Lao PDR

In Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) forests covered much of the country’s surface area in the 1970s, but have depleted to about 51% of its total land area since the late 1990s. Forest loss has been closely linked with interests in land-based investments, and has been driven primarily by shifting cultivation, agricultural expansion, logging and plantation agriculture.

    Lao PDR’s FCPF Carbon Fund Program
    Program name: Northern Lao Governance, Forest Landscapes and Livelihood Program
    Program location:

    6 northern provinces, covering more than a third of the country
    Program area: 8 million ha
    ERPA terms: Up to $42 million for reductions of 8.4 MtCO2e

    Lao PDR’s ER program addresses the drivers and underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation through provincial-level activities in six northern provinces. Working across key land-use sectors, the program is providing a strong, strategic, and scalable foundation to promote sustainable agriculture practices, forest management, conservation, and rehabilitation. The program’s programmatic approach combines priority policy actions; improvements in forest management practices and measures to reduce pressure from the agriculture sector, including through integrated spatial planning; and sustainable livelihood development. The program’s benefit-sharing arrangements encourage the participation of local communities, ethnic minority groups, and other stakeholders and provide incentives for greener and more resilient landscape management.

    Lao PDR
    6.8
    Population
    millions
    231
    Land Area
    1
    12.4
    GDP
    $ billions
    81.3
    Forest Area
    % land area
    -0.8
    Deforestation
    avg. annual %
    16.7
    Terrestrial protected areas
    % of total land area

    ER Program Details

    Country Focal Points

    Maurice Andres Rawlins (World Bank - TTL)
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