National Report on Protected Areas and Development by Mekong Delta Travel

Despite being one of the world’s “least developed countries”, Lao PDR has established an extensive set of protected areas designed as an integrated system on sound scientific principles. Only wetlands and lowland forest might be considered underrepresented. Altogether, the protected area system covers more than 21 percent of the land area, one of the largest “land uses” in the country.

Yet, the contributions of both in situ and “exported” benefits of Lao PDR’s protected areas to national development are not well understood or recognised. Consequently, inadequate technical and financial management resources go to preventing an on-going and probably increasing deterioration of important protected area values.

This report emphasises the necessity of adopting “the total economic value” approach to identifying the economic benefits associated with protected areas, instead of focusing only on some of the direct commercial values. It presents a more complete picture of the economic importance of protected areas, and demonstrates the high and wide-ranging economic costs associated with their degradation, which extend far beyond the loss of direct use values.

Currently, protected areas benefits are treated as “free or under-priced” goods and services. Once appropriately valued, the economic justification can be made for increased revenue to flow back to protected areas based on application of the “user pays” principle. Those sectors which benefit should pay for maintaining the protected area goods and services they consume.

While most of the recommendations of this report are presented as sectoral responses, three cross cutting strategies are promoted:

A better use of economic analysis and instruments in integrating PAs in local and national development planning;
Greater collaboration with communities and sectors in rural development planning and management of protected areas; and,
A strengthened and more focused protected area policy and institutional framework.
This national report draws on the results of the Nam Et-Phou Loei field study and builds on the findings of the national lessons learned study. 

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