The Agro-Biodiversity Initiative (TABI): Landscape planning and management from the ground up

Micah Ingalls, PhD, Center for Development and Environment micah.ingalls@cde.unibe.ch

Why a Landscape Approach for Northern Lao PDR? Tenure Insecurity Unclear Boundaries Transboundary Resources

Shifting Cultivation and National Forest Targets Sustainable Development Negotiating Trade-offs

Landscape Planning: Cluster, Village-levels

Landscape-Scale Planning for Transboundary Management

Village A

2014

2015

Current Land Use Forest area 1,114 ha

Land Use Plan Forest area 1,518 ha (36% increase)

Forest Conservation and Swidden Co-Location for Long Fallowing

Development Interventions Built on Local Agrobiodiversity

But there are problems, too…

1. Participation in the LUP process (who is involved?) 2. Positive impacts on tenure security unclear 3. Intersectoral consensus not fully achieved (e.g. conflict with

forest targets) 4. Different teams different work programmes (e.g. SPAs not

always linked to LUP) 5. Not just about following the plan- what about social processes

of negotiation and conflict resolution at the village level?

The End.