ID :
14367
Wed, 07/30/2008 - 11:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/14367
The shortlink copeid
Forested area of Laos to be increased to 79 per cent by 2020
(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 centin 2002.
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 centin 2002.
