08 02/09/2005 [PE N°] EN This note was requested by the European Parliament's subcommittee on Human Rights. This paper is published in the following languages: English Author: Ruhi Hamid Manuscript completed in September 2005. Copies can be obtained through: E-mail: [email protected] Brussels, European Parliament, 01/09/2005 The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. 2 The forgotten Hmong hiding in the jungles of Laos By Ruhi Hamid, Documentary Filmmaker 1st September 2005 1.0 History The Hmong people of Southeast Asia are believed to have originated in China, and some scholars argue that their customs preserve many elements of an ancient civilisation from an area that is now China. The expansion of the Han Chinese people forced the resisting Hmong and other indigenous minorities to flee southwards into the northern areas of present-day Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, early in the nineteenth century.
  • Sustainable Forest Management in Laos

    Sustainable Forest Management in Laos

    SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAOS Tomoya MORI1 Laos (Lao People’s Democratic Republic) has the problem of deforestation and forest degradation. One of the reasons is on shifting cultivation in short term. The increasing of the population puts a pressure on an agricultural sector. Local people cannot help performing a shifting cultivation in short term, although they had traditionally done long term. This problem is similar with ‘the tragedy of commons’, suggested by G. Hardin (1968). The Lao’s government implements the forestry policy, ‘Land Forest Allocation Program’. This policy is to define clearly the boundary and classification of land in the basis of the land-use of local communities. And, the main function of LFAP is to regard local community as forest manager and allow them to practice customary rights to utilize forest without a shifting cultivation in forestry law, that is, to adopt the approach for local community to participate in managing forest. This paper made clear that LFAP turns a shifting cultivation from sustainable method to unsustainable one. And, it made clear that community-governance plays a role as sustainable forest management in LFAP. First, it was turned that deforestation was related with the change in land-use in the basis of statistic data in LADA. Second, this problem is approached in terms of the Ostrom’s theory, the analysis of economics. Third, on field survey in Louangphabang prefecture, it is turned that the system in village is consistence with the Ostrom’s theory. 1. The change in land-use and deforestation in Laos Lao People’s Democratic Republic (in the following, it is called Laos) is surrounded by Vietnam, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, and is the only landlocked country among them.
  • REDD+ As a Tool for State Territorialization: Managing Forests and People in Laos

    REDD+ As a Tool for State Territorialization: Managing Forests and People in Laos

    REDD+ as a tool for state territorialization: managing forests and people in Laos Sabaheta Ramcilovic-Suominen1 Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland University of Eastern Finland, Finland Abstract This article analyzes the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) policy process, through the lens of state territorialization in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos). It explores the motivations, mechanisms and strategies that drive REDD+ policy design and its implementation in the country. The provinces selected for REDD+ activities within the Emission Reduction (ER) Program, as well as the various REDD+ pilot projects are located in the north, where shifting cultivation is widespread, but where the potential for REDD+ to address deforestation and carbon sequestration is not optimal. The provinces with high carbon sequestration potential and high rates of deforestation are not part of the ER Program due to development investment projects and political sensitivity in those areas. REDD+ acts as a tool for state territorialization in a number of ways, including: (i) by targeting the areas where shifting cultivation is widely practiced, aiming to regulate village forest uses and users, (ii) by protecting state political, economic and development goals and strategies, (iii) by leaving the profitable large-scale drivers of deforestation unaddressed, including large-scale land investments, hydropower, infrastructure and mining development, and finally (iv) by providing additional motives, tools and discourses for state territorialization, including funding, technologies and the narratives that support it. I highlight, however, that REDD+ is not the sole reason for state territorial politics and practices. Rather, the instrument is layered over previous histories of colonial and post- colonial territorialization processes, continuing a similar logic, rhetoric and management practices.
  • PLR Gap Analysis Laos

    PLR Gap Analysis Laos

    SUMMARY REPORT Policy, Laws and Regulations and the UNFCCC Cancun Safeguards: Frameworks and Gaps in the Lao PDR June 2015 Dr. Rita Gebert Published by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices Bonn and Eschborn, Germany Climate Protection through Avoided Deforestation (CliPAD) Department of Forest Resource Management, Thongkhankham Village, Chanthabuly District, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR P.O.Box 1295 T +856 21 254 082 F +856 21 243 083 I www.giz.de As at June 2015 Text Dr. Rita Gebert GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication On behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) i Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge the support for this study from the Forest Governance Programme in GIZ Headquarters that commissioned this study, from Dr. Jens Kallabinski, CTA of the project Climate Protection through Avoided Deforestation (CliPAD), from Dr. Sebastian Koch and from Mr. Thongsoune Bounphasaisol also at CliPAD. I wish to acknowledge the assistance of the many interlocutors who participated in this study. Many thanks especially to forestry sector colleagues in Vientiane who shared thoughts and PLRs with me! I am grateful to the GIZ-supported Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) project for providing an extensive collection of forestry-related PLRs. The author is also grateful to SUFORD colleagues Edwin Payuan and Jukka-Pekka Tolvanen for sharing insights on PLRs pertaining to village forestry and community land titling. The final responsibility for opinions expressed in the report lies with the author, Dr. Rita Gebert. They do not necessarily represent the opinions of GIZ or of any member of the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
  • Forest for All Forever

    Forest for All Forever

    Centralized National Risk Assessment for Lao People´s Democratic Republic FSC-CNRA-LA V1-0 EN FSC -CNRA-LA V1-0 EN FSC-CNRA-LA V1-0 CENTRALIZED NATIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT FOR LAO PEOPLE´S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 2017 – 1 of 264 – Centralized National Risk Assessment for Lao Title: People´s Democratic Republic Document reference FSC-CNRA-LA V1-0 EN code: Approval body: FSC International Center: Policy and Standards Unit Date of approval: 15 December 2017 Contact for comments: FSC International Center - Policy and Standards Unit - Charles-de-Gaulle-Str. 5 53113 Bonn, Germany +49-(0)228-36766-0 +49-(0)228-36766-30 [email protected] © 2017 Forest Stewardship Council, A.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the publisher’s copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, recording taping, or information retrieval systems) without the written permission of the publisher. Printed copies of this document are for reference only. Please refer to the electronic copy on the FSC website (ic.fsc.org) to ensure you are referring to the latest version. The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) is an independent, not for profit, non- government organization established to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests. FSC’s vision is that the world’s forests meet the social, ecological, and economic rights and needs of the present generation without compromising those of future generations. FSC-CNRA-LA V1-0 CENTRALIZED NATIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT FOR LAO PEOPLE´S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 2017 – 2 of 264 – Contents Risk assessments that have been finalized for Lao People´s Democratic Republic ..
  • In Laos, Log and Sawnwood Export Ban Implementation Appears

    In Laos, Log and Sawnwood Export Ban Implementation Appears

    In Laos, Log and Sawnwood Export Ban Implementation Appears Successful Trade data show recent policies are successfully curbing the timber export boom, with large impacts on trade with Vietnam and China 26 April 2017 | WASHINGTON, D.C. | Decisive actions taken by the government of Laos, in the form of a Notice (no. 1360 in August 2015) and a Prime Ministerial Order (PM15 in May 2016) prohibiting the export of logs and lightly processed “sawnwood,” appear to be paying off, according to a new analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based organization Forest Trends. The report points to a precipitous decline in the volume of raw logs and lightly processed “sawnwood” being exported from Laos to its primary consumer markets as evidence of this success. Exports to China and Vietnam – which together import the vast majority of Lao timber – fell nearly 75 percent from 2014 to 2016, thanks in large part to this two-part government crackdown on exports. The dramatic decline in exports followed exponential growth in recent years, with volumes peaking in 2014. Forest Trends analyzed import statistics sourced directly from Vietnam and China Customs over a seven- year period. The report authors contend that these findings signal progress towards more effective enforcement of laws and regulations designed to protect Laos’ valuable natural resources and promote econonmic development. Figure 1: Vietnam and China’s Imports of Lao Logs and Sawnwood by Volume, 2010-2016 1,600,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 ) 3 1,000,000 800,000 Volume (m 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Logs (China) Logs (Vietnam) Sawnwood (China) Sawnwood (Vietnam) Source: Vietnam Customs and China Customs statistics, compiled by Forest Trends.
  • The People and Their River

    The People and Their River

    The People and Their River A Survey of River-Based Livelihoods in the Xe Bang Fai River Basin in Central Lao PDR By Bruce Shoemaker, Ian G. Baird and Monsiri Baird Lao PDR/Canada Fund for Local Initiatives Vientiane, Lao PDR 15 November 2001 Table of Contents Executive Summary - Lao Language (available in hardcopy book) - English Language ..........................................................................................................i Map Introduction and Background ...................................................................................................... 1 - Methodology ................................................................................................................ 1 The Xe Bang Fai River Basin and the Survey Area ................................................................... 3 The Ebb and Flow of the Xe Bang Fai River .............................................................................. 5 The People of the Xe Bang Fai Basin .......................................................................................... 6 River-based Livelihoods................................................................................................................. 9 1. Fisheries ........................................................................................................................ 9 - Fish Migrations and River Fisheries ...................................................................... 9 - Fishing Methods .................................................................................................