LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC PEACE INDEPENDENCE DEMOCRACY UNITY PROSPERITY Public Disclosure Authorized MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Public Disclosure Authorized Additional Financing Scaling-up Participatory Sustainable Forest Management Lao PDR Public Disclosure Authorized AF-SUPSFM Preparation Team Public Disclosure Authorized Vientiane, Lao PDR 25 October 2019 Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT ........................... 10 2 Predecessor Projects ............................................................................................................. 12 1.1 FOMACOP ................................................................................................................. 12 1.2 SUFORD ..................................................................................................................... 12 1.3 SUFORD AF 2009-2011 ........................................................................................ 13 1.4 SUPSFM 2013-present ............................................................................................ 14 3 AF-SUPSFM .......................................................................................................................... 15 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Project Components of AF-SUPSFM ..................................................................... 16 4 The Legal and Institutional Setting .................................................................................. 25 4.1 Programmes and Policies ............................................................................................ 25 4.2 Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic Laws and regulations ................................ 26 4.3 Judicial Bodies – the courts ........................................................................................ 27 4.4 Strengthening dissemination of legal information and increasing legal awareness ..................................................................................................................................... 28 4.5 Key national regulations.............................................................................................. 29 4.6 The World Bank Operational Policies and Directives ........................................ 35 5 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of the Proposed Project ............... 41 5.1 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 41 6 Expected Impact .................................................................................................................... 42 6.1 Social Impact .................................................................................................................. 42 6.2 Environmental Impact .................................................................................................. 43 7 Lessons learnt from past experiences .............................................................................. 43 7.1 Free, Prior and Informed Consultation Process .................................................... 44 7.2 Mainstreaming ethnic and gender work approach ............................................... 45 7.3 Village Forestry Committeees and Village Development Committees ......... 50 7.4 Benefit sharing from forest harvest revenues ........................................................ 52 7.5 Village development grant and Village Fund ....................................................... 54 7.6 Application of safeguards measures ........................................................................ 55 7.7 Gender equity ................................................................................................................. 56 7.8 Capacity of project beneficiaries .............................................................................. 58 2 7.9 Land acquisition/resettlement .................................................................................... 59 7.10 Grievance and conflict resolution mechanisms ................................................ 60 7.11 Participatory Sustainable Forestry Management PSFM ................................ 62 7.11.1. Illegal logging ........................................................................................................ 62 7.11.2. Biodiversity conservation ................................................................................... 62 7.11.3. Pesticide use ........................................................................................................... 63 7.11.4. Fire ............................................................................................................................ 63 7.11.5. Unsustainable use of NTFPs ............................................................................. 64 7.11.6. Health and Safety.................................................................................................. 64 7.11.7. Habitat alteration .................................................................................................. 65 7.11.8. Soil and Water Quality, Hazardous Materials, Visual Impacts, Noise and Vibrations ............................................................................................................................. 65 7.11.9. Environmental Awareness ................................................................................. 66 7.12 Forest Landscape Management............................................................................. 66 7.13 Land tenure ................................................................................................................. 67 7.14 Monitoring and evaluation ..................................................................................... 67 8 DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT BENEFICIARIES/ AFFECTED PEOPLE ....... 68 8.1 Coverage of Field Implementation ........................................................................... 68 8.2 Demographic data ......................................................................................................... 71 8.2.1. Demography of Lao PDR ....................................................................................... 71 8.2.2. Demographic and Social Setting of AF-SUPSFM .......................................... 74 9 Ethnicity profile ..................................................................................................................... 75 9.1.1. Ethnicity profile of Lao PDR ................................................................................ 75 9.1.2. Ethnicity profile of AF-SUPSFM ........................................................................ 78 9.1.2.1. SUFORD areas ...................................................................................................... 78 9.1.2.2. SUFORD AF areas (additional) ....................................................................... 78 9.1.2.3. SUPSFM (additional) ......................................................................................... 79 9.2 Ethno linguistic groups ................................................................................................ 81 9.2.1. Mon-Khmer groups .................................................................................................. 81 9.2.2. Katuic speaking groups ........................................................................................... 83 9.2.3. Bahnaric speaking groups: Tarieng profile ....................................................... 85 9.2.4. Khmuic groups: Pray ............................................................................................... 86 9.2.5. Hmong-Iu-Hmien groups ....................................................................................... 88 9.2.6. Sino-Tibetan Groups ................................................................................................ 89 9.2.7. Akha profile ................................................................................................................ 89 9.2.8. Kim Di Mun (Lao Houay) - Lantene .................................................................. 90 9.2.9. Lahu – Kui – Mussur ............................................................................................... 90 3 9.3 Customary authorities and decision making in ethnolinguistic categories ... 91 9.3.1. Hmong-Iu-Hmien and Sino-Tibetan groups ..................................................... 93 9.3.2. Tibeto-Burmese groups ........................................................................................... 93 9.3.3. Lao-Tai groups........................................................................................................... 94 9.3.4. Mon-Khmer groups .................................................................................................. 94 9.4 Weakening customary structures and social implications ................................. 95 9.4.1. Gender .......................................................................................................................... 96 9.4.2. Residence Patterns .................................................................................................... 96 9.4.3. Birthing customs ....................................................................................................... 97 9.4.4. Division of Labor .....................................................................................................