Laos needs greater focus on sustainability, expert says
Laos needs greater focus on sustainability, expert says
Laos should focus on sustainable development for economic progress as natural resources continue to decline and thereby threaten people's livelihood s as well as some development projects.
During the rainy season, many people collect non-timber products for food and a supplementary income. However their harvests are declining due to the expansion of land concession projects for agriculture and forestry, senior economist Dr Leeber Leebuapao told Vientiane Times yesterday.
Management is not closely and strictly enforced by the concerned authorities, especially in regards to rubber and banana plantations launched in previous years, he said.
Despite rubber and banana plantations having benefited local people's livelihoods and incomes they are also having negative impacts on health and the environment.
The government has formulated management and protection policies as well as laws and regulations but most people cannot follow the regulations, said Dr Leeber.
So, for sustainability, the government should mobilise every sector and members of the public to protect the environment for natural sustainability and promote commercial crops and foods production for future food security and surplus for export, he added.
Non-timber forest products will eventually be exhausted if there are no proper regulations governing their harvest and collection, Dr Leeber said.
Each rainy season, a lot of non-timber forest products such as bamboo shoots, mushrooms as well as a variety of small and large frogs and other aquatic species are brought for sale at local markets, fetching higher prices than typical vegetable and meat products.
Some of these species are currently in decline however, driving the price rise and their increasing scarcity.
The price of frogs in Vientiane last year was 50,000-60,000 per kip kg but this year they are selling for 80,000 kip.
Meanwhile small frogs which were selling for 30,000-40,000 kip last year are now worth 60,000 kip while mushrooms are now more expensive than beef.
Grade A pork currently sells for 38,000 kip per kg and 35,000 kip for Grade B while Grade A beef is 73,000 kip per kg, chicken is 40,000 kip per kg and tilapia is 20,000 kip per kg.
“People collecting non-timber products are able to supply the m arket only for a short time as they depend on the local area and the weather so we need to increase the protections offered to them,” Dr Leeber said.
A Vientiane worker named Mr Vieng complained to Vientiane Times that five years ago he could easily catch frogs and small frogs in the rice fields as well as mushrooms and bamboo shoots for family consumption and sale close to his home but this year the task is getting more difficult.
