Part 1 – A Rapid Participatory Biodiversity Assessment - IUCN

the assessment include:
• Riverine flatland and foothills (Ban Houi Jaeng, Muang Janh, Muang Saen and Sepon Kao)
– A flat lowland landscape on the banks of the Sepon River is the main topographic feature of this
area. This landscape is mostly flat, extending to the foothills, with villages located around Road 9.
Many villages are located between the Sepon River and road. The Phou Naang Maan provincial
protected area is the only place where large trees and dense forest can be found. All villages
along the road have similar geography: 1) swidden and fallow forest are located mainly above the
road, 2) the village settlement and some swidden/fallow mosaics between the road and river, 3)
paddy and swidden/fallow at foothills, 4) old fallow running into Phou Nang Maan.
• Riverine upland forested (Ban Hoai Phong and Khae Ving) – This landscape is characterized
by forested mountains with slope varying from gentle to steep. The banks of the Xe Bang Hiang
River are rather steep, the riverbed cut deep into the valley. Villages are located along mountain
streams, and surrounded by a mosaic of agricultural land and fallow forest, interspersed with old
forest tracts of significant size and biodiversity. Mountain forests are larger and denser than in the
lower areas.
Box 2.5: Sepon Field Example - Ban Muang Janh
Ban Muang Janh
The village consists of five village clusters (koum ban), with 147 households in total. The koum ban
(Ban Muang Jvanh, Ban Na Lom, Ban Kaeng Jong, Ban Kaluk Nawk, Ban Huai La’a) were
consolidated administratively to function as five distinct villages in June 2006. The main koum ban of
Ban Muang Janh is of Phou Thai ethnicity; the newly relocated koum ban are a mix of Phou Thai, Tri
and Makong ethnicities. The village leadership said they are not sure if koum ban are going to be
relocated or not, now that they have been administratively consolidated. Village upland fields are
located in the area north of Rt 9, in the foothills leading up to the higher elevations where denser
forest is found.
Biodiversity and livestock in the forest mosaic
According to local knowledge, the village forest has been degraded significantly. During the war, large
expanses of forest were destroyed or significantly transformed, and the subsequent removal of
hardwoods meant that 1) the village forestlands are now predominantly old fallow regrowth and 2)
there are no valuable trees left. Fallow forest now dominates the landscape, and is an important part
of the livelihood system as it supplies many products that are consumed locally, or sold in the local
markets or to middlemen.
In the transect walk, we passed through dense bamboo forests, open bamboo forests, current upland
swiddens, 2-3 yr fallow, 3-4 fallow, mid-length fallow. This detail is lost in the maps. The sound of
livestock bells was present throughout the walk, as the villagers graze their cattle in the fallow fields
and regrowth forest. We saw several markers in the bamboo forest laying claim to next year’s
swidden land.
13