A sustainable future for Bokeo, Lao PDR: Two new village forest and NTFP management plans approved by officials

Two villages in Nam Yone Valley, Houay Xai District, Bokeo Province, Lao PDR have recently received approval for their village forest and non-timber forest products management plans. The management plans were developed as a result of a series of consultation meetings among villages and government officials to discuss and decide on land uses, ownership status, and boundary demarcations. 

Map of the approved NTFP management plan of two villages from Nam Yone Valley, Houay Xai District, Bokeo Province, Lao PDR. The red areas in the map denote national/provincial protection areas/forests, and the dark green areas denote
forest areas.

The villages received support from RECOFTC's ForInfo project and the Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP) of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA) and the Nordic Development Fund. The initiative aims to clarify and formalize ownership and user rights of community forest villagers for the utilization of bamboo for regional energy and local banana plantation markets, as well as facilitate the equitable sharing of benefits for community members and bamboo managers.

Village consultation and planning

This milestone marks the first approved village forest and NTFP management plan in Lao PDR that has been supported by RECOFTC. For more information on bamboo harvesting, watch our video at http://www.recoftc.org/project/forinfo/videos/bamboo-efficient-harvesting-better-livelihoods  or visit http://www.recoftc.org/project/forinfo/policy-briefs/forinfo-factsheet-commercial-scale-community-bamboo-harvesting.

Boundary demarcation

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