Posted on March, 24 2009

The WWF rattan project has brought positive results to the community of Sopphouan in central Laos. Sopphouan is small village of almost 400 inhabitants situated near the Vietnamese border in Bolikhamxay Province, central Laos.

“Last year our village earned 8,500,000 kip (approximately 1000 USD) in additional income from rattan seedlings and rattan cane,” said Sonephet Keomany, 43 years, headman of Sopphouan village.

This is an important contribution to the livelihoods of farmers who are otherwise wholly dependent on family-based rice production and other small-scale crops he explained.

Rattan is a climbing palm with tough stems which can be used for food, shelter and furniture. Seventy percent of rattan sales go to the village fund. This fund contributes to a local school and health services. The remaining 30 per cent goes to the individual members, who are also able to take out micro loans at a 2 percent interest rate from the fund.

More than 90 percent of rattan processed in the Greater Mekong region comes from natural forests. However, these rattan stocks are being depleted at an unsustainable rate.

To secure long term use of the resource, the villagers with support from WWF have started nurseries and plantations, which they proudly show to visitors. This initiative entails an entirely new way of thinking and requires careful long-term planning. Previously rattan was only harvested from the forest.

“Now we have successfully identified key rattan species and are developing a viable model for sustainable management. A forest protected area with pilot research plots have been set up and we have provided rattan handicrafts training in the village,” said Bouaphet Bounsourath, project manager from WWF who works closely with the villagers.

“This is a different way of doing things and it changes everything. Earlier there was no control and only poorly implemented forest management,” he added.

The project has been carried out in collaboration with forest researchers, other NGOs, government institutions and with economic support from the global home furnishings company IKEA.

A second phase of this program, “A switch to sustainable harvest rattan production and supply” was launched on March 5 2009 with funding mainly from the European Union and IKEA.

It is aiming to achieve a cleaner and more efficient production of rattan by reducing the use of pollutants and making the supply chain more efficient, so less of the resource is wasted.

“Our goal is that by 2010 hundred communities in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will be engaged in sustainable rattan production. This will support local economies and help conserve forests,” says Thibault Ledecq, regional rattan program manager.

“Rattan is good for food and handicrafts. I weave lots of useful things for the household, says Tonginn Keomany, a 70 year old villager in Sopphouan, who hopes that the project will continue to bring positive results for the village.

Approximately 60 000 seedlings have been produced in Laos and Cambodia during the last two years. A recent survey showed that rattan is one of the main non-timber-forest products. It makes a crucial contribution to local livelihoods and contributes to poverty alleviation.

An overall goal is that by 2015 half of the rattan processing in the region will be environmentally cleaner, more competitive and return a greater profit. Another big win is that an increased number of rattan processing companies will deliver environmentally friendly products to Europe and other worldwide markets.