VOA: Lao officials acknowledge that their country's national forests continue to shrink and have been reduced to a level critical to the survival of both the human and wildlife populations.
Mr. KhamOuane Boupha, President of Laos' National Land Management Authority, said in a recent conference that in 1989 forest areas covered 47% of the country's land, and that was already a low level because, in principle, in order for nature to provide adequate water for use and consumption by the population, forests must cover more than 65% of the country's land areas.
The shrinking of forest areas has affected the country's energy production. Officials say
Lao officials observing World Environment Day
electricity produced by their country's numerous dams was down 15% last year because there were not enough water in dam reservoirs, forcing Laos to buy back electricity from Thailand.
It is estimated that rich forest areas now totals only 35% of Laos land masses, down from 47% in 1989 and 41% in 2002. Authorities say the three main reasons contributing to shrinking forest density are slash and burn agriculture, indiscriminate concessions, and illegal loggings.
Tree Planting Day
Vowing to reclaim their forest back 53% by 2010 and 70% by 2020, Lao authorities launched a reforestation campaign many years ago. On the annual Tree Planting Day in Laos, June 7, officials urged the population across the country to plant one million trees. It is not known whether that goal was achieved.
Nevertheless, it is hard to fathom that Laos will be able to restore its forests back 53% by 2010 because, officials say, only about 60% of the trees planted so far have survived and are growing.
Forest areas in north and south Laos will reduce further due to the expansion of development and agriculture. The trees are cut down rapidly to make way for rubber plantation and other plants. The rivers will dry up, the rains will fall less and wild animals and plants will disappear quickly. The government doesn't realize it that less forests will mean less water and everything else in the wild.
It takes several years for most trees to grow as big as they are. Why Lao people cut down so many trees and slash and burn the mountains for rice plantings?
slash and burn ry had been made by hmong and other ethnic living close to the mountainous area, they are far away from flat land, so thay cannot survive if they don`t grow rice this way, but as I understand, the main destruction of our forest is due to over cut of trees by engines owned by powerful businessmen + high ranking government officials. Although the decret of the PM has ordered to stop cutting trees, those people always try to have other pretexts to continue their dirty work: they steal the property of our nation, our children and our grandchildren, imagine, when a tree of two meters of diametre was cut down, how many small trees dye along with?
