|
Vegetation :
The low population density of Laos (around 20 inhabitants per square
kilometre) has enabled a large forest area to be preserved; covering
around half the country. These forests, mostly tropical, are usually
made up of trees that shed their leaves during the dry season. Less
than a third of these forests are still primal forests.
However these forests are in danger because of excessive lumbering
in a certain number of areas such as the South and the South-East.
Another danger comes in the form of traditional forest clearing
using slash-and-burn methods by certain mountain ethnic tribes,
mainly to grow hillside rice but also corn or poppy. Indeed, by
more or less forcing these populations to settle in places close
to new axes of communication, their farm plots have been reduced
resulting in a much shorter fallow-break and therefore insufficient
time for the land to regenerate. As an example, in certain resettled
Sino-Tibetan minorities the time allowed for the land to lay fallow
used to vary between 18 to 25 years in their former territories
whereas in their new farmlands it is only between 5 to 9 years.
The traditional slash-and-burn methods practised by the semi-nomadic
populations over vast areas did not affect the environment in a
big way. They do a lot of harm however on a ecological level when
they are used by sedentary populations who, as a result of demographical
pressures, do not have enough land to allow for a reasonable fallow-break.
The ends of valleys are mostly occupied by paddy fields.
After the rainy season the river banks, which have been fertilised
by brought by flood waters, are invaded by farm plots which produce
in abundance the vegetables used in Laos cooking.
There are few fruit trees in Laos, most fruits that can be found
are imported. However various programmes are aiming to revive certain
varieties such as pineapples.
 |
Fauna :
The low population density mentioned earlier has also contributed
to the development of a large number of animal species. As such
certain species which were practically unknown have recently been
sighted, such as the Quang Vu buffalo, or species which were thought
to have disappeared such as the koupreys or Sumatra rhinoceros,
or else rare species such as the Irrawaddy dolphin (fresh water
dolphin) or the Malayan bear.
Of course there are the wild life common to the Indochina area :
sambar, gaur, bateng, black bear, civet cat, various kinds of primates
(pig-tailed macaques, small panda, douc langur, gibbon, pangolin,
.), reptiles (royal cobra, green snake, Malayan viper, black
monitor lizard
)
.
In spite of the deforestation and especially the war along the Vietnamese
border (bombings and chemical agents) there are still a number of
wild elephants, particularly in the provinces of Attapeu, Champassak
or Sayaburi. The leopard, tiger or panther are still present but
are becoming extremely rare.
Bird wild life is very varied. Indeed there are still a large number
of species (over 400) in isolated places but around inhabited areas
intensive hunting (rudimentary gunpowder rifles or cross-bows for
men and slings or traps for children) has wiped out the bird populations.
It is noteworthy that the public authorities are making efforts
to restrict this hunting and that birds are slowly returning to
areas close to villages.
Each river or water hole is full of fish, small crustaceans and
sundry amphibians. Certain catfish caught in the Mekong river can
weigh over 100 kilos.
|