I’ve been meaning to blog about this for quite a while…

Occasional New Mandala contributor, and ex-ANU researcher, Sarinda Singh has written two reports on trade in natural resources in the border regions of southern Laos and Cambodia. Here is a summary of the reports from TRAFFIC:

Two reports recently launched by TRAFFIC reveal the critical importance of the trade in natural resources for rural livelihoods in Cambodia and Lao PDR.

“We asked local people about the kinds of natural resources they traded, what trade routes they used, how the trade varies over time and how important it is in meeting their subsistence needs,” said Sulma Warne, Co-ordinator of TRAFFIC’s work in the Greater Mekong sub-region.

Local people from four villages and 20 camps in Attapeu province, Lao PDR, and seven villages and 9 camps in Stung Treng province, Cambodia, were asked about the fish, other wildlife and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) they use. Information was also gathered from local markets.

In both regions, fish was regarded as the most important natural resource, with people often gathering other wildlife products during fishing activities in Attapeu. Monitor lizards and turtles were also traded in significant amounts, though these were reported by villagers to be declining particularly in Stung Treng. …

Rapid economic development in both regions has led to increasing affluence, which is fuelling the demand for an ever-diminishing supply of natural resources. The greatest threat to wildlife at both sites, however, results from improved access. This follows major road construction in Attapeu, and more roads and bridges are under construction in Stung making previously inaccessible sites now much easier to reach, and wild plants and animals easier to extract and transport. …

Local laws and management practices regarding wildlife trade were examined, and revealed official perceptions of the trade vastly underestimate its extent and hence its significance for both local livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. …

Links to executive summaries of both reports are available on TRAFFIC’s site.