Part 1 – A Rapid Participatory Biodiversity Assessment - IUCN

esidential areas are surrounded by un-stocked forests serving as burial, spirit and village use
forests. Swidden agriculture is carried out in areas nearby the village settlement.
• Upland with stream close to primary forest (Ban Atouk and Lahang) – With flat terrain
surrounded by rolling terrain working up to the forested mountain areas, there is a rich mixture of
primary, regenerated fallow and use fallow areas of high biodiversity value. Xe Xap NPA and
Xelamang Production Forest are key primary forested areas. Small streams run through the
village landscape. Village residential areas are surrounded by un-stocked forests serving as
burial, spirit and village use forests. Swidden agriculture is carried out in areas nearby the village
settlement.
• Riverine flatland and foothills (Ban Achu Leng, Achung Nhai, Lava Thai and Phin A) – Flat
landscape positioned on gently sloping banks of the Sepon River rising to rolling terrains and
mountainous areas which posses a mixture of primary, regenerated fallow and use fallow areas
of high biodiversity value. Seasonal streams flowing through landscape into the Sepon river.
Village residential areas with the exception of Phin A are surrounded by a mixture of un-stocked
and stocked forests serving as burial, spirit and village use forests. For Phin A mountainous
forests 2 and 7km away are important assets. A large wetland called Kapouk Kayyiane lies close
to Ban Lava Tai. Pine Forest found along Sepon river near Ban Achung Nhai.
• Elevated landscape (high altitude) – (Not visited)
These areas have been well documented by previous biodiversity assessments in Xe Xap
National Protected Area which forms part of the Central-Southern Annimite Mountains. Altitude
ranges from between 400 metres and 2066 metres above sea level. The landscape consists
mainly of steep terrain with high plateaus at about 1400 metres above sea level (IUCN/DoF
2004). The area is an important watershed for the Xe Lanong and Sepon rivers which flow
northwards into the Xe Banghieng in Savannakhet and the Xe Lon and Xe Sap rivers flowing
southwards and feeding into the Xe Kong River. Main forest types are Evergreen forest, Semievergreen
forest and evergreen wood/shrub land (IUCN/DoF 2004). Steingmetz 1999 also
indicates that pine forests are significant. These habitat and size are listed in the below table.
Other habitats features include numerous waterfalls, rocky cliff faces and Rhododendron forests
at high elevations (IUCN/DoF 2004).
Box 2.8: Samoi Field Example - Ban Achungleng
Ban Achungleng
Ban Achungleng is one of 14 villages in the Atouk cluster, with 28 households. The entire village is of
Kado ethnicity. This village is located near the road 15 A in the south and Sepone river in the north
and has its boundaries with other villages, such as Ban Meo, Ban Avai, Ban Aho, Ban Adone, Ban
Achung Nhai, and Ban Pong Nohn. Most of village upland fields found close to the village settlement
and near the road 15 A.
Food security (Rice shortages supplemented by cassava)
Currently, the village faces major rice shortages, with nearly all households experiencing rice
insufficiency for more than 6 months of the year. Rice production is highly dependent on labour as
households can only afford to manage one hectare each. Villagers reported that rice production from
swidden agriculture is very low due to fast recovery of weeds, particularly imperata grass nha kha
(Imperata cylindrica) which shortens the fallow rotation period from 7 years to 3 or 4 years and
intensifies labour requirements for weeding. There is however a large cassava output. During the rice
shortage the most severely effected households supplement their diet with cassava. Villagers also
buy rice to supplement their diets using income from the sale of poultry and from supplying labour to
other households.
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