An Analysis of Ecosystem Services of Dry Dipterocarp Forests in Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR [Laotian]

This study covers three villages in Savannakhet province: (a) a“SUFORD village”, where no concessions occurred, and communal forest land covers 3.74 ha/capita; (b) a“Eucalyptus village”, where 45% of village forest land was converted to Eucalyptus plantations, and remaining communal forest covers 0.73 ha/capita; and (c) a “Sugarcane village”, where 75% of village forest land was converted to Sugarcane plantations, and where there is no remaining communal forest. This study assessed impacts of different land-uses on livelihoods and provides a quantification of ecosystem service values for each. The methodology combined secondary data collection with: national, provincial, district stakeholder consultations, village stakeholder PRAs, and an illustrative sampling of households were surveyed about household demographics, sources of income, expenditures, and food self-sufficiency.

This document is an output of a CIFOR-led entitled: "Using Forests to Enhance Resilience to Climate Change" (ForCC). This project included studies in three countries (Burkina Faso, Honduras, and Lao PDR) and a state of knowledge report. This project was commissioned by the Program on Forest (PROFOR) Grant No. 099755, and the Trust Fund for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (TFESSD) Grant No. TF099755, and was implemented in collaboration with CIRAD (Burkina Faso case study), CATIE (Honduras Case Study), and the Forestry Research Center and the Department of Forestry (Lao PDR Case Study). Additional project information and publications are found on the project manager's staff page, Aaron J.M. Russell.