Teak plantation governance of Villagers in Luang Prabang Province under the control the Luang Prabang Teak Program (LPTP)

This study examines the governance of community teak plantations in Luang Prabang Province. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the governance structure of teak plantations in the northern uplands of Laos, with a focus on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification and teak timber production for FSC markets. The results show that the program established a plantation governance system and an FSC-certified group entity by the end of 2010, achieving FSC certification in the first four villages involved in community plantation governance in Laos. However, the FSC certification system ceased operating in 2016. Nevertheless, LPTP has continued to maintain the governance system up to the present. Ban Kokngiew had a clearer group administrative structure and more experience in group management than Ban Ansavanh. Teak plantation management generally followed the planned system, except for issues related to taxation after official registration of plantations and fee reductions when selling timber. Moreover, the communities received support from several projects, including funding for the establishment of a group office from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and The Forest Trust (TFT). Teak exports from Laos mainly go to China, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is estimated that 95% of teak wood produced in Luang Prabang is exported, while only 5% is used locally. However, only a small proportion of teak timber from both villages is FSC-certified and traded in FSC markets.