Publication: Partnerships and Opportunities for a New Green Forest Economy in Lao PDR: Sustaining Forest Landscapes and Livelihoods
Date
2019-06-14
ISSN
Published
2019-06-14
Author(s)
World Bank
International Finance Corporation
Abstract
Lao People's Democratic Republic
(Lao PDR) has a comparative advantage in natural capital,
which has fueled economic growth averaging around 8 percent
per annum since 2000. The natural resource endowment
comprises half of the country's wealth. Although forest
cover declined 3.6 percent between 2005 and 2015, Lao PDR
still has among the highest forest cover percentage of
countries in the region, and the value of timber and
non-timber forest products is 10,740 US Dollars per capita.
Inefficiencies, including overuse, under-budgeting, and
unsustainable and unscientific management, have led to a
reduction in forest cover, natural wealth, and public
revenues. Lao PDR's recent policy reforms,
institution-building and community engagement aim to build a
new foundation to sustain the Lao forest estate and the
people and sectors that depend on it, including for tourism,
agriculture, energy, water, fisheries, and wood products.
Lao PDR's ambitious forest sector reforms aim to
achieve financially and environmentally sustainable,
resilient, and inclusive economic growth, especially through
credible private sector investors. This reform agenda
accompanies the Government of Lao PDR's (GoL) plan to
expand forest cover to 70 percent from the current 58
percent, which will help to reduce poverty, create green
jobs and livelihoods, support local industry and expand
participatory sustainable forest management (SFM) and forest
restoration, as well as to meet Lao PDR's Nationally
Determined Contribution (NDC) to climate action.
Auspiciously, credible private sector commercial plantation
investors are also starting to scale up investment in the country.
Citation
“World Bank; International Finance Corporation. 2019. Partnerships and Opportunities for a New Green Forest Economy in Lao PDR; Partnerships and Opportunities for a New Green Forest Economy in Lao PDR : Sustaining Forest Landscapes and Livelihoods. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/32019 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”