Independent Technical Review: NT2 Social and Environmental Management Framework for the Nakai-Nam Theun Watershed

IRN and Environmental Defense commissioned an independent review of the Nam Theun 2 Social and Environmental Management Framework and First Operational Plan (SEMFOP–1). Most of the watershed of the NT2 project lies within the Nakai–Nam Theun National Protected Area (NNT NPA), the largest protected area in Lao PDR.

As part of the NT2 project, a government body called the Watershed Management and Protection Authority (WMPA) has been established to manage conservation in the NNT NPA. Based on the experience of other conservation and development initiatives in Lao PDR, the reviewer details a number of issues that have not been adequately considered in the SEMFOP.