Forests are extremely important to the people of Laos. They are the basis for the livelihoods of most of those living in rural areas, especially the poor and Laos’ large population of indigenous peoples. Forests are also an important source of government revenue, and Lao forests are being…
A key challenge for land change science in general and research on swidden agriculture in particular, is linking land cover information to human-environment interactions over larger spatial areas. In Lao PDR, a country facing rapid and multi-level land change processes, this hinders informed…
This paper seeks to reconsider the contemporary relevance of the resource frontier, drawing on examples of nature's commodification and enclosure under way in the peripheral Southeast Asian country of Laos. Frontiers are conceived as relational zones of economy, nature and society; spaces…
TAKEN FROM WEBSITE INTRODUCTION: This study by GTZ on behalf of BMZ about FDI in land highlights dramatic increase in land concessions, based on data collected in two provinces for an inventory, which GTZ conducted as no official data on land concessions is available. The Lao PDR is a small land…
In the mountainous regions of northern Laos, shifting cultivation, or slash-and-burn agriculture, is widely practiced. However, the crop–fallow rotation cycle is becoming shorter owing to forest conservation policies and population pressure, causing loss of productivity that deleteriously…
The research team set out to answer three research questions: 1) What are rubber investment’s key features with regard to the investment process, investor identity, location, activities and scale? 2) How was the “upland” landscape originally zoned and mapped as part of the LFA process, and later…
In the last decade the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has transformed itself into a provider of natural resources (timber, agricultural products, minerals, and energy) for its wealthier and more populated neighbours China, Vietnam and Thailand.
Lao PDR has emerged as a bulk…
The outlook paper for Lao PDR reviews the state of the forestry sector and draws attention to the need for political commitment to the forestry strategy 2020 to bring the forests in the country under sustainable management and provide a firm basis for rural development. Without significant…
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), Germany, IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), Finland, GTZ (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit), UN-Habitat, World Bank and UNDP, and IPC (International NGO/CSO Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty),…
A quarterly news bulletin dedicated to the exchange of information relating to wildlife and national resources management for the Asia-Pacific region.
This document analyzes the responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources in South East Asia. It exposes common, regional challenges and identifies ways forward in order to improve governance in land management and administration.