Outline of the Project

Project Name

Participatory Land and Forest Management Project for Reducing Deforestation in Lao PDR (PAREDD)

Country

Laos

Date R/D signed

August 4, 2009

Project Site

Luang Prabang Province, Laos
Target sites:
1) Houay khot village cluster (4 villages) in Phu Chom Nge District Conservation Area
2) Houay khing village cluster(6 villages) in Nam Pa National Protection Area
3) Tong si village cluster(6 villages)

Term of Cooperation

August 24, 2009 – August 23, 2014

Implementing Organization

National Agriculture and Forestry Extension Service (NAFES), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Forestry (DOF), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

Beneficiaries

Villagers in target sites, and Extension staff of target provinces and districts

Project Background

In the 1940's, Laos had around 70% of the total national land area. But it has degreased about 41.5% in 2002. In the North, the area of shifting cultivation is on the rise while it decreases at national level. It was considered that the increase of shifting cultivation is the primary cause of the higher rate of forest loss in the North.

In the meantime, the transition from subsistence agriculture toward commercial agriculture has affected the land and forest use patterns as well as rural livelihoods in the northern upland area. Land conversion for industrial plantations and commercial agriculture development are competing with upland rice cultivation for available land, and such competing land use, if not managed properly, can cause land and forest degradation.

Forest Management and Community Support Project (FORCOM), implemented from 2004 to 2009 by NAFES and JICA, aimed to promote sustainable land and forest use in nine districts of six northern provinces of Laos to stabilize/reduce the shifting cultivation. Provided that shifting cultivation was a major cause of deforestation and degradation in the target area, FORCOM developed the Community Support Programme Tool (CSPT^[1]) as a tool for providing alternative livelihoods to farmers so that they could reduce dependency on shifting cultivation and consequently mitigate pressure on forests.

However, in order to reduce the deforestation and forest degradation which is driven by various land use factors, it is becoming increasingly necessary to strengthen sustainable land and forest management at the village level.

In the meantime, Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), or a climate mitigation measure to provide incentives for the conservation of carbon stored in existing forests, is being discussed under the UN Framework Conservation on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Under the circumstances, JICA dispatched a detailed planning survey team in January 2009 and, through discussions with concerned authorities, set out the new project concepts and overall implementation structure for addressing participatory land and forest management for reducing deforestation in the northern part of Laos.

Based on the detailed planning, the GOL and JICA agreed to commence the Participatory Land and Forest Management Project for Reducing Deforestation in Lao P.D.R. as specified in the Record of Discussions (R/D) signed by both sides in August 2009.

Project Design

(1) Overall Goal

The system of reducing deforestation is applied in the northern part of Laos.

(2) Project Purpose

The system of reducing deforestation is developed through participatory land and forest management.

(3) Project Outputs

Output 1

The system of reducing deforestation is designed through improvement of Community Support Programme Tool (CSPT).

(Activities)

Output 2

The system of reducing deforestation is implemented in PAREDD sites.

(Activities)

Output 3

Changes in forest cover/carbon stock and socio-economic conditions are monitored in and around the PAREDD sites.

(Activities)

Output 4

The system of reducing deforestation is proposed as a mitigation measure for climate change.

(Activities)

Input

- Japanese side

1. Expert
   Long-term: Chief Advisor, Project Coordinator/Extension Promotion, Forest Resource Management, Rural Development
   Short-term: Forest Resource Monitoring、Agriculture Improvement、Satellite Image Analysis etc.
2. Counterpart training in Japan
3. Provision of Machinery and Equipment: Vehicle（4WD）,Motorbike, GPS、OA etc

- Laos Side

1. Assignment of counterpart and administrative personal
2. Project office, Electricity, water supply and necessary telecommunication facilities
3. Running expenses necessary for the implementation of the Project