Resource information
The objective of the Sustainable Forestry for Rural Development (SUFORD) Project for Lao People's Democratic Republic is to institute systematic management of natural production forests nation-wide to alleviate rural poverty, protect biodiversity, and enhance the contribution of forestry to the development of national and local economies in a sustainable manner. Some of the negative impacts of the project are: 1) displaced persons losing agricultural land and crops; 2) displaced persons losing residential land and structures; and 3) displaced persons losing commercial land, structures and business. Mitigation measures of the project are: a) compensation of lost agricultural land will be through provision of 'land for land' arrangements of equal productive capacity of the lost land and satisfactory to the displaced persons; b) displaced persons will be compensated for the loss of standing crops, fruits, and trees at market price; c) displaced persons whose land is temporarily taken by the works under the project will be compensated for their loss of income, standing crops and for the cost of soil restoration and damaged infrastructure based on the temporarily impacted period. If this period is more than two years, the impact is to be considered permanent; d) if the impact on residential land and/or structure is minor, cash compensation at replacement cost acceptable to the displaced person will be provided; and e) displaced persons will also be provided compensation at full replacement cost, without deduction for depreciation and salvage materials for any other fixed assets affected in part or in total by the project.
