Systematics, Ecology and Management of Rattans in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. (The Biological Bases of Sustainable Use)
The Greater Mekong region is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet. Home to the world’s largest freshwater fish species and extensive tiger habitat, its forests, rivers, grasslands and wetlands pulse with life. About 80 per cent of the region’s 300 million people depend directly on the goods and services its ecosystems […]
Survey on Botanical Orchids use in northern Laos Xiengkhouang, Houaphan, Louang prabang, Oudomxay, Phongsaly and Vientiane provinces
Wild Orchids collection is a part of income since many years in the study area and actually a threat for orchids that are in the way of extinction. The aim of this report is to show whether identification, selection and promotion of sustainably used of Wild orchids with promising commercial value who can contribute to […]
Cash crops in the uplands: the cardamom experienc
Farmers are often blamed for destroying tropical forests, especially in the Lao PDR. Converting shifting cultivation into cash crop-based agriculture is recurrently presented as the solution merging forest protection and poverty alleviation. However, many attempts in the recent past have ended in failure. The Rural Development Project of Phongsaly District (PDDP) has tried to introduce […]
A new Philautus (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from northern Laos allied to P. abditusInger, Orlov & Darevsky, 1999
The small rhacophorid frog Philautus abditus is geographically restricted to central Vietnam and adjacent Cambodia. Our fieldwork in northern Laos resulted in the discovery of a Philautus species that very closely resembles P. abditus, but is at least 330 km from the nearest known locality of that species. The Laos population differs from P. abditus […]
A new Philautus (Amphibia: Rhacophoridae) from northern Laos
A new Philautus is described from Phou Dendin National Biodiversity Conservation Area in northern Laos. Philautus petilus sp. nov. is most remarkable by having a very slender, elongate habitus. Other distinguishing characteristics include having a tympanum diameter 80% of the eye diameter, white asperities on the dorsum, and distinctive coloration consisting of a soft yellow-beige […]
NAFRI Research Report: Farmers’ access to credit in the Lao PDR
The agricultural sector plays an important role in the development of the Lao PDR. In 2017, the growth rate of GDP was 6.9%. The growth rate of the agricultural sector increased by 2.9% contributing to 17.7% of the country’s GDP. In addition, the agriculture sector contributed to 60.8% of total employment. The financial sector largely […]
New records of ferns in the flora of Laos
Fieldwork in Lao PDR during 2007-2008 resulted in the discovery of 15 unrecorded fern species among the flora of Lao PDR. All have been identified in other countries in southeastern Asia, as well as from other tropical areas. The species are as follows: Asplenicaceae (Asplenium delavayi, A. rockier), Athyriaceae (Anisocampium cuspidatum), Dennstaedtiaceae (Microlepia hookeriana, Pteridium […]
An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants of Laos toward the discovery of bioactive compounds as potential candidates for pharmaceutical development
Using semi-structured field interviews with healers in the Lao PDR, plant samples were collected, extracted, and bio-assayed to detect bioactivity against cancer, HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria. Plant species demonstrating activity were recollected and the extracts subjected to a bioassay-guided isolation protocol to isolate and identify the active compounds.
A new species of Metzia (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from Northern Laos
A new cyprinid fish, Metzia bounthobi, is described on the basis of 18 specimens (including 10 specimens in type series) from the Mekong River basin in Phongsaly and Luang Prabang Provinces, northern Laos. The species is distinguished from congeners by having the following diagnostic traits: 18–20 branched anal-fin rays (vs. 10–18 in the others); 49–55 […]
Two New Species of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) from North of Lao PDR
Impatiens gadellae Souvann. & Suksathan, Impatiens nurae Souvann. & Suksathan, two new species from North Lao PDR, are described and illustrated with conservation statuses propose.


