Environmental policy and administrative management

Unsustainable use of natural resources has the potential to reduce biodiversity and result in land degradation and a reduction in food/income derived from natural resources in rural villages. The principle livelihood activities in the village are subsistence wet season rice cultivation, fishing and the collection of NTFPs. The villagers are aware that natural resources must be sustainably managed in order to continue to provide viable livelihoods, particulary given the importance of the Xepian NPA to national biodiversity. The project will focus on promoting alternative income generation activities as well as on activities that are traditionally important both in terms of skills and knowledge and will increase awareness of local products. The long term objective of this grant application is to improve the sustainable management of natural resources in Ban Phonsa-art and the surrounding area and to develop livelihood activities which will help the community to adapt to climate change. The village is located in the flood plain of the Xepian River and soil fertility and rice cultivation rely on short term annual inundation by flood waters. However, climate patterns in recent years seem to have changed with longer and more severe flooding in the area resulting in significant loss of rice crops and livestock. The Ban Phonsa-art community realizes that climate change mitigation measures are largely outside their sphere of influence and that they must adapt to changing conditions in order to maintain their livelihoods. They realize that diversification of livelihood activities is the most appropriate available mechanism for adapting to climate change and have identified a number of feasible livelihood activates and a number that require further investigation. These include developing dry season cropping and developing a village weaving enterprise. Project will 4.1. Raise the awareness of the importance of the Xepian NPA to national biodiversity and build capacity in sustainable management techniques in relation to the use of natural resources and the development and management of village enterprises. 4.2. Carry out an inventory of land and forest and aquatic/wetland resources in the village area to identify key conservation areas and to identify appropriate areas for agricultural extension and dry season cropping. 4.3. Support the Xepian NPA authority in the classification of the forest within the village boundary thus contributing to appropriate landuse/forestry zoning and management. 4.4. Improve the effectiveness of the FCZ by improving the implementation of the FCZ Regulations 4.5. Develop management agreements and implement regulations to sustainably manage the use of a number of natural resources including tributary rivers, streams and ngongs and NTFPs such as Mak Seung Beua. 4.6. Procure agricultural advice on improving rice yields (thus reducing the need to open up new rice paddies) by strategies such as appropriate seed varieties and eco-friendly production methods; alternative dry season crops and animal husbandry. 4.7. Set up a revolving fund to support villagers in implementing this agricultural advice. 4.8. Commission a market analysis to identify how village products could be processed and marketed to give added value to villagers. 4.9. Develop a village weaving enterprise for women in the village. This activity will include market analysis of suitable weaving products, purchase of equipment, training in weaving and marketing skills. To achieve the indication objectives above project will conduct below activities 1. Awareness raising and capacity building 2. Inventory of land, forest and natural resources, classification of forestry 3. Improve implementation of FCZ 4. Develop Natural Resources sustainable management plans 5. Improve current agricultural practices & identify opportunities for alternative crops, revolving fund 6. Identify opportunities for adding value to existing produce 7. Develop villager weaving enterprise 8. Monitoring and evaluation

Lao Peoples Democratic Republic