The project will focus on four key areas:

Improving the management of four protected areas and two connecting forest corridors to reduce CO₂ emissions.
Both the governments of Laos and Vietnam are engaged in international REDD processes to reduce emissions through the reduction of forest loss and forest degradation. WWF supports these initiatives. This project will provide training and capacity building to provincial-level government officials in REDD concepts as well as assessing the carbon stocks of the forests. We are working with government and other partners to make REDD an effective solution, but we are also supporting the development of alternative livelihoods to reduce the pressures on forests.
Surveying species populations, such as the saola, tiger and Asian elephants, within the protected areas so that we can demonstrate that improvements in protected area management are enhancing levels of biodiversity in the project area.
Reducing the cross-border trade in illegally cut timber from the project area in Laos to Vietnam by 40% by 2014, through increased cooperation between border officials, WWF and partners.
Ensuring that sustainable use of natural resources benefits local communities.
We will also be piloting reliable timber tracking systems for logging quotas associated with infrastructure development (e.g. hydropower, mining and road development etc.), which can effectively trace the origin of the logs. Current loopholes in the legal and enforcement framework do often result in the abuse of such quotas to launder illegal logs, exacerbating local and international timber leakage.
We’re using the world media to highlight this unique and important landscape.
WWF is working with our partners, local communities, forest administrations in Laos and Vietnam on all levels (national provincial, district community), including forest police, environmental police, border police, state owned forestry enterprises and the private sector and local populations in 100 villages surrounding the protected areas and forest corridors.

CarBi, the largest project in WWF’s history of working in the Greater Mekong. Its aim is to halt deforestation and preserve species in an area of forest, along a vital mountain range that links Vietnam and Laos. By securing the future of the forest this project aims to reduce global emissions by an estimated 1.8million tonnes of (CO2).

Forest loss is having severe and detrimental effect on the global climate, biodiversity and the ability of local communities to develop and sustain long-term livelihoods. The CarBi project will make a positive contribution to all three of these issues. A main outcome will be a 15% increase in the income of 400 households with benefits to 5,000-7,000 people from 100 villages across the region.

Pseudoryx nghetinhensis - Saola 4 to 5 month old female. An endemic mammal species that made this region well known on its diversity.

For a regular newsletter about the saola

© Google Earth

Click here to visit the map.

Blossoms in the morning on the way to biodiversity survey mission in Xe Sap NPA, Laos