People's options on forest land use: a research study of land use dynamics and socio-economic conditions in a historical perspective in the Upper Nam Nan Water Catchment area, Lao PDR

The series of draft and finalised Working Papers of the Sida I Sarec funded research co­ operation project "People's options on forest land use" has several objectives. In conjunction with ongoing field work, the Working Paper serves as an instrument to make available to national research institutions and other interested parties a preliminary documentation, related to the field work. Consequently, the Papers are used for workshops and seminars, the objective of which is to discuss and further develop the issues considered relevant in the national and local context. They are also used as reference documents in conjunction with other work with the national authorities at central and local levels. The Working Papers, especially in draft form, might lack in academic standards and style and there are few references to other research, but they could still serve the purpose of developing co-operation and further discussions. They should hopefully facilitate a better understanding of the issues at hand. No quotes from this paper are agreed upon unless written permission from the authors. In this paper Bo Ohlsson is the author of the chapters 3 and 5 and Annex A -B while chapter 4.1 -4.4 and Annex C is written by R. Kajsa Sandewall. The chapters 4.5, 6 and 7 and Annex D - F have been prepared by Mats Sandewall. The remaining parts have been written jointly by the principal researchers. All maps have been prepared by NOFIP. The main findings were presented to the concerned villages, district and province authorities and the researchers of the Shifting Cultivation Research Project in a seminar at Thong Khang Station on August 19, 1997.