Transaction Search Form: please type in any of the fields below.
Date: April 24, 2024 Wed
Time: 8:45 pm
laos
Time: 8:45 pm
laos
Results for laos
72 total results foundAuthor: United Nations Office on Drug Control. Country Office LAO PDR Title: Sustaining Opium Reduction in Southeast Asia: Sharing Experiences on Alternative Development and Beyond, Regional Seminar: Global Partnership on Alternative Development (GLO144), 15-17 December 2008, Chiang Mai, Thailand Summary: Since 1998, opium production in Southeast Asia has declined by some 67% from 1,437 tons in 1998 to 469 tons in 2007. The area under cultivation has also declined by over 80% from 158,230 hectares to 29,200 hectares during the same period. These significant results have been achieved through alternative development efforts beginning first in Thailand from the 1970s. This was followed by other alternative development efforts in Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Vietnam, Thailand and Laos marked their success in significantly eliminating opium poppy in 2000, 2003, and 2006 respectively. However there has been a 26% increase in opium poppy cultivating areas in South East Asia from 2006 to 2009. The global economic crisis has resulted in plummeting commodity prices that has coincided with increases in the price of opium. These two levers are contributing to a resurgence of opium production that is threatening to undermine years of success. This is compounded by other geo-political as well as trans-boundary threats. Unchecked, the situation could spiral out of control and could undermine stability, security, trade and development as well as efforts to eliminate poverty and achieve the millenium development goals. More than every before there is a need for a global partnership as well as expanded alternative development efforts to sustain opium elimination. There is a need for Governments, donors and alternative development practitioners to seek comprehensive as well as efficient and effective policies, strategies and programmes to sustain opium elimination while ensuring a life of dignity for the vulnerable communities that used to be dependant on opium. It is important that opportunities to eliminate poverty and also ensure sustainable human development processes are accessible to these communities. Details: Vientiane: 2008 Source: Year: 2008 Country: Laos Keywords: Drug Enforcement Shelf Number: 117400 |
Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Title: Sustaining Opium Reduction in Southeast Asia: Sharing Experiences on Alternative Development and Beyond Summary: Alternative development has developed into a comprehensive response to the cultivation of illicit crops, comprising development, demand reduction, and law enforcement to address issues of poverty, addiction and criminal behavior. Details: Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 2009 Source: Regional Seminar: Global Partnership on Alternative Development 2008 Year: 2009 Country: Laos Keywords: Drug Trafficking Control Shelf Number: 115814 |
Author: Environmental Investigation Agency Title: Crossroads: The Illicit Timber Trade Between Laos and Vietnam Summary: The land-locked country of Laos (officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic) lies at the heart of the Mekong region and has some of the largest tracts of primary rainforest left in mainland Southeast Asia. Home to large mammals such as the tiger and Asian elephant, and many ancient, endemic and endangered species, these forests retain a treasure trove of biodiversity. Laos’ forests also support the livelihoods of millions of rural and indigenous people. In 2008, 70 per cent of the country’s population was rural, equivalent to 4.2 million people.1 These communities rely on forests for a host of services and livelihoods, such as food, fuel, building materials and medicine. Yet Laos’ forests are seriously threatened by over-exploitation causing serious deforestation. One of the main threats is logging to feed the timber processing industries of neighbouring countries Vietnam, China and Thailand. As these countries have implemented strict controls of logging inside their own borders, exploitation of Laos’ forests has increased. Laos’ forest landscape is also increasingly denuded by infrastructure development, hydropower projects, mines and plantations, leading to further unsustainable and illegal logging. While forest cover statistics vary in accuracy, what is certain is that the rate of deforestation in Laos today is alarmingly high. Forest cover has fallen from an estimated 70 per cent in the 1940s to just 41 per cent by 2002. The annual rate of forest loss in the past two decades is more than 90,000 hectares.2 Much of the remainder is composed of seriously degraded forest with little biodiversity value.3 The implications of forest loss for Laos’ wealth of biodiversity are severe. Large mammal species are under pressure from the wildlife trade and now face a fragmentation and loss of habitat. Already, conservationists expect that Laos’ biodiversity might not be as abundant as commonly stated.4 The communities which rely on Laos’ forests are being increasingly marginalised by development policies which pay scant regard to their traditional livelihoods. According to the United Nations Development Programme, non-timber forest products provide 90 per cent of the income for the poorest families in Laos.5 Forests also play a vital role in supplying clean water supplies and in water resource management generally. Water, in turn, is particularly important for both hydropower, a key element of the Lao Government’s development strategy, and in irrigation systems, a key Government objective to guarantee food security for rural households. 3 As logging and infrastructure projects increasingly deprive these communities of their livelihoods, laws enacted to ensure they are compensated for forest exploitation are routinely ignored. Far from improving the plight of its rural people, Government policies on management of natural resources are making survival harder. Details: London: EIA, 2011. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: http://www.forestlegality.org/files/fla/eia_uk_crossroads_jul_2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Laos Keywords: Deforestation Shelf Number: 125505 |
Author: National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute Title: Orchids Trade Study - Laos 2009 Summary: The export of wild and/or semi-cultivated orchids, in any form or otherwise semi-processed, is now illegal in Lao PDR unless CITES permits. However, there are many types of illegal activities in the orchid trade, for example, Wild Orchids are mainly exported to China for medicinal uses. For horticultural purposes, villagers or retailers sell plants directly harvested from the forest to local or foreign people without any reference to sustainable harvesting and, no CITES certification. Due to the fast economic changes in Laos, some critical gaps have emerged now concerning the sustainable use of Botanical Orchids and their conservation. This study would show the importance of the orchid harvesting and illegal trade all around the country. Details: Laos: National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, Lao Agriculture Database, 2009. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2012 at http://lad.nafri.org.la/fulltext/2239-0.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Laos Keywords: Illegal Wildlife Trade Shelf Number: 126584 |
Author: Environmental Investigation Agency Title: Checkpoints: How Powerful Interest Groups Continue to Undermine Forest Governance in Laos Summary: In July 2011 the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) released a report entitled Crossroads, revealing how well-connected companies in Vietnam and the Lao PDR (Laos) were profiting from illicit timber trade between the two countries. The report found significant trade in raw logs from Laos to Vietnam, in contravention of the former country’s stated policy of banning the export of unprocessed timber. In March 2012 the Government of Laos (GoL) stated that it would take “serious action” to reduce the export of unprocessed natural resources, including timber, in order to support domestic industries. Yet on the mountainous border with Vietnam, policy continues to diverge with reality. Further recent investigations by EIA show that it is business as usual and that the plunder of Laos’ forests continues unchecked. A handful of powerful firms are still moving logs across the border, aided by murky exemptions from timber export controls apparently granted by the upper echelons of the GoL. In 2012, once again, unprocessed Laos logs flooded into coastal cities in Vietnam to feed its voracious furniture industry. This briefing details the main findings of research and fieldwork conducted by EIA in 2012. Details: London: EIA, 2012. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2013 at: http://www.eia-international.org/checkpoints Year: 2012 Country: Laos Keywords: Deforestation Shelf Number: 128156 |
Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Title: Criminal Justice Response to wildlife and forest crime in Lao PDR Summary: Laos in a landlocked country of about 5.7 million people made up of 49 broad ethnic groups. Approximately eighty per cent of the population is located in rural areas and many depend on agriculture and natural resources for survival. The country is bordered by China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. It is governed in the framework of a single socialist political party, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPPR). Laos is a land rich in biological diversity and home to unique and rare species of flora and fauna. Many of these species are listed under Appendices I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). These flora species include high value timber species such as Aquilaria crassna and Aquilaria baillonii commonly known as Argarwood (Appendix I) and Dalbergia cochinchinensis commonly known as Siamese Rosewood (Appendix III) and rare orchids such as the Paphiopedilum appletonianum commonly known as Appleton's Paphiopedilum (Appendix I). Some of the better known CITES listed fauna species found in Laos include the Tiger (Appendix I), Leopard (Appendix I), Clouded Leopard (Appendix I), Elephant (Appendix I), Sun Bear (Appendix I), Asiatic Black Bear (Appendix I), Pangolin (Appendix II) and several turtles including the Indochinese Box Turtle (Appendix I). Despite their protection under CITES and National Laws, Lao forests have undergone extensive commercial logging over the last 30 years with forest cover dropping from 75% in 1979 to 40% in 2009. In 2014 a government initiated planting program has increased forest cover to just over 50% but the country has a long way to go to reach its goal of 65% cover by 2015 and 70% by 2020. There is growing evidence that transnational organised crime groups are contributing to a significant degree to forest exploitation and the Lao government has come under harsh criticism for its failure to control the illegal logging of its forests. Many of Laos' fauna species have fared no better and continue to be subjected to illegal trafficking to feed markets in neighbouring China and Vietnam. The objective of this study therefore is to determine what role the criminal justice system in Laos is playing in the struggle against the illegal trade in timber and wildlife. It is based on a field visit to Laos, a review of the available primary and secondary data, interviews with key interlocutors and a roundtable meeting of senior officers from the key government departments, IGO's and NGO's held in Vientiane in September 2014. During the meeting in September the current version of the report was circulated to all participants both in Lao language and in English to solicit comments and feedback. The presentations of the senior officers at the September meeting were eventually incorporated into what has become the final version of the report. Interviews were mainly conducted with key players of the criminal justice systems such as prosecutors, police, customs and environment/forestry officials involved in law enforcement. Details: New York: UNODC, 2014. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 30, 2014 at: https://www.unodc.org/documents/southeastasiaandpacific//2014/10/trade-timber/Criminal_Justice_Responses_to_the_Illegal_Trade_in_Timber_in_South_East_Asia_v7.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Laos Keywords: Forest Management Shelf Number: 133831 |
Author: Environmental Investigation Agency Title: Sin City: Illegal Wildlife Trade in Laos' Golden Triangle Special economic Zone Summary: This report takes a journey to a dark corner of north-west Lao PDR (hereafter referred to as Laos), in the heart of the Golden Triangle in South-East Asia. Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) have documented how the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GT SEZ) in Bokeo Province, in Laos has become a lawless playground, catering to the desires of visiting Chinese gamblers and tourists who can openly purchase and consume illegal wildlife products and parts, including those of endangered tigers. Despite being a part of Laos territory, the GT SEZ is run by the Chinese company Kings Romans Group. It has a 99-year lease and an 80 per cent stake in the operation. Clocks are run on Beijing time, all business is done in Chinese currency and businesses are Chinese-owned. With its 20 per cent stake in the GT SEZ, the Government of Laos is a complicit partner in what is a free-for-all illegal wildlife supermarket and has granted special benefits to the businesses in the SEZ by declaring it a duty-free area. While Laos' wildlife laws are weak, there is not even a pretence of enforcement in the GT SEZ. Sellers and buyers are free to trade a host of endangered species products including tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, helmeted hornbills, snakes and bears, poached from Asia and Africa, and smuggled to this small haven for wildlife crime. The unchecked illegal wildlife trade in the GT SEZ is illustrative of illegal wildlife trade across the region, largely catering to growing numbers of Chinese visitors. The casino-led set-up is a model exported from Mong La in Myanmar, one of the longest-standing illegal wildlife markets in the region. The Government of China is acutely aware of the footprint of Chinese businesses and consumers in relation to poaching, trafficking and the consumption of illegal wildlife. If the Government of China is truly committed to ending illegal wildlife trade, there is much it can do to help end the illegal wildlife trade at the GT SEZ. The blatant illegal wildlife trade by Chinese companies in this part of Laos should be a national embarrassment and yet it appears to enjoy high-level political support from the Laos Government, blocking any potential law enforcement. Cleaning up the GT SEZ, reversing Laos' role as the weak link in the regional wildlife crime chain and ending tiger farming throughout the country will require a major policy shift from the top. The international community has a responsibility to stop fawning over lip-service commitments to combating organised wildlife crime and reducing demand. This is not a new phenomenon, but one that has persisted and escalated because of a failure to take bold action. Business-as-usual is a recipe for disaster for wild tigers and other endangered species. Details: London: EIA, 2015. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 15, 2015 at: http://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-Sin-City-FINAL-med-res.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Laos Keywords: Animal Poaching Shelf Number: 135230 |
Author: Barney, Keith Title: Baseline Study 2, Lao PDR: Overview of Forest Governance, Markets and Trade Summary: Over the past decade in Lao PDR, new regulations and policies related to logging and timber exports have aimed to conserve existing natural forests and promote a shift towards participatory, sustainable forest management. Still, the main challenge will be to implement these reforms effectively. In addition, over the past five to six years, considerable foreign direct investment has moved into Laos' forest-land sector, in the form of agribusiness plantations and infrastructure development. While a welcome development from a financial perspective, this situation has promoted natural forest conversion and is challenged by a number of regulatory uncertainties. This report finds that: 1) timber sales account for roughly 12% of overall government revenue; 2) Laos' forest product export markets are dominated by Vietnam and Thailand, and Laos' main export markets in turn are significant re-exporters of manufactured forest products, to markets which increasingly require legal verification such as the USA and the European Union; 3) community land tenure and forest zoning processes need to be clarified and implemented adequately in order to safeguard local livelihoods and environmental services. Details: Washington, DC: Forest Trends, 2011. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 21, 2016 at: http://forestindustries.eu/sites/default/files/userfiles/1file/baseline_study_laos_report_en.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Laos Keywords: Deforestation Shelf Number: 145615 |
Author: Krishnasamy, Kanitha Title: Observations of the Helmeted Hornbill Trade in LAO PDR Summary: Unlike other species of hornbills, Helmeted Hornbill Rhinoplax vigil casques are made of solid keratin, making them ideal for carving, and for this reason they are sought after for trade. Since 2012, unprecedented illegal trade in this species has been recorded, with high numbers of Helmeted Hornbill items being seized in China, Indonesia and Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region (SAR). As a result of high levels of illegal trade in the species over a short period of time, in 2015, the species was assessed globally as being Critically Endangered. However, little is known of the market and trade dynamics of this species in many Asian countries and therefore conservation strategies are hampered. To understand the trade dynamics in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) better, TRAFFIC conducted an assessment of the open Helmeted Hornbill trade in five locations throughout Lao PDR. Surveys took place over eight days between April and July 2016. Surveys recorded 74 Helmeted Hornbill products in three locations. TRAFFIC recorded 18 Helmeted Hornbill products in Vientiane, 36 in Luang Prabang and 20 in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone. A total of 11 whole casques were recorded during the survey, two of which were carved. Beads (24) and pendants (18) were the most commonly observed items. Every shop that sold Helmeted Hornbill products also sold carved elephant ivory items in large numbers—between 100 to over 1000 ivory products each. Where shops advertised prices, these were advertised in either Chinese Yuan or US Dollars—not in local currency. All shops were operated by ethnic Chinese, with all traders in Vientiane and Luang Prabang stating they were from mainland China. This species does not occur in Lao PDR and it is not protected by national legislation. However, it is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), prohibiting any international commercial trade. Lao PDR has been a Party to CITES since 2004. The high volume of products observed as offered for sale during our survey therefore represents a violation of CITES regulations. Information recorded during this survey provides a baseline for product availability at a given point in time. Although the number of products observed was not high, it is concerning as it involves a Critically Endangered, CITES Appendix I listed species. This has previously been raised as a concern following CITES Secretariat missions to Lao PDR. The most recent of these missions was conducted from 4–8 July 2016, just 11 days before TRAFFIC’s second visit in Lao PDR. Foremost to Lao PDR being able to commit to and implement CITES regulations is the crucial need for the government to revise its legislation that control the use, import, export and re-export of wildlife, particularly those involving non-native species. This remains a high priority for the country and the CITES mission in July 2016 identified significant loopholes in the national legislation, including matters related to the trade in specimens of species that are not native to Lao PDR. Lao PDR has previously come under pressure at the 16th CITES Conference of Parties (CoP) to improve its implementation of CITES. A year later, the country was subjected to an oversight process by CITES for its role in the illegal ivory trade—Lao PDR was asked to develop and implement a time-bound National Ivory Action Plan, a process that still remains in place. Considering the close trade link between China and Lao PDR, including the presence of traders and businesses that stated they were from mainland China, close collaboration on investigations and law enforcement action between the two countries is critical. Intelligence-led investigations into trade routes and individuals and/or organized networks involved in such crime must be made a priority, from point of source to consumer. Given Lao PDRs disinclination to take action on violations involving non-native species in the country, law enforcement efforts at border points become extremely crucial to cut off any supply into Lao PDR. Trends in the Helmeted Hornbill trade should continually be monitored to document patterns, including in neighbouring countries of Lao PDR. China’s influence in places like the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone points to the significance of—and need for—China-Lao PDR co-operation to end such trade. The CITES Secretariat’s mission to Lao PDR reinforced this need, as there are no clear guidelines on the operation of these Economic Zones in relation to trade in CITES-listed species. This should be key to any deliberations for transboundary enforcement collaboration between China and Lao PDR. A pioneering law enforcement workshop between the two countries was recently held, in June 2016, in Xishuangbana in China’s Yunnan province, which also borders Lao PDR and Myanmar. This workshop discussed the need to strengthen bilateral co-operation including on information exchange, joint enforcement actions and co-operation and awareness raising. International pressure for Lao PDR to shut down the illegal trade will be a critical component in safeguarding this species from extinction. For example, one of the locations found to be selling a Helmeted Hornbill casque and pendant (and many ivory products) was a luxury hotel and Convention Centre in the heart of Vientiane. Governments organizing events should be discouraged from doing so at locations such as these that openly violate CITES. Such a position sends a strong message against those openly violating CITES protocols. Since 2012, the number of Helmeted Hornbill seizures have persisted, with high volumes being reported by Indonesia. If the enforcement and regulation efforts as well as demand for this species, in both source and consumer countries do not succeed in abating demand for this species, Indonesian Helmeted Hornbill populations are likely to reduce significantly and perhaps disappear. Should this happen, it will force poachers to look for the species in the other range States, in particular Malaysia and Thailand, where populations would in turn become vulnerable to poaching, if they are not already. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessment for the species postulates that Malaysia is likely to become the next target for the species once the Indonesian supply is exploited. Only with a suite of all these efforts can the poaching of Helmeted Hornbills be reduced and the illegal trade in their parts and products be brought to an end. Details: Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, 2016. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 27, 2016 at: https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/Traf-136.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Laos Keywords: Animal Poaching Shelf Number: 145009 |
Author: Vigne, Lucy Title: The Ivory Trade of Laos: Now the Fastest Growing In the World Summary: Executive summary - From 2013 to 2016, Laos's retail ivory market has expanded more rapidly than in any other country surveyed recently. - Laos has not been conforming with CITES regulations that prohibit the import and export of ivory. Since joining CITES in 2004, only one ivory seizure into Laos has been reported to the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS). - Almost no arrests, let alone prosecutions and punishments, have been made of smugglers with ivory coming in or out of the country. - Most worked ivory for sale in Laos originates from elephants poached in Africa. - Ivory has also been entering Laos illegally from Thailand, as Thai traders have been offloading their ivory following the imposition of much stricter regulations there. - In late 2013 the average wholesale price of raw ivory sold by Lao traders peaked at about USD 2,000/kg. - By late 2016, the average wholesale price of raw ivory in Laos had declined to USD 714/kg, in line with prices elsewhere in the region. This price was much higher than in African countries, such as Sudan (Omdurman/Khartoum), where the average wholesale price of ivory was USD 279/kg in early 2017. This price differential is due to the extra expenses incurred in transport and bribes to government officials on the long journey to Asia. - In Laos, the decline in the wholesale price of raw ivory between 2013 and 2016, as elsewhere in the region, was mainly due to the slowdown in China's economy, that resulted in an oversupply of illegal ivory, relative to demand. - Ivory items seen for sale in Laos are carved or machine-processed in Vietnam by Vietnamese and smuggled into Laos for sale, or are processed by Chinese traders in Laos on new computerdriven machines. Ivory carving by Lao people is insignificant. - In Laos, the survey found 81 retail outlets with ivory on view for retail sale, 40 of which were in the capital, Vientiane, 21 in Luang Prabang, 8 in Kings Romans, 5 in Oudom Xay, 3 in Pakse, 2 in Dansavanh Nam Ngum Resort and 2 in Luang Nam Tha. - The survey counted 13,248 ivory items on display for sale, nearly all recently made to suit Chinese tastes. Vientiane had 7,014 items for sale, Luang Prabang 4,807, Kings Romans 1,014, Dansavanh Nam Ngum Resort 291, Oudom Xay 93, Luang Nam Tha 16, and Pakse 13. - Most outlets, displaying the majority of worked ivory, also sold souvenirs, Chinese herbal teas or jewellery, or were hotel gift shops. - Outlets were usually owned by traders from mainland China. The number of Chinese-owned shops had risen in Laos from none recorded in the early 2000s to several in 2013, including one main shop in Vientiane's Chinese market and two on the main tourist street of Luang Prabang. By 2016, there were 22 and 15 outlets, respectively, in these two areas, both of which are popular with Chinese visitors. By 2016, Chinese outlets with ivory had also sprung up in other locations, mainly those visited by the increasing number of Chinese. - In 2016, the most common ivory items for sale were pendants, followed by necklaces, bangles, beaded bracelets and other jewellery, similar to items for sale in 2013, but in far larger quantities. - The least expensive item was a thin ring for USD 3 and the most expensive was a pair of polished tusks for USD 25,000. - Retail prices for ivory items of similar type were higher than elsewhere in Kings Romans, which is visited primarily by wealthier Chinese visitors with money to spend. - Mainland Chinese buy over 80% of the ivory items in Laos today. There are sometimes buyers from South Korea and other Asian countries, according to vendors. - Laotians today generally buy amulets that are made of bone or synthetic material, rather than ivory items. - Virtually no mammoth ivory items were seen for sale. - Retail prices in Laos for worked ivory on display were considerably lower than in China, as most items in China at that time were in expensive licensed outlets incurring higher official paperwork costs. Lao prices for worked ivory were a little lower than in the cities of Vietnam as Lao shop owners have smaller overheads. - In the absence of effective law enforcement, vendors believe that sales of ivory items in their shops to Chinese consumers will continue to do well, in line with the anticipated increase in the number of Chinese in Laos and the projected expansion in Chinese investment. - Nearly all the items seen for sale today originate from illegally imported (post-1990) ivory. There is virtually no law enforcement so shops are able to display these items openly. Details: Nairobi, Kenya: Save the Elephants, 2017. 92p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 29, 2017 at: http://www.savetheelephants.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017-Vigne-Lao-Ivory-Report-web.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Laos Keywords: Animal Poaching Shelf Number: 147501 |
Author: Johnson, Arlyne Title: Using systematic monitoring to evaluate and adapt management of a tiger reserve in northern Lao PDR. Summary: Although considerable effort and resources have been dedicated to biodiversity conservation over the last three decades, the effectiveness of these conservation actions is still frequently unclear. Thus, practitioners are being called on to be ever more strategic in their use of often limited resources available for the scale of the work required. To address this problem, several frameworks have been developed to guide the practice of conservation and facilitate adaptive management. Although these frameworks now exist and monitoring is key to adaptive management, there are still relatively few detailed examples of projects that have successfully implemented monitoring plans and then analyzed the data to generate results that were in turn used to adapt management. Reasons cited for this include insufficient funding for monitoring and evaluation, inappropriate monitoring designs that are unable to generate results to answer management questions, ineffectively managed monitoring information, and institutional arrangements that do not facilitate the feedback of monitoring results (should they exist) to management. Given these challenges, there is a need for case studies that illustrate how monitoring and evaluation can be done in the context of the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation to support learning and provide evidence for the effectiveness of a conservation action. This paper provides a detailed case study of adaptive management in practice. In this case the Wildlife Conservation Society's Landscape Species Approach was used over a seven-year period to plan, execute, evaluate and adapt a project to recover wild tigers Panthera tigris and their ungulate prey (Gaur Bos gaurus, Southwest China serow Capricornis milneedwards, Sambar deer Cervus unicolor, wild pig Sus spp., and muntjacs Muntiacus spp.) in Lao PDR. After several iterations of the project management cycle, we assess to what degree the framework supported rigorous monitoring and evaluation that was used to inform and adapt management and what conditions were present and/or needed to overcome the constraints that commonly impede the practice of adaptive management in conservation. Details: New York: Wildlife Conservation Society Lao PDR Program, 2012. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: WCS Working Paper no. 42: Accessed January 22, 2018 at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235923139_Using_systematic_monitoring_to_evaluate_and_adapt_management_of_a_tiger_reserve_in_northern_Lao_PDR Year: 2012 Country: Laos Keywords: Tigers Shelf Number: 148905 |
Author: Smirnov, Denis Title: Assessment of Scope of Illegal Logging in Laos and Associated Trans-Boundary Timber Trade Summary: Main findings - The Government of Laos lacks reliable information on issued logging licenses (quotas), the officially registered volume of timber harvested, and export of wooden products. For example, Lao wood exports to China and Vietnam from 2012-2014 as reported by importing countries exceeded total annual logging quotas many-fold and officially registered volume of timber by an order of magnitude. The total value of Lao wood products as reported by importing countries exceeds the value of exported wood products by analysis of data from Lao state customs statistics many-fold, and a disparity between these two data sets increases further. In 2013 the official export value was only 8% of the total value of Lao timber imported as reported by destination countries. - According to the data from importing countries the export value of Lao wood products has been growing exponentially from the end of 2000s. From 2009 to 2014 it increased more than 8 times (by 70% between 2013 and 2014) and reached US$1.7 billion. In 2014, China and Vietnam were responsible for 96% of Lao wood export in value terms (63 and 33%, respectively). Moreover export to China increased by 140% on 2013 levels. This growth in value of Lao timber exports to China and Vietnam is caused by a simultaneous increase in exported timber volume and increase in the value of exported product units due to the greater proportion of valuable tree species in Lao exports. - The ban on export of logs and sawn timber imposed by the Government of Laos from 1999- 2002 with the aim to encourage development of deep processing of timber in the country is either not enforced or circumvented due to numerous permissions issued in "exceptional cases". The share of unprocessed and sawn wood in total exports from Laos in monetary terms almost always exceeded 90% in a period between 2000 and 2014, hitting 95% in 2011-2013 and nearly 98% in 2014. From the mid-2000s the share of logs in exports has been increasing steadily and reached 56% in 2014 while in 2002 accounted for only 14% (furthermore export value of logs doubled in 2014 compared to 2013). - The comparison of official data on volumes of issued quotas and the officially registered volume of timber harvested in Laos' four southern provinces of Sekong, Saravan, Champassak and Attapeu ("CarBi monitoring area") in the 2011-2012 logging season, with data on export of wood products from this area, has found that >50% of timber products exported were from undocumented sources. In monetary equivalent the value of excessive timber could exceed the Lao budget income from timber sales planned for the 2013-2014 fiscal year threefold. - Not less than 50% (most likely more than 60%) of wood products exported in the 2010-2011 logging season from Sekong were from undocumented sources. - The sheer volume of undocumented timber involved suggests that its extraction and transportation was conducted by large companies who had been permitted to legally assemble and operate a very high number of heavy equipment inside the extraction areas and to and from the country's borders. Such large fleets of heavy equipment are usually only assembled to convert forest lands for plantations, roads, transmission lines, reservoirs, mining, or geologic prospecting. - Following the above assumption we found the timing of these huge volumes of undocumented timber to be following a dramatic increase in Chinese and Vietnamese investments in mining, agriculture, forestry and hydropower in Laos. The majority of the associated projects' concessions were located in forested areas and accordingly contemplates the possibility of logging quotas acquisition. - We investigated the above correlation by comparing logging quotas issued for land clearance of one mining and one road construction project in the provinces of Saravan and Sekong with actual timber extraction. Analysis of relevant official documents, field surveys of logging sites and log depots, and interpretation of high resolution satellite images have been applied. We found 100% of timber extracted under the road construction project and 99% of the timber from the mining project to be illegal. Legal violations included: a. Extraction outside of concession boundaries. In the case of mining 76% of detected new logging sites were located beyond the concession borders while in the case of road construction all logging was found beyond the zone allocated for construction (in one case 40 km away from the closest point of the road). b. Logging comes in the form of extraction of only the best quality trees of target species with the highest volume. Species composition and grades of actually harvested timber drastically differed from what was permitted under quotas. Accordingly composition and volume of harvested timber had nothing to do with the results of pre-felling survey. c. Pre-felling survey of timber designated for logging is either not carried out or done only technically (formally) for the sake of appearance. In the case of mining it was completed only for 40% of the concession already after the commencement of the logging and was not used practically. There is every indication that the pre-felling survey for the road construction concession was not undertaken on the ground and documents include fictitious data. d. There was extraction of species not permitted to be cut (including prohibited for logging) and export of species in which harvest was not documented (including rosewood species). e. Extraction of higher volumes than permitted. In the case of road construction, the volume of exported timber (as it was reported to Vietnamese customs) exceeded over the entire officially documented harvest more than threefold. f. There was underreporting of the quality of harvested timber by selling Lao authorities and undervaluation of timber by Lao timber exporter, supposedly in order to understate royalties and taxes to Lao state. In the road construction case, the average volume of logs as reported by the importer at Vietnamese customs was 1.7-2.6 times higher than in log lists and sale-purchase contracts for the same species in Laos. Prices of exported timber as reported by the importer to Vietnamese customs was 2.9-4.2 higher than contract prices indicated in documents by the Lao exporter for same species on the Lao side. - The findings of these case studies and observations of other logging quotas allow us to suggest that in reality the use of permits for harvesting "conversion" timber during realization of development projects de-facto became a way to legitimate large-scale high grading in all types of forests (including conservation and protection forests). - The discrepancy between officially registered supply of raw materials to wood processing factories and their processing capacity is striking and obvious. Official logging quotas in the provinces of Saravan and Sekong can only fill 25% of installed wood processing capacity at best. The remaining capacity is likely filled with illegal timber. - The activity of state forest inspection (and most likely other Lao state law enforcement agencies responsible for fighting illegal logging) does not have any significant impact on the dynamics and scope of illegal logging as they do not inspect logging operations under logging quotas for conversion timber (neither logging sites nor logging volumes) and further turnover of this timber (transportation, processing, export). In the four southern Laos provinces they confiscated only about 3-5% of the estimated illegal timber volume in 2011- 2012. But even this confiscated timber originated from small operations and the large-scale commercial operations by big companies remained untouched. - The high dependence of China and critical dependence of Vietnam on timber supply from Laos makes it is unlikely that the governments of these countries are ready to take steps to control import legality. It is evident that such actions would reduce dramatically the volume and quality of timber from Laos together with the profit of timber traders and wood processing companies which enjoy excess profits from purchasing raw material for underestimated prices. An indication is the elegant wording suggested by the Vietnamese government for its draft legality definition for its negotiations of a FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the EU. It does not require importers to provide assurance that imported timber was legally harvested in the country of harvest, but rather that it was legally imported to Vietnam according to Vietnamese laws. - The situation with timber harvesting in Laos is evolving under a worst-case scenario exactly opposite to what was envisaged by Forest Strategy to the Year 2020 of the Lao PDR (endorsed by Decree No. 229/PM on 9 of August 2005): transition to sourcing timber from plantations and production forests on the basis of scientifically estimated annual allowable cut, processing of almost all harvested timber at Lao factories to final and semi-final products. Contrary to the government's good intentions developments under the actual scenario will undoubtedly lead to the sheer depletion of commercial timber stocks in its natural forests - on the same path that Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have already taken. - Were the Lao government serious to change the status quo and avoid a worst-case scenario it would have to take immediate actions to assure that logging quotas for conversion timber meet fundamental legal requirements. The efforts must be focused on most critical points where urgent interventions are required and progress can be measured: a) Allow logging only within authorized borders. b) Provide unambiguous maps with crystal clear borders of all concessions where timber harvesting is permitted. c) Demarcate all boundaries before the beginning of logging. d) Conduct rigorous pre-felling surveys. e) Create and make available for all interested parties a database with key information about all permitted logging before the beginning of logging. f) Make field control over logging operations under quotas for conversion timber a priority for forest inspection staff. g) Use high and very high resolution satellite images as additional independent sources of information. h) Establish an independent monitoring body comprising representatives of the relevant government agencies, CSOs and INGOs with unrestricted access to all logging areas. i) Operate all forest inspection check points 24/7 and inspect timber transports en route. Not only search and detain carriers of small shipments of valuable timber but systematically register all timber shipments with information on type of product, volume and species composition regardless of the availability of "legally issued permits". j) Register timber turnover at all key points of the chain to match raw wood input with product output. Investigate mismatches thoroughly. k) Maintain account of timber supply to log landings throughout the whole logging season and regularly check accuracy of log lists maintenance. l) Regularly inspect wood processing factories to verify stocks of wood products presented in the factory against raw wood supply from documented sources. Test conversion factor of raw material to processed wood. m) Completely forbid bartering logging permits for investment in public projects. Details: London: World Wildlife Fund, 2015. 106p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2018 at: https://wildleaks.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CarBi-assessment-of-scope2.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Laos Keywords: Deforestation Shelf Number: 150346 |
Author: NEPCon Title: Timber Legality Risk Assessment: Laos Summary: This report contains an evaluation of the risk of illegality in Laos for five categories and 21 sub-categories of law. We found: - Specified risk for 16 sub-categories. - No legal requirements for 5 sub-categories. The Timber Risk Score for Laos is 0 out of 100. The key legality risks identified in this report concern legal rights to harvest, taxes and fees, timber harvesting activities, third parties rights and trade and transport. For Legal rights to harvest, the is a risk of: - Conflict over land tenure, and a lack of business registration specifically for plantations (Sub-category 1.1) - Forest concessions being granted in violation of regulations (1.2) - Annual Logging Quotas being based on inadequate inventories and requests from districts, prepared in the office without conducting actual field surveys, leading to approvals for logging not reflecting the resources available on the ground (1.3). - Corruption, lack of certification and stamping procedures for harvesting permits and other documents, resulting in harvesting outside areas approved by the government, clearance of greater areas than areas granted for projects, and permits issued despite lack of documentation (1.4). For Taxes and Fees, there is a risk of: - Inconsistent application of taxes and fees at the provincial level (1.5) - Risk of high corruption levels regarding payment of tax, the high amount of illegal logging indicates that issues might be present in relation to tax payment (1.5) - Risk that smallholders lack business registration, and don't pay taxes (1.5) For Timber Harvesting Activities, there is risk of: - Risk that the implementation of harvesting regulation is lacking, a logging plan is often seen as a quota giving the right to cut a certain volume, and harvesting practice driven by needs to supply the sawmills with their desired wood (1.8) - Risk of legal requirements covering protected tree species being ignored and protected species being harvested without authorization document (1.9) - Risk of non-compliance with health and safety rules, logging crews do not have safety equipment or protective gear, and live under very basic conditions (1.11) - Risk that workers do not have a contract or do not receive their salary (1.12) Third Parties' Rights: Regarding Customary rights (1.13) there is a risk of conflicts on tenure rights, the government maintains a highly centralized system of forest governance with inadequate recognition of customary tenure rights, communal lands are not compensated for when re-allocated to a company For Trade and Transport, there is a risk of: - A lack of, or falsification of the registration of harvested logs (1.16) - Risk of timber being transported without required documents (1.17) - Risk of violation of the ban on export of logs and timber (1.17) This Timber Legality Risk Assessment for Laos provides an analysis of the risk of sourcing timber from areas of illegal harvesting and transport. NEPCon has been working on risk assessments for timber legality, in partnership with a number of organizations, since 2007. Details: Copenhagen: NETCon, 2017. 143p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 24, 2018 at: https://www.nepcon.org/sites/default/files/library/2017-06/NEPCon-TIMBER-Laos-Risk-Assessment-EN-V1.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Laos Keywords: Environmental Crimes Shelf Number: 150354 |
Author: Singh, Sarinda Title: Trade in Natural Resources in Attapeu Province, Lao PDR: An assessment of the wildlife trade in the Lao PDR demonstration site of the Mekong River Basin Wetland Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use Programme (MWBP) Summary: As a contribution to the Mekong River Basin Wetland Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use Programme (MWBP), field studies were conducted in the MWBP demonstration sites of Lao PDR and Cambodia to investigate trade in natural resources. This report summarises findings from the Lao demonstration site in Attapeu Province. The aim of the field study was to provide an overview of natural resource trade, including fish, wildlife (terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates aside from fish) and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The MWBP is founded on an integrated approach to natural resource management, as it seeks to incorporate needs for biodiversity conservation with the promotion of sustainable use that supports local livelihoods. Thus, the study sought to highlight the varied economic, ecological and social factors that influence trade dynamics in the MWBP demonstration site. Participatory methods were used to collect information from four villages and 20 camps in the demonstration site, as well as from local urban markets, in order to identify the types of natural resources being traded, trade routes and trends in trade over time. In addition, information on regulations and current management practices was collected from government offices in the provincial capital in Attapeu. The results demonstrate the critical importance of trade in natural resources for rural livelihoods, as both a source of regular income and a coping strategy during rice shortages. Reliability in supply and market demand, along with flexibility in use, were key characteristics of natural resources that were preferred trade items. While trade in NTFPs is most significant at a provincial level, fish trade was considered more important by villagers in the demonstration site, thus indicating the significance of wetlands and river systems in the site. Trade in NTFPs and wildlife is, however, often conducted in conjunction with fishing activities. This trend was particularly apparent in temporary and semi-permanent camps established along the Xe Kong and Xe Pian Rivers, where fishing was interspersed with the collection of forest resources for trade. Local trade patterns for common wildlife match many of the trade routes for fish, due to limited transportation options, overlap in market demand and the fact that wildlife and fish are often traded by the same trader. Many of the natural resources currently traded in the demonstration site are also used for local subsistence. Given the impacts of trade on consumption patterns, it is not surprising then that while trade in natural resources is incredibly important for local livelihoods, unregulated trade is also regarded as an issue of concern by villagers. In Attapeu, 14 globally threatened (IUCN Red List) wildlife species and 23 CITES-listed species were observed in trade during the field studies. Estimates of trade volumes reveal that official perceptions of wildlife trade vastly underestimate its actual extent and hence its significance for both villagers' livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. As market demand and market access are key determinants of trade patterns, it is apparent that ongoing road improvements in Attapeu Province are having effects on trade in natural resources in the demonstration site. The prices, volumes and diversity of natural resources being sourced from the demonstration site for trade purposes have all increased in recent years. As construction of major roads in Attapeu has only just been completed, it can be expected that the trade-driven pressures on natural resources in the demonstration site will continue to intensify. Provincial authorities are making clear efforts to regulate trade in natural resources, such as by establishing checkpoints to regulate natural resources trade at domestic and international borders. However, uncertainties and contradictions persist in implementation and enforcement, as they do in policy. Interventions must ensure that local communities with limited alternative economic opportunities are able to secure their natural resources for long-term benefits. Village-level interventions are appropriate for some trade issues, but there must also be corresponding action to control the activities of outsiders, as well as interventions targeting local, domestic and international markets in order to ensure the effectiveness of management and the sustainability of trade in natural resources. Details: Vientiane, Lao PDR. TRAFFIC, 2006. 98p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 24, 2018 at: https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/Traf-099.pdf Year: 2006 Country: Laos Keywords: Illegal Trade Shelf Number: 150355 |
Author: Hay, Eric J. Title: Modelling the effects of anti-poaching patrols on wildlife diversity in the Phou Chomvoy Provincial Protected Area Summary: Worldwide, wildlife poaching results in significant losses to biodiversity, especially for those species which are most vulnerable and at risk of extinction. Strategies exist for reducing poaching pressure, including anti-poaching patrols that collect and remove wire snares. Studies are available that focus on the impact of poaching. Yet, not much work evaluates the effectiveness of poaching mitigation actions. We outline a modelling methodology that aims to predict the effectiveness of different management strategies on the poaching problem in the Phou Chomvoy Provincial Protected Area, Bolikhamxay Province, Lao PDR. Wildlife management in the study involves the local community through villager-led anti-poaching patrols. The goal is to develop a quantified relationship between patrol inputs and biodiversity outcomes. The results show that, without patrols, 18 out of the 19 species investigated would be poached and removed from the protected area over the next ten years. At low levels of patrol-effort ten species would survive. With increasing patrol effort, the total number of animals and species saved increase, but with diminishing marginal effect on species count improvement. At the highest patrol-effort management scenario modelled, all species are saved except for one; the Northern Pig-Tailed Macaque, which goes extinct under all management scenarios. This is the first time modelling has been undertaken at this scale to examine poacher-patrol interaction in the Southeast Asia region. Our work shows a positive effect of patrol effort on the number of endangered species saved. This work will be used to inform protected area management policy in Lao PDR, specifically, the development of Payment for Environmental Services schemes. Details: Canberra: Australian National University. 2017. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. 11: Accessed August 24, 2018 at: http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/252863/files/Research%20Report%2011.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Laos Keywords: Animal Poaching Shelf Number: 151259 |