Discussion Paper No.364
Community Participation in Upstream Forest Management―A Case Study in Houaphan Province, Lao PDR―
Viseuy INDAVONG
National University of Laos
Tomoya MORI
Yamaguchi University

February 2022

INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH
Chuo University
Tokyo, Japan

Community Participation in Upstream Forest Management―A Case Study in Houaphan Province, Lao PDR―
Viseuy INDAVONG
Lecturer
at Faculty of Forest Science, National University of Laos
E-mail: v.indavong@nuol.edu.laTomoya MORI
Lecturer
at Faculty of Education, Yamaguchi University
E-mail: moritomo@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
Abstract
In this paper, community participation in the management of Namxam upstream forests was studiedin terms of common pool resources (CPRs) by analyzing a case study involving three villages in
Samnuea district, Houaphan province. The study aimed at exploring the socio-economic factors
affecting forest management and evaluating the management and rules by referring to the study of
CPRs. An attempt was made to collect information from interviews and a questionnaire survey.
Three villages with 318 households were selected for field surveying. All households wereinterviewed. It was found that community participation in upstream forest management activities
consists of eight main activities: forest monitoring, wildlife management, aquatic animals forbidden
management areas, regulation-making on upstream forest management, dissemination campaigns,
forest restoration and maintenance, and raising awareness. It was also demonstrated that these
activities can be evaluated from the perspective of CPRs.
Keywords
community participation, upstream forest management, common pool resources, Laos1

1.

Introduction
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) is a landlocked South Asian country thatshares borders with China to the north (505 km), Cambodia to the south (435 km), Vietnam to the east
(2,069 km), Thailand to the west (1,835 km), and Myanmar to the northwest (236 km).
A forest cover assessment of Laos, carried out in 2010, showed a forest cover rate of only
40.30%, that is ~9.55 million ha. This rate was approximately 70% in the 1940s (Forest Carbon
Partnership Faculty, 2014). This important decrease in forest cover can be attributed to forest clearing
and burning due to unsustainable shifting cultivation, forest fires, uncontrolled logging, andconversion to agriculture. Other underlying causes are the widespread hardship, rapid population
increase, and unsatisfactory law enforcement (Phompila et al., 2017).
Forests establish an economic base for rural communities by providing food security, fuel,and construction materials. For instance, local people collect mushrooms, wild berries, fruits, nuts,
honey, earthworms, and medicinal herbs, and sometimes hunt wild animals in forests. Non-timber
forest products (NTFPs) and wildlife resources can significantly contribute to satisfying bothsubsistence and income requirements of villagers. While NTFPs are collected year-round, different
types of forest products are available in each season. Many of the products collected for daily use andtrade can only grow well when the forest cover is continuously maintained and the environment issustainable.
Upstream forest areas are a source of rivers when the headwater is abundant. They arecovered by dense forest, and supply water to an entire region throughout the year; shortages will
disturb the water volume balance. Forests, land, and rivers are considered natural resources that need
to be balanced, and are closely interrelated. When natural resources are destroyed, they change andmay cause rapid degradation of upstream forest areas. Therefore, these areas should be managed andprotected to enrich them and make river and aquatic resources sustainable.
Upstream forests and various resources formed by them can be regarded as common pool
resources (CPRs). CPRs have been studied in many fields (Ostrom et al., 2002). Ostrom (1990)
described the institutional conditions for appropriators to cooperate with the management of CPRs in
the long term. In this study, an attempt was made to analyze upstream forest management by referringto these conditions.
Specifically, the aim of this research was to study the participation of villagers in upstream
forest management, benefits, utilization of natural resources, and production of a forest management
plan for relevant organizations in the conservation forest area. The research focused on three villages
in the Samneau district, Houaphan province. The objectives were as follows: 1) to study the factors
involved in community participation in upstream forest resource management; 2) to determine factorsthat enhance the local community benefits by participating in forest management activities andconserving natural forest resources; and 3) to evaluate the management in terms of the study of CPRs.
2

2.

Materials and Methodology

2-1. Basic information on the research sites
Houaphan Province is located in eastern Laos. It covers an area of 16,500 sq km and its
capital is located in Samneau district. The province is bordered by Vietnam to the northeast, thesoutheast Xiengkhouang province to the south and southwest, and the Luangprabang province to thewest. The terrain is rugged and dense, and forested mountains form much of the province. Three
villages in the Samneau district were selected for study and labelled as K, H, and T by taking the first
letter of the name of each village. The villages were located in the northern Samneau district. The
forest areas of villages K, H, and T are 6,807, 1,644, and 384 hectares, respectively.
The Namxam upstream forests can provide valuable resources to local people. The
headwater of the Namxam River is located in village H in Samneua district and runs through theSamneua and Samtai districts to Vietnam. It covers a total distance of 245 km and flows into the riversof Vietnam. The Namxam River is an upstream forest that is able to supply water throughout the year.
It acts as natural reserves, maintains soil quality, preserves wildlife habitat, conserves natural
ecological system, and is a source of numerous plant species. Therefore, such areas must be protectedfrom natural disasters. However, deforestation and forest degradation in this region are key issues
mainly caused by uncertain rotation slash and burn of forest land for agricultural practices, conversionof forest land to industrial tree species plantation and cultivation areas, illegal logging, hunting wild
animals for food and trade, unsustainable harvesting of NTFPs, negligence in the management of
natural resources, and lack of sustainable forest management plans, techniques, and participation fromlocal and relevant agencies.
2-2. Data collection
Primary data were collected through interviews and questionnaire surveys in three villages
in the Samneua district. The interview survey was implemented in a village meeting, by involving
related administrations, and all households. Details of the interviewees are presented in table 2-1. The
village meeting was organized during the field data collection, and we focused on interviewing eachvillage authority at the village meeting. These data were collected through discussions with thevillagers. The interviews for the related administrations were carried out for the forestry division (theprovincial agriculture and forestry office) and the district agriculture and forestry office in the study
area.
Table 2-1: Details of the interviewee
Interviewee
Forestry Division

Details
The head of forestry division conducted discussions on the boundary of national
protection forest area in Namxam national protection forest and other information
related to my research, with particular focus on forest resource use in the upstream
forest area.

3District Agriculture andForestry

Head of agriculture and forestry was discussed, which is an agency responsible forforest preservation through regulations to forest management, allocation ofmanagement zones and use of forest resources, forestland, agriculture land and othertypes of land in Namxam National protection forest. Villager participation in upstream
forest management and the benefits from forest resources use were also deliberated.

Village Authority

Head of the village was interviewed and the village organization focused on an
overview of the village history, boundary of the village, population, socio-economic
status, village forest, NTFPs harvesting, upstream forest management, forest land,
forest types, forest resourced management, and utilization of forest resources was
discussed.
Households were divided into three levels (rich family, medium family and poorfamily) and interviewed. The village household was selected at 100% within thevillage. Three village sites at Namxam national protection forest area in Samneua
district, Houaphan province were selected as the research area.

Household (Head of thefamily)Personal information ofhouseholds

The general information acquired from each respondent was gender, religion, age,member of the household, ethnic group, education level, occupation, and economic
status of household. The interview was carried out in 100% of households in the threevillages.

Resource: Author’s field survey
The first-hand experience of the respondents could be clearly recorded, and the demarcatedinterest could be identified based on age, style of living, gender, ethnicity, and other socioeconomic
divisions of the three villages. A meeting with local people who were representatives of the households
was carried out, and consultations with the village committee and head of the village were also
conducted.
Interviews were conducted by the study team. Data collection began by working with local
authorities to collect actual field data of each village. First, the team held a meeting for planning andmaterial preparation. In this meeting, the researcher informed local people of the research objective,
procedure, and schedule to familiarize them with the methods and techniques used for data gathering.
Attempts to build trust-based relationships and human networks were done during this time. Several
instruments were used, including an interview schedule, field survey, and a guide questionnaire for thefocus group discussion.
2-3. Namxam upstream forest as CPRs
Resources such as an upstream forest that was appropriated by users can be regarded ascommon pool resources (CPRs). CPRs have two attributes: non-exclusion and rivalry. In terms of
economics theory, the attributes of CPRs generate negative externalities among users; therefore, CPRs
are appropriated beyond the Pareto equilibrium. This issue is regarded as a social dilemma (Ostrom etal., 1998).
Conventionally, the resolution of the common pool resources’ dilemma is demonstrated
either by a market mechanism or by government intervention based on the discussion by Hardin (1968),4which is called “The Tragedy of the Commons.” However, the study of CPRs, especially that based onfield research, also suggests that the governance of CPRs can be managed by a local community
composed of the appropriators for a long time without depending on these resolutions (e.g., McCay
and Acheson, 1987; Ostrom, 1990; Ostrom et al., 2002).
Ostrom (1990) is known as one of the most remarkable studies on CPRs. Ostrom (1990)
determined rules for the sustainable usage of CPRs. This study compared the implications of many
field studies and showed institutional factors common to case studies in which the management of
CPRs can be sustained for a long time.
Moreover, Mori (2015), Yabuta (2004), and Yabuta et al. (2014) summarized the stipulations
shown by Ostrom (1990) into three rules: boundary rules, allocation rules, and sanction/monitoring
rules. Boundary rules define the boundaries of CPRs and members who can appropriate CPRs. Next,
allocation rules are established to regulate the way to use CPRs, for example, the type of resources
available, the period and area accessible, technique, and tools to appropriate. Finally,
sanction/monitoring rules are meant to monitor whether the members obey the regulations and punish
those who violate them.
Furthermore, the management of CPRs is insufficient to maintain its efficiency andsustainability owing to the appearance of free riders. Free riders are those who receive the benefit from
CPRs without paying the management cost and cooperating with or contributing to the management.
The existence of these free riders prevents appropriators who co-manage resources from improving
the efficiency and sustainability of the usage even if they attempt to do so; this is a problem ofundermanagement.
Ostrom (1990) demonstrated that social capital can play a role in restraining the appearanceof free riders and maintaining the management system for a long time. Social capital represents social
relationships such as trust, reciprocity, and human networks, and is thought to be accumulated within
a community for a long time. To evaluate the management of CPRs, it is necessary for investigators
to pay attention to whether social capital is operating in a community and is encouraged to accumulate
there.
Field research was conducted to collect data from the perspective described above. Basedon these results, this study attempts to evaluate management. This method of field research refers toMori (2015), who also conducted field surveys and data collection based on the study of CPRs.
3.

Result of field survey

3-1. Socio-economic situations
The Namxam National Protection Forest includes several villages. Since some villages are
difficult to access, the research area was restricted to three villages: K, H, and T (refer to table 3-1).
The three villages had 311 households, 1,745 inhabitants, of which 836 females. The ethnicity living
5

in village K is 100% Hmong, village H consists of 100% Laolum, and village T consists of 99%
Laolum and 1% Hmong. Most of the villagers are employed in agriculture, raising livestock, withharvesting NTFPs as a second occupation.
Table 3-1: Basic information of three villages
VillageHouseholdPopulation

FemaleEthnicVillage K

130

854

411

Hmong

Village H

109

511

233

LaolumVillage T

72

380

192

Laolum and Hmong

Total

311

1,745

836

Resource: Author’s field survey

Table 3-2: Average annual income per household
Average of income (LAK/ household/ year)
Cultivate:
VillageRice, bananas,
pineapple,
sugarcane,Livestock:Cows, goats,
ducks, chickens
and pigs

cassava
Village K

Village H

Village T

Dry shop:honey,

Utensil and dry

plant the rice,bamboos, red

foodsclean garden,

crab

harvested rice

4.700.000 LAK/

3.850.000 LAK/

3.350.000 LAK/

716 USD

503 USD

412 USD

358 USD

6.200.000 LAK/

4.200.000 LAK/

3.000.000 LAK/

2.400.000 LAK/

663 USD

450 USD

321 USD

256 USD

5.600.000 LAK/

3.900.000 LAK/

3.000.000 LAK/

1.700.000 LAK/

560 USD

417 USD

289 USD

182 USD

LAK/ 1.939
USD

Wages:
Repair house,

6.700.000 LAK/

18.500.000
Total

NTFPs:
Resin, rattan,

2.500.000 LAK/
267 USD
1.700.000 LAK/
182 USD
1.200.000 LAK/
128 USD

Handcrafts:
Container for
steamed rice, tray

Total of village
income per
year

for meals, baskets
1.500.000 LAK/
160 USD
1.100.000 LAK/
117 USD
1.500.000 LAK/
96 USD12.800.000 LAK/

9.550.000 LAK/

7.450.000 LAK/

5.400.000 LAK/

3.500.000 LAK/

1.370 USD

1.022 USD

796 USD

577 USD

373 USD

22.600.000
LAK/ 2.416
USD
18.600.000
LAK/ 1.989
USD
16.000.000
LAK] 1.672
USD
57.200.000
LAK/ 6.077
USD

Resource: Author’s field survey
Table 3-2 describes the average annual income of one household in each village. In village
K, the income generated from cultivation is the highest and equals to 6,700,000 LAK (716 USD). The
second highest income source is the revenue from livestock, which is 4,700,000 LAK (503 USD), andthe lowest is the revenue from handicrafts, which is 1,500,000 (160 USD). In village H, the highest
and lowest income is 6,200,000 LAK (663 USD) and 1,100,000 LAK (117 USD), respectively. In
Village T, the highest and lowest income is 5,600,000 LAK (560 USD) and 3,500,000 LAK (373 USD),
respectively. In addition, the main sources of income are cultivated, livestock, and non-timber forest
products. The total average annual income per household in the three villages is approximately
57,200,000 LAK (6,077 US).
6

Table 3-3: Expenditures in the three villages
No
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Familial expenditures
Cultivation

Livestock

Foods

Clothing

Medicine

Electric charge

Education cost

Production equipment

Fuel

Traditional festivals

Learning materials of children

Telephone charges

Total expenditures

Average / year (USD)
Village K

380,000 LAK (41 USD)

Village H

320,000 LAK (34 USD)

Village T

270,000 LAK (29 USD)

Village K

320,000 LAK (34 USD)

Village H

310,000 LAK (33 USD)

Village T

290,000 LAK (31 USD)

Village K

1,100,000 LAK (118 USD)

Village H

1,10,0000 LAK (118 USD)

Village T

900,000 LAK (97 USD)

Village K

900,000 LAK (97 USD)

Village H

800,000 LAK (86 USD)

Village T

700,000 LAK (75 USD)

Village K

300,000 LAK (32 USD)

Village H

250,000 LAK (27 USD)

Village T

220,000 LAK (24 USD)

Village K

300,000 LAK (32 USD)

Village H

250,000 LAK (27 USD)

Village T

200,000 LAK (22 USD)

Village K

600,000 LAK (65 USD)

Village H

800,000 LAK (86 USD)

Village T

550,000 LAK (59 USD)

Village K

1,000,000 LAK (108 USD)

Village H

900,000 LAK (97 USD)

Village T

650,000 LAK (70 USD)

Village K

700,000 LAK (75 USD)

Village H

650,000 LAK (70 USD)

Village T

760,000 LAK (82 USD)

Village K

300,000 LAK (32 USD)

Village H

250,000 LAK (27 USD)

Village T

360,000 LAK (39 USD)

Village K

250,000 LAK (27 USD)

Village H

200,000 LAK (22 USD)

Village T

200,000 LAK (22 USD)

Village K

600,000 LAK (65 USD)

Village H

450,000 LAK (48 USD)

Village T

700,000 LAK (75 USD)

Village K

6,750,000 LAK (726 USD)

Village H

6,280,000 LAK (675 USD)

Village T

5,800,000 LAK (625 USD)Mark
Buying seeds, fertilizers, pesticides

Rice bran, rice husk, animal feed

Buy, cooking machine, vegetables

Blankets, chairs, pillows, panties, shirts

Domestic service

Sent child attend another school

Knives, repair machines

Car oil, petroleum production vehicles

Resource: Author’s field survey
Villagers in the three villages receive many kinds of resources from the Namxam upstream
forest for daily life. Table 3-4 demonstrates the forest resources they usually utilize in the three villages.
These resources are utilized for living materials, such as food and buildings, and trade to compensate
for a shortage or get something to need.

7

Table 3-4: Natural resources obtained from forest area
Quantity of use(household /year)

Resources
BambooVegetable

Bamboo shootBanana flower／leaf

RattanFruit

Mushrooms

Aquatic animals

Fire wood

Wild animals (squirrels, bird,
frog, crab etc.)

Village K

60 stems

Village H
Village T

40 stems
50 stems

Village K

45 kg

Village H
Village T

31 kg
35 kg

Village K

60 kg

Village H
Village T

36 kg
40 kg

Village K

30 kg

Village H
Village T

17 kg
20 kg

Village K
Village H
Village T

21 kg
12 kg
15 kg

Village K

17 kg

Village H
Village T

14 kg
17 kg

Village K

12 kg

Village H
Village T

9 kg
9 kg

Village K

35 kg

Village H
Village T

23 kg
32 kg

Village K

3 cubic

Village H
Village T

2 cubic
2 cubic

Village K

20 kg

Village H
Village T

13 kg
16 kg

Utilizations
Building, garden, fence

Food, trade

Food

Wrap the objects

Service equipment

Food, trade

Food, trade

Food

Building

Food

Resource: Author’s field survey
3-2. Local participation of the upstream forest management
By field research, it was found that the tasks of local participation consisted of eight main
activities: 1) participation in planning; 2) forest monitoring; 3) wildlife management in the protection
area; 4) management of aquatic animals; 5) regulation of upstream forest management; 6)dissemination campaigns; 7) forest restoration and maintenance; and 8) raising awareness. The
following section explains each activity in detail.
(1) Participation in planning
Villager participation in decisions related to forest planning is essential for obtaining
permanent and viable solutions. Nowadays, the participation of villagers is necessary to reachconsensus in natural resource management and in local governance for land and resources in the8Namxam conservation forest. This is a key element in forest planning. However, only the initial steps
are being taken to include public participation in forest planning within the forestry sector, such asprovincial agriculture and forestry, district agriculture and forestry, village forestry and relevant
agencies, and NGOs to preserve forest resources.
i. Allocating the boundary and setting up the boundary signage of the conservation area.
ii. Making village regulations on forest management.
iii. Selecting a village forestry officer.

After activities (i)–(iii) were conducted, local people could be involved in activities (iv)–(v) as follows.
After drafting plans and regulations for forest management, local people can participate in thediscussion. As a result, plans and regulations were adopted and proposed through village meetings sothat villagers could understand the management and implement it accordingly.
iv. Making the survey schedule to exploit timber, maintenance, and inspection patrol.
v. Making plans for using the village fund for family economic development.

(2) Forest monitoring
Further, forest management constitutes a major part of forest monitoring. Forest inspection
is conducted monthly, and local people usually monitor the condition when harvesting NTFPs.
However, activity against the laws and local regulations still occurs, such as illegal logging, forest
fires, and excessive harvesting of NTFPs.
(3) Wildlife management in the protection area
According to the interview, it can be concluded that wildlife management in the protection
area arises from joint forest management between the government and local communities. National
protection areas were established based on the laws, and then wildlife prohibitions were locally formedin these areas. For example, hunting is strictly prohibited during the wildlife breeding season, from
June to October. In addition, hunting equipment such as firearms and hunting grenades and hunting
activities for food or trade are prohibited in the protection areas and during the wildlife breeding season.
(4) Management of aquatic animals
Each village will have conservation zones that restrict the utilization of aquatic animals. The
village strictly bars people from fishing during the prohibited season. Most people live along rivers
and natural forests and depend on them. To maintain the sustainability of aquatic animals, it isnecessary for local people to understand the regulation and benefit from conservation, and be
9

voluntarily involved in this activity.
(5) Regulating upstream forest management
Villagers can participate in the process of regulating village forest management based on thenational legal system. The objectives of the local regulation are to monitor, inspect, and quickly
prohibit activities that may have detrimental effects on forests, NTFPs, watersheds, wildlife, aquatic
wild animals, and the environment. Additionally, people who engage in illegal activities, including
illegal logging, shifting cultivation, harvesting NTFPs, hunting protected animal and plant species thatare close to extinction, burning forests, and actions that lead to deforestation should be punished.
(6) Dissemination campaign
The dissemination campaign is an important component of forest management. Villageauthorities make an effort to disseminate forestry regulations for their villages as a whole, andsubsequently mobilize them to engage with this activity. The notification of village forest regulations
is conducted in conjunction with district forestry staff and the division of the village. For example,
they set the signboards to inform the categorization of forest land and prohibited items regarding
utilization.
(7) Forest reforestation and maintenance
Local people participate in rehabilitation and maintenance to recover, conserve, and protect
the natural conditions of forests and the environment that has been destroyed and degraded in the past.
Typically, during the National Tree Planting Day, village authorities mobilize villagers to plant trees
in different places with the support of the district forestry office as provision for seeds of Afzelia, Teak,and Pterocarpus. In addition, there were some rubber plantations in these villages that started in 2007.
Through these activities, village authorities also made an effort to raise the awareness of young
villagers.
(8) Raising awareness
Villagers are engaged in raising their awareness. In this activity, they are gatheredsomewhere in the village or forest where discussions are conducted on the importance of naturalprotection. The ideas and opinions of other people are also shared with them. In addition, there werealso some advertisements and disseminations to youth and children in the village. This will encouragethem to be concerned about the importance and benefits of forests. These activities were carried out
by using direct or indirect communication from advertising and dissemination activities such as
writing slogans, distributing photos of forest protection, forest fire, conservation of aquatic-wild
animals, etc.
10

The activities shown above can be thought of as the institutional factor to sustain resources
and maintain management in terms of the study of CPRs. Regarding boundary rules, the boundary andmember can be established in activity (1) in support of the district administration and NGOs.
Allocation rules can be found in activities (3), (4), and (5). Activities (3) and (4) restrict the usage ofa specific resource and the objective to harvest and hunt resources and regulate the season andtechnique for which they are available. Activity (2) is a monitoring rule. In addition, this activity ismade by local people themselves in activity (5).
Moreover, activities (6), (7), and (8) are designed to raise the awareness of local people,
share knowledge and information about forest management with members, and build the capacity to
manage CPRs. The implications of these activities are interrupted by the enhancement andaccumulation of social capital.
3-3. Benefits from local community participation
Basically, villagers which participate in Namxam upstream forest management gainsignificant income, although some activities do not generate any income. Table 3-5 demonstrates thatthe income of the village from participation in forest management can generate a revenue of
52,725,000 LAK (5,657,18USD). In the first year of the project, local people can receive some
economic benefit by engaging in setting boundary poles and constructing infrastructure. After
beginning this project, they can also get income by participating in the forest monitoring and theprotection and conservation activity for upstream forest.
Table 3-5: Benefit of local participation
No

Activities

Total contribution

3 villages(Times)Wage/unit

Total

1

Boundary poles

225 poles

3 times(only first year)

55,000 LAK(5.90USD)

37,125,000 kip(3,983.36.USD)

2

Infrastructure construction

8 people

21 days(only first year)

50,000 LAK(5.75USD)

5,400,000 LAK(901.28USD)

3Forest monitoring

4 people

30 days per year

50,000(5.75USD)

6,000,000(643.77.USD)

4

Protection and conservation activity

4 people

21 days per year

50,000(5.75USD)

4,200,000(450.64USD)
52,725,000 LAK(5,657.18USD)

Total

Resource: Author’s field survey
Actually, local participation as shown in table 3-5 brings income to just a few of the local
people. However, local communities can receive the following collective benefits by participating in
upstream forest management: 1) improved village streets, 2) water enterprises, 3) primary schools, 4)11local health centers, 5) livestock funds, 6) irrigation, 7) capacity building for agricultural skills, and 8)
funds for forest management and monitoring. Hence, local communities can obtain social
infrastructure and socio-economic systems through forest management projects.
The above benefits system can provide an economic incentive to cooperate with the
management of local people and their communities. It is also possible for them to raise their awarenessof the sustainability of forest resources and the environment while being involved in management.
How do local people participate in upstream forest management? This research measuresthe degree of local participation in each activity using a Likert scale (5 = very good to 1 = very bad)and calculated the mean and standard deviation (SD). These results are shown in table 3-6. It isobserved that each score is larger than the medium (= 3). This elucidates that local people are willingto participate in each activity to some extent.
Table 3-6: Significance of community participation
Activities
Participation in planning

Forest monitoring

Wildlife management

The management of aquatic animals

Making the regulations on upstream forest management

Dissemination campaign

Forest restoration and maintenanceRaising awareness

Mean

SD

Village K

3.93

0.68

Village H

3.99

0.65

Village T

4.00

0.65

Village K

4.03

0.73

Village H

3.97

0.78

Village T

3.80

0.68

Village K

4.23

0.76

Village H

3.83

0.76

Village T

3.85

0.72

Village K

3.91

0.78

Village H

3.86

0.70

Village T

3.97

0.71

Village K

4.13

0.74

Village H

3.98

0.73

Village T

4.01

0.75

Village K

3.99

0.71

Village H

3.95

0.73

Village T

3.95

0.75

Village K

3.98

0.69

Village H

4.07

0.72

Village T

3.91

0.75

Village K

3.97

0.66

Village H

3.82

0.66

Village T

3.97

0.72

Resource: Author’s field survey
4.

Conclusion
Research on community participation in upstream forest management was conducted inthree villages in the Samneua district, Houaphan province, Laos. The aim of the research was twofold:1) to study the factors of community participation in upstream forest resource management, and 2) to12

determine which benefit local communities that participate in forest management activities andconserving natural forest resources.
Eight main activities were shown, with which local people ought to be engaged in upstream
forest management: 1) participation in planning; 2) forest monitoring; 3) wildlife management in theprotection area; 4) management of aquatic animals; 5) regulation of upstream forest management; 6)dissemination campaigns; 7) forest restoration and maintenance; and 8) raising awareness. These
activities were evaluated in terms of the study of CPRs. It was also found that community forest
management can generate revenue for the three villages, in an amount of 52,725,000 LAK (≒5,657,18
USD).
It is judged that this research can also contribute to the establishment of social infrastructure(e.g., primary school, irrigation and health centers), social-socio economic systems (e.g., village
founds), and capacity building.
Future work is encouraged in terms of conducting a statistical analysis to demonstrate thebenefit from upstream forest management. Such work could positively motivate local people toparticipate. Therefore, an additional questionnaire survey is expected by our research survey team.
Acknowledgement
The authors highly appreciate the financial support from JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 19K20525
and 21H03677.
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