Landscapes providing bundles of ecosystem services

We counter illegal resource extraction through local stewardship, and we work to maintain multifunctional landscapes that benefit agriculture, development, biodiversity, and society.

Region

Laos was isolated from the international community over decades. The country’s economic opening has accelerated economic growth, which so far has relied largely on the extraction of natural resources. Weak governance, poor law enforcement, uneven power distribution, and rapid social transformations are posing tremendous challenges for protecting the environment and the rights of local communities. Local livelihoods are increasingly undermined by declining access to and availability of natural resources, and by the erosion of degrading landscapes’ capacities to provide multifunctional services.

Main achievements at hub level

• Formal setup of the Hub Southeast Asia clarified through a partnership and hosting agreement with the Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC) in Bangkok; additional partnership agreements with the Lao office of the Centre for Development of Environment (CDE) for specific activities in Laos clarified
• Different challenges and related solutionscapes identified in which the Wyss Academy and partners will co-design activities
• Initial set of projects launched in Laos and Thailand
• Substantial body of knowledge elaborated to scientifically substantiate the value of maintaining multifunctional landscapes and their respective bundles of ecosystem services in Laos