land and livelihoods: governing industrial tree plantations in laos

Land and livelihoods:Governing industrial tree plantations in Laos

Miles Kenney-LazarGraduate School of Geography

Clark University

[email protected]

ASFN 6th Conference1-5 June 2015

Inle Lake, Shan State, Myanmar

Land investment in the Lao PDR

Land investment in the Lao PDR

By 2010: - 1.1 million ha granted - 440,000 ha for plantations

Model of socio-environmental governance

Socio-environmentaloutcomes

Asset lossEnvironmental

damage

Communitydevelopment

Employment

Model of socio-environmental governance

ConsultationImplementation

Monitoring

Plantationcompanies

Farmingcommunities

Governmentagencies

Socio-environmentaloutcomes

Asset lossEnvironmental

damage

Communitydevelopment

Employment

Project development

Savannakhet

Vietnam

Thailand

China

Cambodia

Laos

Methodology:

Research location & data collection

Methodology:

Case selection

Investor Country of origin

Ownership structure

Relationship with Lao government

Land acquisition process

Socio-environmental impacts

Quasa-Geruco

Vietnam State-owned Strong Easy High

Sun Paper China Private Moderate Difficult Moderate

Socio-environmental outcomes

Asset loss Environmental damage

Infrastructure Employment

Socio-environmental outcomes:Loss of assets & compensation

Quasa-Geruco Sun Paper

Loss of shifting cultivation fields and fallows, community forest, some paddy land

Similar types of lands and resources lost

Lands lost: paddy (left), swidden (right)





Almost all villages lost large amounts of village agricultural and forest lands (>35% of ag land)

Some villages lost large amounts of agricultural and forest lands (>35%), others lost less (<10%)






Almost all villages lost large amounts of village agricultural and forest lands (>35% of ag land)

Some villages lost large amounts of agricultural and forest lands (>35%), others lost less (<10%)

Low compensation, if any at all ($25 per ha) No compensation in some cases, high compensation in others ($200 per ha)


Socio-environmental outcomes:Environmental damage


Clearance of large areas of communal forests, large losses of NTFPs

Mixed sizes of areas cleared, mixed impacts upon NTFPs

Example of type of mixed forest landscape cleared for Quasa-Geruco plantation





Filled in streams, destroyed watersheds Lesser destruction of streams and watersheds






Filled in streams, destroyed watersheds Lesser destruction of streams and watersheds

Heavy use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, stream pollution

Fewer reports of heavy chemical use, contamination


Socio-environmental outcomes:Community development


Did not fulfill promises to provide funds for village development

Small payments to village development funds provided to some villages

Quasa-Geruco tractor on plantation road built by the company





Promises to compensate for loss of communal land by providing infrastructure (roads, electricity) mostly unfulfilled

Did not make large promises for infrastructure






Promises to compensate for loss of communal land by providing infrastructure (roads, electricity) mostly unfulfilled

Did not make large promises for infrastructure

Infrastructure provided only when necessary for project

Small amount of infrastructure built, mostly improved roads to plantation


Socio-environmental outcomes:Employment, shared benefits


Only wage labor opportunities Opportunities for wage labor, but also contract farming and land leasing

Villager training to tap rubber in Quasa-Geruco training camp




Low wages for day labor (<$4 per day), better paid monthly work (~$90 per month) is rare

Higher wages for day labor (>$6 per day), no permanent work





Low wages for day labor (<$4 per day), better paid monthly work (~$90 per month) is rare

Higher wages for day labor (>$6 per day), no permanent work

Limited amount of jobs available, reports of over-hiring of Vietnamese

Limited number of jobs


Governance processes

Land surveying & allocationConsultation & decision-making

Monitoring & enforcement

Village lands protected from Sun Paper's plantation

Governance processes:Consultation & decision-making


No FPIC, and little to no consultation with target villages

No FPIC, but mixed levels of consultation

Villages had little to no say in deciding on location and size of project

Villagers had greater input in size and input

Village focus group meeting to discuss project governance and impacts

Governance processes:Consultation & decision-making


No FPIC, and little to no consultation with target villages

No FPIC, but mixed levels of consultation

Villages had little to no say in deciding on location and size of project

Villagers had greater input in size and input

Project implemented quickly, sometimes village unaware or had little time to react

Villagers involved at multiple stages of project implementation, time to react

Village focus group meeting to discuss project governance and impacts

Governance processes:Survey and allocation of land

Areas illegally cleared by Quasa-Geruco outside of concession boundaries


Land cleared prior to full, detailed land survey Land cleared after detailed surveys

Governance processes:Survey and allocation of land

Areas illegally cleared by Quasa-Geruco outside of concession boundaries


Land cleared prior to full, detailed land survey Land cleared after detailed surveys

Large amounts of land cleared outside of allocated area

Little land cleared outside of allocated area

Governance processes:

Monitoring & enforcementQuasa-Geruco Sun Paper

Land conflicts and grievances repressed Land conflicts and grievances heard, partly addressed

Quasa-Geruco manager giving a plantation tour to government officials

Governance processes:

Monitoring & enforcementQuasa-Geruco Sun Paper

Land conflicts and grievances repressed Land conflicts and grievances heard, partly addressed

Major legal and contract violations, no penalties Minor legal or contract violations

Quasa-Geruco manager giving a plantation tour to government officials

Differences in governance processes:Quasa-Geruco

Plantationcompanies

Farmingcommunities

Governmentagencies

● Consultation● Implementation● Monitoring

Balanced governing process

Actual governing process

Differences in governance processes:Sun Paper

Plantationcompany

Farmingcommunities

Governmentagencies

● Consultation● Implementation● Monitoring

Balanced governing process

Actual governing process

Recommendations

● Strengthen community interests and protections in national legislation

Recommendations


● Increase transparency and public awareness of investment processes

Recommendations



● Empower communities to participate in project implementation

Recommendations




● Promote recognition of all land tenure systems

Recommendations




● Promote recognition of all land tenure systems

Thank you! ຂອບໃຈເດດ ດ!