Table 1 : Forest cover change in Lao PDR from 2010-2015.
North Current forest Potential forest Other wooded Permanent agriculture Other non- forest Proportion 2010 (%) 33.87 57.14 0.04 4.11 3.76 Proportion 2015 (%) 39.95 52.97 0.02 4.01 1.72 South Current forest Potential forest Other wooded Permanent agriculture Other non- forest Proportion 2010 (%) 47.20 34.34 1.48 9.26 7.83 Proportion 2015 (%) 55.53 22.36 1.23 15.73 2.13 Central Current forest Potential forest Other wooded Permanent agriculture Other non- Proportion 2010 (%) 42.71 41.21 1.49 5.45 9.14 Proportion 2015 (%) 48.77 32.31 1.15 8.56 5.36 Lao PDR Current forest Potential forest Other wooded Permanent agriculture Other non- forest forest Proportion 2010 (%) 40.25 45.98 0.88 5.95 6.51 Proportion 2015 (%) 46.72 38.16 0.73 8.90 3.00 Source:
2016, MAF and Japan’s Programme Grant Aid for Environment and Climate Change FPP-TA6 The indisputable environmental issues related to declining forest cover are generally local and caused by factors beyond the traditional realm of forestry; i.e. commercial logging and/or illegal logging as well as household utilization of wood for construction and energy. In many studies the main factors behind deforestation have been found to be the expansion of permanent agriculture, and, in particular, shifting cultivation.
Overall, the loss of forest area has resulted in a loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services and reduced the extent to which local people can rely on wild food to meet their food security and nutritional needs. The loss of forest, moreover, can be attributed to the change in the country’s status regarding greenhouse gas emission, where it was previously recorded as a net sink of CO2 in 1990 and then a net producer of CO2 in 2000(MoNRE, 2013).
Nevertheless, to address deforestation, the government is promoting community participation, Payment for Ecosystems Services (PES) and sustainable forest management, and has applied Forest Stewardship Council standards (FSC) to all production forest areas (MoNRE, 2012). The demand for wood products within and outside the Lao PDR is increasing rapidly. Wood products provided by the forestry sector include lumber, furniture, doors, parquet flooring, and posts. Most houses in urban areas are now built with bricks and a large proportion of production serves to meet increasing demands associated with construction.
The increase is resulting in a heightened demand for doors, flooring, furniture, and other household items (FAO, 2002). In 2001, log production contributed 3.2% of the national GDP; this share would have been higher if subsistence use and processing of wood and NTFPs were included. In terms of energy consumption, charcoal and fuel wood are the dominant sources of energy for cooking, and also for providing heating during the cold weather months in highland areas (MoNRE, 2013). 10