In May 2024, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the Vientiane Capital Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (VC PAFO) of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The MOU formally commits the two organisations to collaborate on various urban greening projects for the next five years.
Vientiane (population: approximately 989,000 in 2022; area: 392,000 ha), the capital city of Lao PDR, is blessed with forests, covering approximately 30% of its total land area. However, forests in the city have been decreasing since the 1990s, and concerns have been raised regarding further land degradation and deforestation due to increased economic activities and Vientiane’s expansion. The VC PAFO implements the city’s agriculture and forestry policies, and has tried to promote seedling production and tree planting, but the city currently faces numerous difficulties, including the loss of trees and a high mortality rate of seedlings planted at roadsides. Moreover, due to the development of agricultural land, deforestation in suburban dry dipterocarp forest zones and protected areas has increased.
The Japanese Center for International Studies in Ecology (JISE) is a part of this collaborative project. It has held discussions with VC PAFO and partner institutions in Lao PDR and has proposed strengthening the seedling production system, human resource development, environmental education, technical support, and capacity building. The aim is to achieve steady greening and reforestation while considering biodiversity conservation in Vientiane. The initial goal for FY2024 is to establish a production system for 50,000 native tree seedlings per year, which must be suitable for the environment of the city’s planned greening sites.
In 2025, Japan and Lao PDR will celebrate the 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. Taking advantage of this commemorative year, IGES will promote further practical collaboration in the fields of agriculture, forestry and the environment, activating knowledge and techniques from both countries to strengthen trustworthy relationships at the national, regional and community levels. Additional collaboration will be aimed at fostering a “Regional Circular and Ecological Sphere” based on the friendly partnership between the two countries, which share natural resources through the import and export of agricultural and forestry products.
These activities will be supported by the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund.
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Project partners:
- Department of Forestry, Lao PDR
- Vientiane Capital Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office, Lao PDR
- Vientiane Capital Provincial Forestry Section, Lao PDR
- Luang Prabang Provincial Forestry Section, Lao PDR
