(KPL) The government confirmed that it would take steps to get Laos to have a forest cover of 18, 7 million hectares.
The government warned as far back as 10 years ago that the forest was being rapidly depleted because of agriculture, hydropower projects and shifting cultivation.
Lao officials who chosen to remain nameless said that rapid depletion was due to the haste to attain national economic growth targets and the failure to carry out environmental impact studies. The government is now planning to afforest the areas that had been deforested.
By 2020 the total forest area of the country would reach the target of 79 per cent and the total acreage would be 18.7 million hectares. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forests recently disclosed that mining activities and hydropower projects would be limited to 2.1 million hectares. The total area allocated for agriculture would be 1.4 million hectares.According to the latest report of the National Land Management Authority, only 35 per cent of the country is covered by natural forest. It was 42 per cent in 1992 and it decreased to 41 per cent in 2002.
The government warned themselves of the problem but yet they ignore their own warning.
I have been speaking out against economic expansion such as this resulting damaging to environment in Laos. Many of you here at SAMAKOMLAO think I was being negative and hate Laos. Does not want Laos to grow. IN fact I want Laos to grow but in a manageable way such as describe by this report.
No way, Lao government can never increase the forest area to 79% by 2020. Laos doesn't have any more land to increase the forestation area. They have contracted the land out to the foreign investors already and no more land to increase the forest.
people like u make konlao not support each other ,u are konlao too why u put your own country down if it doesnt happen so what .u act like it going to happen right now it might be 5yrs down the road, who know.support your own kind, not let them down .
