ACMECS Bioenergy 2015. Three Years of Effort Towards a Regional Bioenergy Network

Global change, including climate change, societal dynamics, economic challenges, environmental protection and the need to improve livelihoods and to reduce poverty have led to a situation where national solutions must be embedded in regional strategies. The ACMECS countries Lao PDR, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam have a long tradition in collaboration across borders. Despite the cultural heterogeneity and different status of development, it can be a great advantage to address global challenges together. Biomass is seen as a promising resource for energy and industrial raw materials, but the challenge is that biomass production requires land and increased production can cause conflicts and environmental degradation. The increased demand for biomass in the recent years, coupled with the fact that the balance between domestic, regional and foreign demand for biomass is changing, requires careful attention. As a consequence of these developments, the Kasetsart Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Product Improvement Institute (KAPI) of the Kasetsart University, Thailand initiated a process to establish a regional bioenergy network. International experts, including members of the IUFRO Task Force "Sustainable Forest Biomass Network (SFBN)", have acknowledged the significant progress made over the last few years. This report is jointly published with the IUFRO Occasional Paper series, Vol. 31 (http://www.iufro.org/publications/series/occasional-papers/article/2016/04/20/occasional-paper-31-acmecs-bioenergy-2015-three-years-of-efforts-towards-a-regional-bioenergy-n/

From food to pest: Conversion factors determine switches between ecosystem services and disservices

Ecosystem research focuses on goods and services, thereby ascribing beneficial values to the ecosystems. Depending on the context, however, outputs from ecosystems can be both positive and negative. We examined how provisioning services of wild animals and plants can switch between being services and disservices. We studied agricultural communities in Laos to illustrate when and why these switches take place. Government restrictions on land use combined with economic and cultural changes have created perceptions of rodents and plants as problem species in some communities. In other communities that are maintaining shifting cultivation practices, the very same taxa were perceived as beneficial. We propose conversion factors that in a given context can determine where an individual taxon is located along a spectrum from ecosystem service to disservice, when, and for whom. We argue that the omission of disservices in ecosystem service accounts may lead governments to direct investments at inappropriate targets

Policies, Political-Economy, and Swidden in Southeast Asia

For centuries swidden was an important farming practice found across the girth of Southeast Asia. Today, however, these systems are changing and sometimes disappearing at a pace never before experienced. In order to explain the demise or transitioning of swidden we need to understand the rapid and massive changes that have and are occurring in the political and economic environment in which these farmers operate. Swidden farming has always been characterized by change, but since the onset of modern independent nation states, governments and markets in Southeast Asia have transformed the terms of swiddeners’ everyday lives to a degree that is significantly different from that ever experienced before. In this paper we identified six factors that have contributed to the demise or transformation of swidden systems, and support these arguments with examples from China (Xishuangbanna), Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. These trends include classifying swiddeners as ethnic minorities within nation-states, dividing the landscape into forest and permanent agriculture, expansion of forest departments and the rise of conservation, resettlement, privatization and commoditization of land and land-based production, and expansion of market infrastructure and the promotion of industrial agriculture. In addition we note a growing trend toward a transition from rural to urban livelihoods and expanding urban-labor markets

Assessment of Potential Ecotourism Site in Xaisomboun, Central Laos

Appropriate ecotourism planning is crucial for sustainable ecotourism development in developing countries including Laos. The primary objective of this research was to identify the potential sites for ecotourism in order to assist in planning and decision making to ensure the sustainable natural forest resource management. GIS data analysis was undertaken to assess the potential sites for ecotourism. We used seven factors describing biophysical characteristics; forest cover, water, elevation, slope, proximity to village, road accessibility and historical attractive sites. It was found that there is around 1200 ha of the entire area of Xaisomboun province which is the most suitable for inland recreational activities, about 1980 ha for beautiful ecological sceneries, roughly 1143 ha for historical tourism activity sites, and finally 1031 ha of a total area that most suitable for multipurpose ecotourism activities. These most suitable areas are located mostly in the protected areas, dense forests and high value of natural resources. These are also major attractions for historical and country revolutions. There is a need to incorporate appropriate infrastructures and local engagement and services. The result is useful for ecotourism development and great benefit in terms of sustainable social-economic development, conservation of biodiversity and other ecosystem services