Land cover changes and resource use patterns of selected communities in Phou Phanang National Protected Area, Sangthong District, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR

The study determined the relationship of land cover changes and resource use patterns in 1989-2011 of the three selected villages in the Phou Phanang National Protected Area of Sangthong District, Vietiane Capital, Lao PDR. It adopted the concept of co-evolution of the communities and the ecosystem as its framework. This described the process in which human communities with their social-system exert selective pressure on the natural-resource base and biodiversity of a given ecosystem and how the resulting changes and alternations within this ecosystem exerts pressure over the given community in terms of the quality of livelihood. The study utilized both primary and secondary data to analyze the past and present biophysical and socio-economic conditions of the protected area and communities. Primary data collected from interviews of households and key informants provided information on the state of the wildlife, forest cover and land uses of the Phou Phanang National Protected Area, and demography and source of livelihood of the three selected villages in the last twenty years. Secondary information used in the study included resource maps and information generated from other studies. Land cover changes in Phou Phanang NPA are triggered by the interplay of the socio-economic, cultural and policy related factors. The population growth rate and land cover change had the positive relationship. The population growth rate was attributed more to voluntary resettlement induced by the economic opportunities brought about by the government support to lowland agricultural intensification. This condition contributed to decline of the communities dependence on forest resources. The decree delineating the boundary of the protected areas and banning shifting cultivation failed to completely stop forest degradation and deforestation. It removed the customary resource management that had been observed and respected by villages around the Protected Area. Without the corresponding technical expertise and budget, the national government failed to regulate resource access in the area resulting to widespread illegal occupation and resource extraction. Management strategies for the conservation of Phou Phanang protected areas are recommended.