Laos

Land-locked Laos has the lowest population density in Southeast Asia and livelihoods mostly rely on rice farming and non-forest products. In 2023, the remaining forest cover reached a historic low with 40%. As a result of the Turning Land into Capital Strategy in 2006, the country has experienced massive investments in hydropower, and agricultural and forest concessions. The revised Land and Forestry laws of 2019 recognize customary tenure for the first time. Laos is highly vulnerable to climate stress.