Australian Mekong Resource Centre

• Villages in the reservoir area

• Livelihoods

• Resettlement

• Logging
  

There are 16 villages located within the reservoir area which have been identified for resettlement. Totalling almost 4000 people, they belong to 4 ethnolinguistic groupings: Bo, Katuic (Brou), Vietic, and Tai-Kadai.

The history of settlement on the Nakay Plateau reveals a long tradition of physical relocation. Displacements began with the Thai invasion and occupation of Khammouane during the 19th century. They continued during the French period, the Japanese invasion and occupation of Laos, and during the Vietnam war. Relocation has also occurred in response to local factors such as epidemics and the search for better agricultural opportunities.

Livelihoods on the Plateau include various forms of agricultural practice, livestock raising, forest product gathering and hunting. Increasing population pressure coupled together with  uncertain resource tenure on the Plateau has led to increasing pressure on the resource base for most livelihoods. Compounding the problem has been the logging that has been taking place in the forests of the Plateau in anticipation of the inundation that will be caused by the Nam Theun 2 dam. The logging has further impacted on some livelihoods.

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© Australian Mekong Resource Centre
Last updated 18 June 1999