Is the government of Laos committed to shifting its land policy to enable greater local control? This story suggests that it is. The President of the National Assembly’s Committee on Economic Planning and Finance, Dr. Souvanhpheng Bouphanouvong, is quoted as saying: “For over a year, Lao has been undergoing a process of reviewing and revising various policies and legislation pertaining to land and natural resources.
The objective of the Sustainable Forestry for Rural Development (SUFORD) Project for Lao People's Democratic Republic is to institute systematic management of natural production forests nation-wide to alleviate rural poverty, protect biodiversity, and enhance the contribution of forestry to the development of national and local economies in a sustainable manner.
Objectives of the study were to assess the evidence of climate change and the additional likely changes in the climate up to 2050. Further the recent changes in land use and their major drivers have been addessed. The outcome of the study are recommendation for adapted farming practices, taking predicted changes in climate into account.
TAKEN FROM WEBSITE INTRODUCTION: This study by GTZ on behalf of BMZ about FDI in land highlights dramatic increase in land concessions, based on data collected in two provinces for an inventory, which GTZ conducted as no official data on land concessions is available. The Lao PDR is a small land-locked country in South-East Asia with a total area of 236,800 m2 with over 80% mountainous surface. It is estimated that all together concessoins for 2-3 million hectar land were granted, representing 13% of Lao PDR's total land area.
A landscape simulation was designed and tested in Viengkham, a mountainous district in the north of Lao PDR. This social learning process was introduced by researchers affiliated with national research institutions to improve land use planning practices and increase the ownership of local people in the planning process. Twelve members of the village land management committees participated in the role play called PLUP Fiction, which is part of a stepwise process of participatory land use planning (PLUP).
This research has been conducted by RRDTC's action research unit as part of its participation in the Mekong Institute research cycle 2009.
This paper seeks to add to the growing literature on land concessions by examining a recent, high-level concession as a means of understanding three aspects related to concessionary investments: (1) the process by which concessions are awarded and implemented; (2) the intricate relationship between land use, land tenure, and land ownership in the face of concessions; and (3) the way in which village and household livelihoods are impacted due to such massive land use and ownership changes.
According to the Prime Minister’s Decree on Land Titling, No. 88 from 03/06/2006, Communal Land Titles can be issued for all types of land that occur in the Lao PDR which are allocated by the Government to village communities. The development of community land titles is also part of objectives of the 5-year National Socio-Economic Development Plan, which aims to issue 1.5 million title deeds over the period 2011-2015. Up to now, communal land titles have not been issued in Lao PDR, mainly because the format and detailed technical concept were not yet developed.
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