The Provincial Deforestation Monitoring System (PDMS), developed and operated by JICA, approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as an official forest monitoring tool of Lao PDR

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) has approved the Provincial Deforestation Monitoring System (PDMS) as an official forest monitoring tool. This decision is an important step forward in the fight against deforestation.

The PDMS uses advanced remote sensing technology and satellite imagery to monitor deforestation in near-real time. The system enables local forest officials to collect and analyze data on deforestation in an effective and efficient manner. Additionally, it also allows them to take appropriate actions, such as issuing administrative guidance to violators.

The PDMS was developed and has been in operation since 2019 through the Sustainable Forest Management and REDD+ Support Project (F-REDD), a JICA technical cooperation project. It is currently in operation in 15 of the 18 provinces in Laos, with the cooperation of other donors such as the World Bank, Germany and NGOs. F-REDD 2 has provided support for strengthening forest monitoring and promoting PDMS implementation through meetings and training with relevant departments. The official approval of the PDMS is the result of recognition of its performance in the provinces, as well as the expectation that the PDMS will play an important role in forest conservation efforts in Lao PDR.

Nevertheless, some challenges have been reported in implementing the PDMS. For example, there is a limited number of forest officers for forest patrols and frequent staff turnover, making it necessary to establish a management team that can provide ongoing capacity building for local forest officers. Furthermore, from the perspective of PDMS sustainability, it is necessary to establish a system administrator so that the system can be maintained and managed with local resources. To address these challenges, F-REDD 2 will continue to work to further strengthen forest monitoring, providing technical support for the institutional establishment of a monitoring system at the central level and for capacity building.