Vientiane: The high-level meeting on Nature-Positive Investment through the Biodiversity Mitigation Hierarchy towards No Net Loss/Net Gain Outcome was chaired by Mr. Linkham Douangsavanh, Minister of Agriculture and Environment. The event, with technical and financial collaboration from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Lao PDR under the United Kingdom-FCDO Forest Governance, Market and Climate Program and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), brought together key government agencies and stakeholders, including development partners, private sector, environmental service providers, and technical organizations from the national and international conservation community.
According to Lao News Agency, Mr. Douangsavanh, in his opening remarks, highlighted the challenge of balancing economic growth with environmental protection. He noted potentially lasting impacts on biodiversity and rural communities without proper tools and mechanisms. The Minister also reaffirmed the Lao PDR Government's commitment, under its Green Growth strategy, to adopt international best practices and strengthen national legislation to guide sustainable development.
Under the government's policy direction for green economic growth, a key initiative is to achieve biodiversity no net loss and, where feasible, net gain outcomes through mitigation hierarchy in investment and development projects. Operationalizing the policy requires the implementation of a decree to guide these efforts.
Ms. Shanny Campbell, ADB Country Director for Lao PDR, remarked that achieving biodiversity 'no net loss' is an opportunity to strengthen investor confidence, enhance development outcomes, and position Lao PDR as a regional leader in nature-positive investment. She emphasized ADB's commitment to supporting the Lao PDR Government in translating policy ambition into practical solutions in collaboration with development partners and stakeholders to strengthen the country's resilience and unlock inclusive and sustainable growth.
The development of a national biodiversity offset framework presents a key opportunity to de-risk projects by aggregating offset obligations, targeting priority landscapes, and delivering measurable biodiversity gains through specialized implementation. This approach is backed by robust monitoring and adaptive management, reaffirming its commitment to support these efforts under the Government's leadership.
Mr. Louis Mulvaney, Mekong Development Counsellor at the British Embassy to Lao PDR, expressed the United Kingdom's pride in working closely with the Government of Lao PDR and partners to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. He emphasized the importance of promoting nature-positive investment to safeguard vital ecosystems and strengthen resilience, encouraging continued collaboration and shared commitment to conserving Laos' rich biodiversity for future generations.
