Project News

Lao PDR has three forest management categories: Conservation Forest, Protection Forest, and Production Forest. Forest management at the landscape level is considered an effective approach to protecting vast forest areas in a geographically-integrated way, with efficient use of limited human, financial, and operational resources.

F-REDD 2 supports institutional set up and capacity building for REDD+ implementation in Savannakhet Province (Kick-off Meeting of F-REDD 2 in Savannakhet Province). As a part of this support, work is progressing on setting up an institutional arrangement and developing a management plan prototype for a forest landscape which consists of two Conservation Forests and two Protection Forests in the province. The aim is to propose a concept and methods that enable the integrated management of multiple forest management categories adjacent to each other.

F-REDD 2 has already discussed the approach to prototype development and has agreed on general steps regarding how to proceed. The prototype, for example, will include the zoning of areas for strict protection and for controlled use by local communities, as well as options for forest management activities.

In December 2022, forest rangers from the province and districts visited 16 sample villages around the targeted forest landscape to conduct a survey of the natural resource use and livelihood conditions of village residents. From the survey results, the Project will prepare potential activities that will improve the management of the targeted forest landscape and alternative livelihood options which reduce dependence on forest resources.

Interviewing in a target village