case studies undp: nam ha ecotourism project, lao pdr

7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: NAM HA ECOTOURISM PROJECT, Lao PDR

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

Lao Peoples Democratic Republic

NAM HA ECOTOURISMPROJECT

Empowered live

Resilient nation


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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo

or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition

themselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ

to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models

replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to The Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years

the Equator Prize, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph Corcoran

Managing Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe

Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,

Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Brandon Payne, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la

Parra, Brandon Payne, Mariajos Satizbal G.

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Nam Ha Ecotourism Project, and in particular the guidance and inputs o Souk

Phakasy, Head o Tourism Promotion & Marketing, Luang Namtha PTD. All photo credits courtesy o Nam Ha Ecotourism Project. Ma

courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Nam Ha Ecotourism Project, Lao PDR. Equator Initiative Case Study Series. New York, N
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858


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PROJECT SUMMARYLocated in the remote northern province o Luang Namtha

on Lao PDRs border with China, the 222,400-hectare Nam

Ha National Protected Area includes some o the countrys

most signicant wilderness areas. Altitudes range rom river

valleys and plains to northern highland peaks, supporting a

broad range o habitats and biodiversity.

Since 1999, conservation eorts in the area have been

linked to improving the potential o local ecotourism, which

now underpins the economy or the areas 57 villages and

3,451 households. Community members are trained as eco-guides and operate village-based lodges and orest camps.

They are also trained to monitor threats to biodiversity in

the protected area, supporting the work o the critically

under-resourced Protected Area Management Unit. The

project has provided a model or co-management o Laoss

protected areas.

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2006

FOUNDED: 1999

LOCATION: Luang Namtha Province, northern Laos

BENEFICIARIES: Over 21,000 people in 57 villages

BIODIVERSITY: 222,400 ha National Protected Area

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 6

Biodiversity Impacts 9

Socioeconomic Impacts 10

Policy Impacts 11

Sustainability 12

Replication 12

Partners 12

NAM HA ECOTOURISM PROJECTLao Peoples Democratic Republic


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he Nam Ha Ecotourism Project, a project o UNESCO-Lao National

ourism Administration (LNTA), has provided a model or the

evelopment and operation o community-based ecotourism in

ao PDRs National Protected Areas (NPAs), based on the principles

local ownership and stewardship o natural resources. The Nam

Ha project has provided alternative employment and income-

enerating opportunities to communities living in and around the

22,400 hectare Nam Ha NPA, allowing them to reduce unsustainable

se and harvesting o natural resources in the NPA.

Nam Ha is located in the remote northern province o Luang Namtha

n Lao PDRs border with China, and includes some o the countrys

most signicant wilderness areas. Altitudes range rom river valleysnd plains to northern highland peaks, supporting a broad range o

abitats and biodiversity.

he majority o the NPA is covered by mixed secondary deciduous

orest, while the northern mountain range is home to patches o

rimary evergreen orest mixed with secondary orest and large

atches o Imperata grassland. Mammals o signicance include

louded leopard (Neoelis nebulosa), leopard (Panthera pardus), and

ger (Panthera tigris). There are also small populations o gaur (or

ndian bison), Asian elephant, and Muntjac deer. The area is home

o an estimated 288 species o bird and a high degree o botanical

iodiversity.

hree large rivers Nam Tha, Nam Fa, and Nam Long drain

outhwards to the Mekong ed by a dense network o tributary

treams. Initially established in 1993 with an area o 697 km2, the

NPA was extended to 2,224 km2 in 1999. As an area o outstanding

atural beauty and cultural interest, the site was incorporated in

he Association or Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Heritage Park

rogramme, begun in 2003.

he Nam Ha Ecotourism Project began in October 1999 with the

im o creating a community-based ecotourism model that would

relieve local pressures on the NPA orest ecosystem, generate inc

and employment opportunities or local communities, and c

be replicated and extended throughout Lao PDR. Using a t

assessment methodology, the NPA Management Unit identied

ranked a number o direct threats to the ecological integrity o

protected area in 1999. The threats identied included slash-

burn agriculture, harvesting o non-timber orest products or

and consumption, and hunting o wildlie or consumption, a

which were primarily conducted by residents o the NPA.

Other harmul activities were predominantly carried out by outsi

including the hunting o wildlie or sale and ree-ranging dom

animals that disturbed wildlie populations through competitiohabitat and the spread o diseases. Timber harvesting was also

while road construction had reduced habitats while simultaneo

improving access or hunting and harvesting by outsiders.

Ecotourism in Luang Namtha has created local economic

employment opportunities contributing to the protection o na

and cultural heritage. Nam Ha guides and village-based tou

providers are drawn mostly rom ethnic minority commun

in Luang Namtha, one o the poorest provinces in Lao PDR.

project includes 57 villages, home to 3,451 amilies - a total ta

population o 21,227 people. Community members are traine

eco-guides and operate village-based lodges and orest camps.

are also trained to monitor threats to biodiversity in the protearea, supporting the work o the critically under-staed and un

resourced Protected Area Management Unit.

Extensive ecotourism inormation and education campa

targeted at policy-makers, the private sector and local commun

enhance the sustainability o tourism in Luang Namtha. As a r

o these campaigns, the NPAs various stakeholders have been

to work collaboratively to create regulations that protect the cu

and natural resources that underpin the provinces growing

protable ecotourism sector.

Background and Context


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ocal communities work closely with the NPA management

uthorities to create cooperative agreements that dene stakeholder

esponsibilities in protecting the natural and cultural resources

pon which the ecotourism ventures are based; provide guidance

n the harvesting o non-timber orest products and other orest

esources; prohibit the unlicensed hunting or sale o wildlie; and

et aside tracts o village-managed orests as bird, wildlie and plant

anctuaries. The Nam Ha eco-guides have also worked with the Nam

Ha NPA management to introduce a trekking and NPA user permitee system that was the rst o its kind in Lao PDR, and is now being

ntroduced throughout the countrys system o twenty NPAs that

over approximately 13 per cent o its land area.

The Nam Ha Ecotourism Projects community-based mode

been widely replicated or national tourism development initia

and Luang Namtha is now established as a leading sustain

tourism destination. The project has gained international atten

or its work in alleviating poverty and promoting sustainable u

biodiversity, winning a British Airways Tourism or Tomorrow Aw

in 2002 and the United Nations Development Programme (UN

Equator Prize in 2006. Ater the conclusion o the pilot phase o

project in 2002, and an external review o its progress, the projsecond phase began in March 2005, unded by the Governm

o New Zealand, the Government o Lao PDR, and UNESCO.

projects principle implementation agency is the Luang Nam

Provincial Tourism Department.


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Key Activities and Innovations

he Lao National Tourism Administration is a ministerial level

organization within the Prime Ministers Oce, and is the main

overnment agency concerned with guiding the development and

egulation o Lao PDRs tourism industry. This involves collaboration

with a large number o other ministries at both the national and

provincial levels. The countrys 16 provinces and the capital city,

Vientiane, each have a Provincial Tourism Department. In Luang

Namtha, the provincial oce works in close conjunction with the

Nam Ha NPA Management Unit. This includes ensuring the saety o

isitors to the NPA, setting policies and regulations or the tourism

ndustry, coordinating with local stakeholders in monitoring and

norcement o the NPAs regulations, collecting data on the health

o the areas cultural and natural heritage, and acilitating the processo licensing local tourism businesses.

he NPA Management Unit receives a limited annual budget to carry

out its duties, which include district patrolling, manning roadside

wildlie checkpoints, conducting environmental awareness training

n villages, and overseeing the NPA. However, the Management Unit

as little capacity to punish those ound illegally clearing orest or

elling wildlie, severely limiting its ability to deter inractions or

norce regulations. In total, the Management Unit comprises 32

ta members, with 16 at the provincial level, and a urther 16 in

ndividual district oces. Although unds are generated or use

by the NPA management rom trekking ees, the lack o human

esources constrains its ability to eectively utilize these unds.

he management o individual cultural and natural tourist sites is

perormed directly by local communities that have historically acted

s stewards o these resources, and their day-to-day operation is in

he hands o village authorities. A portion o revenues generated rom

ntrance ees is shared between the Tourism Department and the

ommunity to und marketing activities, publication o interpretative

materials, monitoring, and maintenance o inrastructure at the sites.

ince the introduction o the rst community-based ecotourism

programmes by the Nam Ha Project in 1999, there are now more

than 30 established tour circuits, involving some 50 commun

Participating communities have been prepared to provide ser

to tourists with support rom the Nam Ha project managem

using a community-based ecotourism methodology that incl

extensive community awareness-raising and skills training.

Integrated Conservation and Development Initiatives

Individual community-based projects are classied as Integr

Conservation and Development Initiatives and typically com

community agreements or concessions that provide rev

sharing mechanisms, income and inrastructure or the vill

in exchange or improved local environmental managemenorest conservation schemes. These agreements, approved by

Provincial Tourism Department, village and candidate tour ope

assign a single operator exclusive access to a community-based

circuit or host village based on rules governing the maximum

and requency o tour groups. The agreement also set a schedu

ees that the operator must pay the village or ood, lodging, vil

based guides, transportation, handicrats and trail mainten

etc. The agreement denes the areas that are o-limits to tou

activities and also sets ee schedules or user permits, entrance

and taxes. In the event o conficts between parties to the agreem

the Tourism Department mediates to solve the problem.

Four examples o these Integrated Conservation and DevelopmInitiatives include:

Ban Nam Dee development & community concession

Nam Dee waterall is located 4.5 km rom the provincial capit

Luang Namtha, in an area o orest that is a critical watershe

the towns public water supply. The waterall has been markete

a destination or visitors to the NPA or its natural beauty. The vi

signed an agreement to protect the watershed and manage


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ite in exchange or assistance with marketing and inrastructure

evelopment. The Nam Ha Ecotourism Project co-nanced the

onstruction o walkways, bridges, a parking lot and toilets.

Bor Kung shrimp pool and dam

or Kung is a sacred spring near the town o Vieng Phoukha known

or its shrimp. The project has nanced the construction o a dam

o create a larger pool that allows villagers to bathe and wash

eparately rom the spring. While the site is yet to draw large visitor

umbers, the bathing area has improved the wellbeing o the local

ommunity and has preserved the spring in its natural state.

Khao Rao Cave with Ban Nam Eng community concession

he Khao Rao cave, the most visited in the province, is about 12 km

rom Vieng Phoukha. The Nam Ha Ecotourism Project supported the

urveying o the site or development activities, beore nancing

he installation o a lighting system, generator and walkway. A

ommunity concession agreement is in place which stipulates that

he village may retain 50 per cent o the entrance ees in return ornsuring that the cave ormations are not damaged, that a local

uide accompanies all groups into the cave, and that a 200-metre

rea o orest between the cave and roadside is not degraded.

Ban Nalan water system

an Nalan was one o the rst villages included in tourism activities in

999, and has become a success story or community development

nd tourism management. A clean water system was installed in

he village with our standpipes, while the village has a general

ommunity agreement governing local tourism service provision.

All visitors to Luang Namtha are targeted by inormation and

ducation campaigns that encourage cultural and environmental

ensitivity. The use o posters, a handbook, a website, and written

ehavioural guidelines displayed in tourist inormation centers,

ends a clear message regarding appropriate behavior, in a number

languages. Much o the material used to develop these messages

was contributed by host communities. Guide training also involves

component on how to acilitate culturally appropriate interaction

etween tourists and host communities.

egular contact between ocials and communities to monitor the

conomic, cultural and environmental impacts o tourism is a critical

spect o the NPAs management. Monitoring activities measurempacts at three levels: (i) the wider macroeconomic eects o

ourism on the provincial economy, (ii) the collective impacts o

ourism at the village level, and (iii) individual household perceptions

tourisms economic, social, environmental and cultural impacts

within communities. NPA management sta members and local

uides have been trained in data collection and analysis, with

n-going monitoring activities providing a fow o inormation to

ecision-makers and community leaders that allows them to identiy

nd remedy problems in tourism management when they arise.

Generating unds and sharing revenue

One o the major achievements o the Nam Ha Ecotourism Pro

has been the institutionalization o tourism revenue-sha

schemes, generating public unds or tourism management, vi

development, and conservation activities. The Eco-Guide Se

Unit, or instance, has a strict revenue-sharing arrangemen

the use o trekking ees paid by visitors. These percentages can

be changed without agreement between the Provincial TouDepartment, the Governors Oce, and the Provincial Agricu

and Forestry Oce.

All tourism revenues rom activities in Luang Namtha contribute

number o public unds, including:

Provincial Tourism Department Tax (5%)

This is a tax mandated by the Lao National Tourism Administra

on tourism activities nationwide. The Provincial Tourism Departm

can request contributions rom this central und; the Luang Nam

provincial oce has used these unds or marketing activities an

support the District Tourism Oces.

Village Development Fund (8%)

Managed by the Provincial Tourism Department, this und is u

to repair tourism inrastructure or purchase equipment or vil

lodges and cooking. There is no ormal mechanism or village

apply or its use.

Provincial Tax on Income (10%)

The Provincial Tax Oce charges a fat tax o 10 per cent on inc

This does not go towards any conservation, tourism managem

or development activities, but instead contributes to the Provi

Treasury.

Nam Ha NPA Trekking Permit (4%)

A USD 1.00 per person, per day trekking permit ee is levied

all tours, whether or not they pass through the protected area

Fig.1: Breakdown of Ecoguide Service Unit Revenue

Source: Nam Ha Ecotourism Project

Food

20%

Transport

16%

Accommo

4%

Guide

27%Trek permit

4%

Village Development

Fund

8%

Provincial Tourism

Department

5%

Provincial tax on income

10%

Administration

4%

Village Services

1%

Handicrafts

1%


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Muang Sing and Vieng Phoukha these ees are paid to the District

Agriculture and Forestry Oces or use by the district-based NPA

Management Unit sta, and in Luang Namtha the ees are paid to

he provincial NPA Management Unit. These ees und conservation

activities such as patrolling, trail maintenance and conservation

awareness-raising activities in villages.

According to 2010 gures rom Luang Namtha Provincial Tourism

Department, visitor numbers and annual ecotourism revenue grewteadily between 2001 and 2008. O this income (totalling almost

USD 1,000,000 between 2001 and 2009), 27 per cent has been

directed to public unds. Other than local taxes and Provincial Tourism

Department expenses (used or the inormation centre, meetings

and administration) the remainder has been paid to villages, local

guides, transport operators, and or local ood and handicrats. I all

ouristm spending in the province is taken into account, the total

evenue rom tourism accruing to local communities is much higher.

The project has identied a number o innovative strategies as being

undamental to its community-based tourism, conservation and

development methodologies. Chie among these is the integration o

ourism and natural resources management into the Luang Namtha

provincial government strategy and priorities. Political support

or tourism development and environmental protection goals has

underpinned the Nam Ha Project rom the outset. Secondly, the

projects transparent revenue sharing and cooperative agreements

have distinguished it rom many similar eorts. Thirdly, responsive

gender awareness-raising has been an important component o the

management o Nam Ha NPA.

Finally, the project has played a proactive role in develo

diversied village livelihood activities. Tourism numbers or L

Namtha declined in 2009, possibly as a result o the global econ

crisis, while the community o Ban Nalan has aced incre

competition rom private tour operators. It has thereore

important to develop supplementary livelihood strategies o

NPA communities by reinvesting revenues rom tourism.

8

Source: Nam Ha Ecotourism Project

Fig. 2: Visitor number and ecotourism revenue 2001-2009

0

1,00

2,00

3,00

4,00

5,00

6,00

7,00

8,00

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year

Annual revenue (USD) Visitor numbers


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Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTSAdding value to natural resources

The Nam Ha Ecotourism Project has contributed to the conservation

nd sustainable use o the NPAs biodiversity in a number o ways.

Through the development o alternative livelihood opportunities,

he Project has reduced pressure on the natural resources o the

NPA, with over 100 local people now employed as guides, cooks,

handicrat producers and accommodation and transportation

providers in the 17 villages that host community-based ecotours.

Additionally, the development o community-based tourism

projects has conerred a new type o value on the ecosystems andbiodiversity o the NPA in the ollowing way: a community member

hat would ormerly have harvested wild orchids or USD 0.20 per

kg can now lead a group o tourists to these orchids as a village-

based guide or USD 5 per day. The same principle holds or ormer

hunters who are now employed as guides leading tourists to birds

nd wildlie. Local communities can now see a direct link between

he economic benets o orest-based ecotourism and conservation

nd protection o the natural and cultural resources upon which it

s based.

Generating unds or conservation

Ecotourism has also generated unds or protected areamanagement and conservation extension work. The guide service

lone has generated over USD 8,000 or this since 1999, while other

our operators in Luang Namtha that are required to pay NPA user

ees have paid over USD 10,000 to the NPA Management Unit since

2002. This source o revenue has helped to support this otherwise

underunded oce.

Another benet or the NPA management has been the devolution

o monitoring, reporting and enorcement or conservation to the

Provincial Tourism Department, the ecoguides, and the tourism

network throughout the NPA. This wide network o stakeholderreinorced conservation and wildlie protection messages. Vil

are more likely to report poaching or orest clearance transgres

to the Provincial Tourism Department, which in turn coordin

with the district-level or central NPA Management Unit. The

management sta is also permanently stationed within the pr

area, helping to integrate conservation principles into tou

activities. The Nam Ha Ecotourism Project has helped to market

advocate or the Nam Ha NPA, raising the prole o its conserv

benets at the provincial and national levels.

The establishment o village-based sanctuaries, meanwhile

created small islands within the orest too allow or the regener

o non-timber orest products and small wildlie species. development and enorcement o cooperative agreements betw

communities, tour operators and NPA managers has ensured

communities are invested in maintaining their local heritage

receive a air share o the economic benets that this gener

Finally, village-based monitoring teams and the presence o to

on walking trails in the NPA has discouraged illegal activities su

poaching and illegal harvesting o non-timber orest products.


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Threats to the protected area remain, however. Tracts o orest

have been cleared or rubber cultivation in recent years by private

nvestors. While some attempts have been successully resisted

with the support o the Governors Oce, the capacity o the NPA

Management Unit and provincial Forestry Division to eectively

police and enorce these concessions has been undermined by a

ack o resources. A Forestry Conservation Fund has been created at

he national level, with unds being made available or investments

n inrastructure, reorestation, inormation signs, bush re checkpoints, and hiring sta, but to date, these unds have not reached

he Nam Ha NPA. More rigorous monitoring systems are necessary

o eectively halt urther deorestation, and this will require

considerable unding and political support.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

Alternative livelihoods and job creation

Ecotourism generates signicant revenue or the local economy.

Community eco-guides and associated service providers have

eceived over USD 600,000 since 1999 rom the Eco-Guide ServiceUnit treks alone. This represents signicant additional income or

a province where the GDP per capita is USD 389, versus USD 678

nationally.

Tourism has supplemented traditional village livelihoods, allowing

community members to diversiy their occupations, save money,

purchase household items and pay school ees. For instance, women

used to spend one or two days collecting bamboo or rattan shoots

and then another day transporting them to market by oot, and

could expect to earn USD 1-2 per day. These women can now spend

wo to three hours preparing a meal or tourists, and earn USD 3-6,

without having to venture ar rom the village. The remaining time

can be used or childcare or other household or economic activities.

n terms o job creation, the accommodation sector employs

more than 300 people in Luang Namtha, while there are 172 ull

and part-time guides active in the province. Several hundred

additional community members derive part-time employment rom

community-based tourism activities as ood and accommodation

providers. Throughout the province, the tourism sector is estimated

o support more than a thousand additional job opportunities

n restaurants, on tourism-related construction projects, in tour

agencies, transportation, producing handicrats, or supplying

agricultural products to the tourism supply chain, making it a

prominent source o local employment.

By training local people as guides or more than ten years, and

establishing realistic and achievable guidelines or local small-scale

ourism investment, the Nam Ha Project has supported private sector

expansion and development in Luang Namtha. To date, our new

private eco-guide service units have been launched in connection

with the Nam Ha National Protected Area.

Channeling revenue to communities

In 2006, the Nam Ha Eco-Guide Service Unit sold 359 tours or a

o 1,787 persons, and generated USD 56,940 in gross revenue.

revenue accrued to participating communities in the ollowing w

Communities and Merchants Selling Food & Water

On all tours, ood and water is purchased at a set rate o USD

per meal, per person or a set menu. A small ee or cooking

rewood is included in this price.

Accommodation in Villages

The price o village-based accommodation was raised to aro

USD 2.00 per night in 2007. This money is paid directly to the vil

Villagers receive a portion o the ee in return or housekeeping,

the remainder going into a village und or lodge maintenance

other communal activities.

Transportation

Transport costs vary rom USD 6-20 per trip depending on

distance and mode o transportation. Fees are paid directly to

driver, boatman or owner o the vehicle.

Guide Fees

Lead guides are paid USD 10-15 per day; assistant guides USD

day, and village guides USD 5 per day. With groups o our or mtourists there are three guides per trip.

Handicrats

A simple traditional handicrat is included in the price o each

and is presented to the tourists as a git by one o the village

the tour route. Villages that are designated to supply handicrat

usually the last village on a tour circuit. A set price o USD 1.7

the handicrat was negotiated in 2006 between communities

tour operators. Additional sales are oten made by the design

handicrat village or other villages.

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Village Service Fees

Some villages on tour routes are asked to boil water, prepare picnic

ites in the orest, or perorm other small logistical support tasks or

our groups. They are paid or these services each time.

These categories represented USD 41,069 in total trip expenses paid

o local service providers in 2006. The balance o USD 15,871 was

paid into public unds, including Village Development Funds and

axes, and covered the Nam Ha Eco-Guide Service Unit operationsand maintenance costs.

ncluding women and minorities

The Luang Namtha Provincial Tourism Department and Nam Ha

Eco-Guide Service mainstream gender issues into all tourism-related

activities in the province. Monitoring data is disaggregated by

gender and ethnicity, and shows that women and ethnic minorities

have a high rate o participation in community-based tourism

ventures run by the Nam Ha Eco-Guides. For instance, in 2006, 20

per cent o the guides were women and 95 per cent were members

o ethnic minorities. Luang Namtha province has over 20 ethnic

groups, representing about 66 per cent o the provincial population.The Nam Ha Guide Service has played a leading role in the provincial

Ethnic Minority Participation Programme, which encourages the

nclusion o ethnic minorities in conservation and development

activities.

POLICY IMPACTS

The UNESCO-LNTA Nam Ha Ecotourism Project has ormed a

part o national policies or both rural development and Lao P

tourism sector. The latter is guided by the Lao PDR National Tou

Strategy or 2006-2020 which emphasizes the developmen

tourism products and services based on the countrys cult

natural and historic attractions. This strategy is exemplied byNam Ha Ecotourism Projects approach - it is estimated that m

than hal o the value o the Lao tourism industry is derived

nature- and culture-based activities.

The positive role tourism plays in national development,

specic reerence to sustainable tourism models in Luang Nam

has been identied and elaborated on in the National Growth

Poverty Eradication Strategy, the Sixth National Socio-Econ

Development Plan (20062010), the National Tourism Strategy

National Ecotourism Strategy and Action Plan (20062010)

the National Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. The NPA Managem

Unit remains under-unded, however, and requires strengthe

to improve the sustainable management o the protected aresources.

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Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYWhile the sustainability o Nam Ha Ecotourism Project is contingent

n many nancial, environmental and social actors, its transparent

rganizational structure has been o paramount importance in its

ustained success. The development o ecotourism has ensured that

many programme areas are sel-sustaining. For example, the Nam Ha

co-Guide Service Unit has been nancially sustainable since 2002.

urthermore, nancial management o the Project is transparent.

cological sustainability, meanwhile, has been ensured by the

se o practices that minimise waste generation such as use o

iodegradable packaging and non-imported oods, reduction in these o uel and use o renewable solar and micro-hydro energy in

illage lodges. Tour groups are usually kept to less than ten people to

minimise environmental and cultural impacts on villages and trails.

ocal communities strong support or the project relies on several

nstitutional actors, including participation o women and ethnic

minorities in service provision and management, reinvestment o a

ubstantial portion o revenue into village development activities,

nd ability to cover all operations and maintenance costs without

ubsidies or external unding. Specic regulations regarding

management and supervision o the service have been developed in

ollaboration with guides, communities and provincial and national

evel authorities.

REPLICATION

ased on success o Nam Has Eco-Guide Service model, guide

ervices have been initiated in two additional districts in Luang

Namtha Province, while three services were opened in three separate

rovinces in Lao PDR between 2004 and 2006. In part, replication

the Nam Ha model has been acilitated by tourism awareness

eminars held in the province or policy-makers and tourism service

roviders.

PARTNERSAt the provincial level, many stakeholders are involved in

development and management o Nam Ha Ecotourism Project

main bodies involved in the ongoing implementation o the pr

include:

The Lao National Tourism Administration: Provides tra

and certication or guides, accommodation, restaurants

transportation providers; monitors and enorces tourism-re

rules and regulations; assists with marketing and promot

activities; and screens investment proposals. The Luang Nam

Provincial Tourism Oce also provides the Nam Ha Guides oce space, equipment and a acility rom which to coordinate

sell their tours.

The Nam Ha National Protected Area Management Unit: Cond

conservation awareness and patrolling in and around the prote

area, using permit ees generated by the Nam Ha Eco-Gu

The management unit is also responsible or enorcing rules

regulations regarding the use o protected area resources, promo

ecotourism, and conducting research within the park.

United Nations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organiza

(UNESCO): Has provided technical assistance and monitoring

nancial support rom the New Zealand Government since 1999Phase II o the Nam Ha Project, this unding totaled USD 408,99

Private sector tour operators and tourists: Adhere to the operat

rules and regulations regarding visitor behavior, inclu

prohibitions on wildlie consumption and the purchase o antiq

limits on tour group sizes and weekly departures, and requirem

to use local guides, pay NPA permit ees, remove all waste, cons

only village-produced ood on all tours, and respect local cu

belies and customs. Tour operators are also involved in im

monitoring and in training and career development.


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dditional stakeholders that play less direct roles in the operation

nd management o the Nam Ha Ecotourism Project are listed below:

Provincial Governors Ofce: sets tourism development policy,

approves rules and regulations on tourism development and

management.

Provincial Tourism Department / District Tourism Ofces: licenses

and regulates tourism businesses, promotes tourism investment,including investment in small-scale community-based tourism,

provides tourism-related training to the public and private

sectors, undertakes destination marketing and promotion,

monitors impacts.

Communities: actively participate in and benet rom tourism

activities, participate in the creation o operational rules and

regulations or tourism in villages, conserve and manage natural

and cultural resources.

Land Use Planning and Management Ofce: perorms land use

planning and land use allocation, registers land and issues land

ownership certicates.

Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Ofces: regulate tourism

development and management in the NPA, supervise the

conservation and management o the NPA

District Agriculture and Forestry Ofces: monitor and enorce

orestry and land-use laws, disseminate rules and regulations on

the conservation and management o the NPA or local people,

identiy tourism development zones, promote agricultural

extension and ood production activities

Department o Inormation and Culture: promotes conservationactivities related to local culture and traditions, and

archaeological and historic sites; manages cultural resources

including museums, cultural tourism sites and antiquities.

Science, Technology and Environment Ofce: Oversees the

environmental impact assessments process, collabor

with PTO to set up environmental management plans

regulations, establishes systems or managing solid waste

wastewater, and monitors impacts.

NGOs and Donor Agencies: provide technical and na

assistance where needed and requested.

Department o Planning and Investment: reviews and apprinvestment licenses, promotes investment in the tourism se

Department o Communication, Transport, Post and Construc

surveys, designs and approves construction o tou

inrastructure

Tourist Police: coordinate with PTO to regulate tou

businesses, issues rules and regulations on saety and sec

or visitors, regulate tourist guides according to governm

rules, and assist tourists with legal matters and lost prop

claims.

Army: is consulted when zoning areas or tourism, is involve

controlling access to and patrolling the NPA.

Womens Union: promotes gender equity and ge

mainstreaming in the tourism sector, encourages

participation by women and ethnic minority women in tou

activities.

Department o Industry and Commerce: promote handic

and local products, licenses small businesses, constructs

regulates market places.

Lao Front or National Construction: helps encourage participation to protect and conserve natural and cul

resources; helps resolve conficts in and between villages.

Lao Youth Union: conduct awareness building activities on

to mitigate negative impacts o tourism on youth.


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FURTHER REFERENCE

Presentation on Community-based Ecotourism in Luang Namtha Province. http://www.equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/ev

community_dor/documents/Presentations/Asia/Nam_Ha_Laos.ppt

Schipani, S. and Marris, G. 2002. Linking Conservation and Ecotourism Development: Lessons rom the UNESCO-National Tourism

thority o Lao PDR Nam Ha Ecotourism Project. http://www.ecotourismlaos.com/directory/publications/linking_conservation_and

otourism_development.pd

Schipani, S. 2006. Ecotourism as an Alternative to Upland Rubber Cultivation in the Nam Ha National Protected Area, Luang Nam

Juth Pakai Issue 8. http://www.unescobkk.org/leadmin/user_upload/culture/namha/Pages_rom_Juth_Pakai_8_-_ecotourism_

ber_only.pd
http://www.equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/com_winners/casestudy/case_1348163412.pdfhttp://www.equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/com_winners/casestudy/case_1348261464.pdfhttp://www.equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/com_winners/casestudy/case_1348150616.pdfhttp://www.equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/com_winners/casestudy/case_1348261312.pdf

case studies undp: nam ha ecotourism project, lao pdr

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