This presentation, given by Micah Ingalls of TABI at the Greater Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy, introduced the landscape approach that is being piloted in Northern Laos. Landscape-based approaches for integrating multiple social and environmental objectives have become increasingly-attractive to a wide range of development and conservation-related stakeholders. Despite this appeal, a number of problems persist relating to the ways in which integrated landscape approaches are conceptualized and operationalized in practice and the policy-space available to support operationalization. Recently, conceptual and operational approaches have been put forward to address these gaps, but remain limited by a lack of empirical application in the Mekong region.

1. 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

2. Why a Landscape Approach for Northern Lao PDR?
Tenure Insecurity Unclear Boundaries Transboundary Resources
Shifting Cultivation and
National Forest Targets Sustainable DevelopmentNegotiating Trade-offs

3. Landscape Planning: Cluster, Village-levels

4. Landscape-Scale Planning for Transboundary Management
Village A

5. 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

6. Development Interventions Built on Local Agrobiodiversity

7. 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?

8. The End.