Local resource stewardship initiatives for nature and people in forest frontiers

Southern Laos with the Annamite Mountain range along the Lao-Vietnamese border offers an unparalleled mix of different landscapes, including unique forest ecosystems with rich biodiversity, seriously endangered wildlife, and wetlands under threat. Many of the country’s highest-value biodiversity areas have, over the past two decades, been designated as National Protected Areas (NPAs), which cover vast primary forest tracks. However, these areas are inhabited by local subsistence farming communities who rely heavily on hunting and gathering wild products. At the same time, the demand for land, timber, and non-timber forest products – plants and animals – has sharply increased over the past decades, primarily from neighboring countries. Increasing pressure on those resources, primarily from external actors, combined with limited capacities for law enforcement through Lao authorities, have resulted in a rapid decline in biodiversity. While the recently imposed protected area status brings about various restrictions for local subsistence farmers, it also offers opportunities for stewardship roles, if the necessary basic conditions can be realized.