Field study in Nam Et - Phou Loei National Biodiversity Conservation Areas

This field study concentrates on the economic benefits yielded by two national biodiversity conservation areas (NBCAs): Nam Et and Phou Loei (NEPL). The study investigates the contribution of these two protected areas to the following:

• surrounding villages, i.e. the household value of forest products in Vienthong District;
• surrounding provinces, including the downstream value of forest watershed catchment protection for energy and agriculture sectors in Houaphan Province;
• the national economy, including the economic potential associated with future options for developing and using NBCA goods and services; and
• the global economy, i.e. the value of forest carbon sequestration and climate services.

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Lao PDR field study [PDF 851 KB]
Lao PDR field study (maps and photos removed) [PDF 204KB]
Introduction to the field studies [PDF 63 KB]

Maps of Nam Et - Phou Loei NBCAs

Land cover [GIF 99 KB]
Location of villages [GIF 50 KB]

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Background to the NBCAs
   1. The Protected Areas
   2. Socio-economic conditions in surrounding provinces
   3. Land and resource use in the NBCAs
3. Economic and development connections
   1. NBCA economic values
   2. Protected areas and development
4. Economic benefits to villages and districts
   1. Population and livelihoods
   2. Contribution of NBCA resources to household income
   3. Contribution of NBCA resources to subsistence
   4. Total value of NBCA resources for Viengthong District households
5. Provincial, national and global economic benefits
   1. Watershed catchment protection values for Houaphan Province
   2. Future economic options for NBCA goods and services
   3. Global economic benefits
6. Conclusions and recommendations
7. References and selected reading

The field study team

The field study in Lao PDR was carried out by Oudamsack Philavong (National Mekong Committee Secretariat), Kaisorn Thanthatep (Environmental Research Institute of the Science, Technology and Environment Agency), Chanthakoumane Savanh (Department of Forest Resource Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), Chris Flint (Nam Et-Phou Loei Integrated Conservation and Development Project), Emily Hicks (PAD review national coordinator) and Lucy Emerton (IUCN). Information obtained from the NEPL ICAD Project formed a key part of this study, including a community livelihoods analysis of NBCA villages in Viengthong District carried out by Gregoire Schlemmer. The field study also relied heavily on data from a socio-economic survey carried out by Viengthong District Of fice in June 2001.

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Review of protected areas and their role in socio-economic development
in the four countries of the lower Mekong River region

page updated: 16/11/03