Protected Area

To offset the unavoidable loss of 4,000 hectares of natural habitat and 3,500 hectares of modified habitat, NNP1 is working with the government and conservation partners in Laos to invest in biodiversity offsets.

This means that protection and conservation efforts will be stepped up in areas that are known to be high in biodiversity value, helping to preserve species and habitats in areas that are not earmarked for economic development but may otherwise be under threat from local populations or traders.

The aim of NNP1 in this policy is to ensure that the project results in no net-loss of biodiversity values. Various candidate sites for this investment are being explored together with the Ministry for Natural Resources and the Environment and with provincial and district authorities. Sites under consideration include the Nam Ngiep catchment and the Phou Khao Kouay National Protected Area.

In addition the company has for several years been funding logging and poaching control activities in the Houay Ngua Provincial Protected Area in Bolikhamxay and has funded a five-year development plan enacted by the provincial authorities.