Introduction Status of Community Based Forest Management in Lao PDR 86

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1. Introduction

Community Based Forestry Management CBFM approaches have been developed, tested and applied in a number of countries and contexts around the world in the last three decades. As a result, examples of tools and methods for successfully implementing community based forestry have been made available for further development and replication to fit into contextually specific conditions. In Lao PDR, CBFM was not known until the early 1990s. Forest management practices in the past were performed in conventional ways with very limited community participation. This contributed to rapid forest degradation. The new era of forest management in the Lao forests started in 1989 as the First National Forestry Conference declared the new forest policy direction toward sustainable forest management in which the government officially recognized the need for community involvement. It was the entry point for CBFM in Lao PDR. Within two decades a number of CBFM models were developed, tested and applied in different forest and socio-economic conditions in the country and thereby various lessons and experiences were gained. However, these experiences seem not be well documented, exchanged, coordinated, and promoted widely. In particular, extent and modes of community participation in forest management have not been well analyzed; applicability and suitability of each model for specific contextual situations not been evaluated; and their strengths and weaknesses not been identified. For further development and replication, these kinds of information are deemed necessary. Thus, a desk study under collaborative framework between NAFRI and RECOFTC was conducted. The main purpose of the study was to develop a status report on community contribution to forest resource management for Lao PDR that can be used to guide the development of community based forestry programs within the country as well as in other countries in the region see also TOR in Annex 1. In general, the study focus on analyzing relationship between participating communities, resources made under management, and enabling environments that have influences the effectiveness of sustainable management and people’s involvement in line with the existing government policy context and legal framework. In particular, the study emphasizes on the ways and the extent of participation in relation to resource types and the types of forest management used in practice. With regard to benefit sharing, the ways to share and the degree of benefits shared among stakeholders in each type of Community Based Forest Management were also assessed. Finally, the contribution of each type of CBFM in the whole were distinguished and illustrated in terms of number of participating households; forest types and area coverage, and its status in the policy context. It is important to note that the study is mainly based on reviews of available literature where difficulty to get access to information sources was one of the main limitations. Analysis in the study, therefore, could not cover all CBFM initiatives developed and practiced in Lao PDR, especially for those in which experiences have not been well documented and consolidated, and information was not accessible. In addition, many CBFM initiatives have not been evaluated in such a way that reflects the mode and extent of community contribution, strength and weaknesses. Thus, for these initiatives, only general information on project performance is provided in the report. For that reason, the authors of this report would like to express our sincere apology for missing this information and for failing to include any initiatives of which information was not accessible during the time of study. Our heartfelt thanks should go for any further comments, improvements and additions to fill up any information gaps in the report. 2

2. Historical Overview – The Foundations of Community Based Forest Management in Lao PDR