PAST CONFLICTS AND RESOURCE USE IN POSTWAR LAO PDR

Abstract

Forests in mainland Southeast Asia have throughout history been affected by regional conflict, but perhaps more so in the modern era (see Chapters 2 and 9). In the Indochina War, which engulfed this area for several decades during the middle of the twentieth century, forests became variously not only a buffer between hostile groups and a refuge for both civilian populations and combatants, but also a battlefield. The war between Vietnamese and American forces has had both direct and indirect impacts on forests in Lao PDR.¹ Because forests provided for some the cover and resources critical for survival and for others marketable goods, the forest became a target of military attack. Extreme conflict in this region thus resulted in fragmented forests in some areas and impeded forest management in almost all areas, leaving vast tracts of forest as virtually an open access resource. The government’s lack of a coherent forest management plan and the difficulty of exercising control over forest resources resulted in widespread, unregulated timber harvesting. Consequently, tackling forest management problems became a primary concern for the postwar government.