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  • Liana or jungle vine wound round a bamboo stick from the Akha Pouli village of Ban Lao Khao, Luang Namtha province, Lao PDR. Liana vine makes a strong fibre for ‘crocheting’ into a traditional bag used by men and women for carrying items to and from the fields. Liana vine or ‘piat’ in Lao, is harvested from the forest, although these days it is becoming more difficult to find and many woman now use colourful synthetic thread.
    A 6579 rt_1.jpg
  • A Ko Loma ethnic minority woman weaves ribbon on a loom outside her home which she will use to decorate her traditional clothing, Ban Lao Leo, Phongsaly Province, Lao PDR.  In some areas, Loma women still grow, gin and spin cotton into thread and set up their looms outdoors for weaving cotton. One of the most ethnically diverse countries in Southeast Asia, Laos has 49 officially recognised ethnic groups although there are many more self-identified and sub groups. These groups are distinguished by their own customs, beliefs and rituals. Details down to the embroidery on a shirt, the colour of the trim and the type of skirt all help signify the wearer's ethnic and clan affiliations.
    A0015631cc_1.jpg
  • A Ko Loma ethnic minority woman sews traditional clothing in her home, Ban Lao Leo, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. One of the most ethnically diverse countries in Southeast Asia, Laos has 49 officially recognised ethnic groups although there are many more self-identified and sub groups. These groups are distinguished by their own customs, beliefs and rituals. Details down to the embroidery on a shirt, the colour of the trim and the type of skirt all help signify the wearer's ethnic and clan affiliations.
    A0015608cc_1.jpg
  • A Ko Pala woman weaves home grown, organic cotton fabric on a basic loom outside her home in Ban Lao Li, Phongsaly Province, Lao PDR.  In some areas, Pala women still grow, gin and spin cotton into thread and set up their looms outdoors for weaving cotton. One of the most ethnically diverse countries in Southeast Asia, Laos has 49 officially recognised ethnic groups although there are many more self-identified and sub groups. These groups are distinguished by their own customs, beliefs and rituals. Details down to the embroidery on a shirt, the colour of the trim and the type of skirt all help signify the wearer's ethnic and clan affiliations.
    A0013668cc_1.jpg
  • Portrait of a Ko Pala ethnic minority woman sewing outside her home in Ban Lao Li village, Phongsaly Province, Lao PDR.  She is wearing the Pala traditional headdress typical of the married woman of the Pala ethnic minority and plastic bead. One of the most ethnically diverse countries in Southeast Asia, Laos has 49 officially recognised ethnic groups although there are many more self-identified and sub groups. These groups are distinguished by their own customs, beliefs and rituals. Details down to the embroidery on a shirt, the colour of the trim and the type of skirt all help signify the wearer's ethnic and clan affiliations.
    A0013647cc_1.jpg
  • Liana 'jungle' vine (piat/piad in Lao) wound round a bamboo stick. Akha women twist Liana vine to make into a strong fibre for ‘crocheting’ into a traditional bag used by men and women for carrying items to and from the fields. Liana vine or ‘piat’ in Lao, is harvested from the forest, although these days it is becoming more difficult to find and many woman now use colourful synthetic thread.
    A 6579 rt_1_1.jpg
  • View of Ban Lao Khao Akha Pouli ethnic minority village and the plain of Muang Sing, Luang Namtha Province, Lao PDR
    08-07_1_1.jpg
  • A Hmong woman accompanied by her young son, from Ban Long Lao village, make textile products with a cross stitch design to sell at the Luang Prabang night market, Lao PDR. The Hmong have recently settled in the town of Luang Prabang - a consequence of the government’s efforts to suppress both the cultivation of opium poppies and slash and burn agriculture, which they have traditionally practiced, and of their own desire to take advantage of the expansion of tourism, which provides an important outlet for their crafts. Using their skilful embroidering and combining the sophisticated, colourful motifs that have traditionally adorned their clothing they have created aprons, tablecloths, cushion and bed covers, slippers and more which they sell to tourists at the Luang Prabang night market.
    A0010383cc_1.jpg
  • An Akha woman twists Liana vine to make into a strong fibre for ‘crocheting’ into a traditional bag used by men and women for carrying items to and from the fields. Liana vine or ‘piat’ in Lao, is harvested from the forest, although these days it is becoming more difficult to find and many woman now use colourful synthetic thread.
    07-11_1_1.jpg
  • Laos is the most bombed country, per capita, in the world with more than 270 million cluster bomb submunitions dropped on it during the Vietnam War from 1963 to 1974. The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) are a humanitarian organisation clearing the remnants of conflict worldwide and have been working in Lao PDR since 1994. UXO clearance team 6 (UCT6) is an all-female team, one of MAG’s seven UXO clearance teams in Xieng Khouang Province, one of the most heavily bombed provinces in Lao PDR. <br />
Denonation of 4 BLU-26 cluster bomb sub-munitions known locally as 'bombies' in Ban Namoune village.  . 'Bombies' are the most common form of UXO remaining - approximately 80 million unexploded bombies remained in Laos after the Vietnam War. They cause more accidents than any other type of UXO in Laos.
    A0011755ccrt_1_1.jpg
  • Laos is the most bombed country, per capita, in the world with more than 270 million cluster bomb submunitions dropped on it during the Vietnam War from 1963 to 1974. The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) are a humanitarian organisation clearing the remnants of conflict worldwide and have been working in Lao PDR since 1994. UXO clearance team 6 (UCT6) is an all-female team, one of MAG’s seven UXO clearance teams in Xieng Khouang Province, one of the most heavily bombed province in Lao PDR.The photograph shows UCT6 walking a short distance through the village of Ban Namoune to start work clearing UXO at 8am. The photograph shows UCT6 walking a short distance through the village of Ban Namoune to start work clearing UXO at 8am.
    A0011883cc_1_1.jpg
  • An Akha Puxo shirt 'button' made from aluminium, Ban Bounphieng, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  In the traditional Akha view art is something one wears and makes a statement which is ethnic, personal and aesthetic.
    A0020005cc_1.jpg
  • Two Hmong ethnic minority men smoke opium at home in Lao PDR. Opium addicts are usually adult males. By taking opium, they lose the energy to work hard which leaves heavy tasks to women and children which then impoverishes the entire household. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2012 the area under opium poppy cultivation has more than tripled. Although in 2013 the area of poppy fields in the country has again fallen, the number of regular opium users was still estimated at between 14,000 to 15,000 in the 10 northern provinces.
    A0009860cc_1.jpg
  • Two Hmong ethnic minority men smoke opium at home in Lao PDR. Opium addicts are usually adult males. By taking opium, they lose the energy to work hard which leaves heavy tasks to women and children which then impoverishes the entire household. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2012 the area under opium poppy cultivation has more than tripled. Although in 2013 the area of poppy fields in the country has again fallen, the number of regular opium users was still estimated at between 14,000 to 15,000 in the 10 northern provinces.
    A0009855cc_1.jpg
  • A Hmong ethnic minority man smokes opium at home in Lao PDR. Opium addicts are usually adult males. By taking opium, they lose the energy to work hard which leaves heavy tasks to women and children which then impoverishes the entire household. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2012 the area under opium poppy cultivation has more than tripled. Although in 2013 the area of poppy fields in the country has again fallen, the number of regular opium users was still estimated at between 14,000 to 15,000 in the 10 northern provinces.
    A0009854cc_1.jpg
  • A Hmong ethnic minority man smokes opium at home in Lao PDR. Opium addicts are usually adult males. By taking opium, they lose the energy to work hard which leaves heavy tasks to women and children which then impoverishes the entire household. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2012 the area under opium poppy cultivation has more than tripled. Although in 2013 the area of poppy fields in the country has again fallen, the number of regular opium users was still estimated at between 14,000 to 15,000 in the 10 northern provinces.
    A0009853cc_1.jpg
  • A Prai (Lao Mai) ethnic minority woman gathers broom grass (kok kham) which will later be transformed into brooms to be sold at her roadside stall, Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. One of the most ethnically diverse countries in Southeast Asia, Laos has 49 officially recognised ethnic groups although there are many more self-identified and sub groups. These groups are distinguished by their own customs, beliefs and rituals.
    A0029163cc_1.jpg
  • A Prai (Lao Mai) ethnic minority woman gathers broom grass (kok kham) which will later be transformed into brooms to be sold at her roadside stall, Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. One of the most ethnically diverse countries in Southeast Asia, Laos has 49 officially recognised ethnic groups although there are many more self-identified and sub groups. These groups are distinguished by their own customs, beliefs and rituals.
    A0029179cc_1.jpg
  • A Prai (Lao Mai) ethnic minority woman gathers broom grass (kok kham) which will later be transformed into brooms to be sold at her roadside stall, Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. One of the most ethnically diverse countries in Southeast Asia, Laos has 49 officially recognised ethnic groups although there are many more self-identified and sub groups. These groups are distinguished by their own customs, beliefs and rituals.
    A0029165cc_1.jpg
  • Two female Lao tourists riding an Asian elephant with the mahout (handler) at the annual Sayaboury elephant festival, Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. Originally created by ElefantAsia in 2007, the 3-day elephant festival takes place in February in the province of Sayaboury with over 80,000 local and international people coming together to experience the grand procession of decorated elephants. It is now organised by the provincial government of Sayaboury.The Elephant Festival is designed to draw the public's attention to the condition of the endangered elephant, whilst acknowledging and celebrating the ancestral tradition of elephant domestication and the way of life chosen by the mahout. <br />
<br />
Laos was once known as the land of a million elephants but now there are fewer than 900 living in the country. Around 470 of them are in captivity, traditionally employed by a lucrative logging industry. Elephants are trained and worked by a mahout (handler) whose relationship to the animal is often described as a marriage and can last a lifetime. But captive elephants are often overworked and exhausted and as a consequence no longer breed. With only two elephants born for every ten that die, the Asian elephant, the sacred national emblem of Laos, is under serious threat of extinction.
    A0029297cc_1.jpg
  • Wooden boats on the Nam Ou riverside in the remote and roadless Lao/Khmu village of Ban Mouanghoun, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. The Nam Ou river, one of the Mekong's major tributaries connects small riverside villages and provides the rural population with food for fishing. But this river and others like it, that are the lifeline of rural communities and local economies are being blocked, diverted and decimated by dams. The Lao government hopes to transform the country into ‘the battery of Southeast Asia’ by exporting the power to Thailand and Vietnam. Ban Mouanghoun will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    DSCF2961cc_1.jpg
  • Villager holding an alms bowl containing sticky rice to donate to the monks for their one meal of the day during the early morning Buddhist alms giving ceremony (tak bat), Ban Mouanghoun, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. This is an ancient, religious tradition and those who give alms earn merit for their next life, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Lao Buddhists are very devout and almost every Lao man joins a monastery, or temple, for at least a short period of time. Many men also become monks for the rest of their lives. The village will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    A0027335cc_1.jpg
  • Portrait of a young novice Buddhist monk wearing an orange robe before a ceremony at the 480 year old temple in Ban Mouanghoun, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Although there are several villages with temples along the Nam Ou river, the remote and roadless Ban Mouanghoun is the only village in this area with its own resident monks who are also required to perform ceremonies at all the local villages. Lao Buddhists are very devout and almost every Lao man joins a monastery, or temple, for at least a short period of time. Many men also become monks for the rest of their lives. Ban Mouanghoun will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    A0027325cc_1.jpg
  • A Lao Phong woman weaves fabric using the 'mutmee' tie-dye weaving technique, in Ban Saleuy, Houaphan province, Lao PDR. Ikat, called mutmee or matmee in Lao, is the Malay word for tie. Threads are tied to resist the dye, then coloured in the dyebath to pattern them before being woven as plainweave. The colours on the fabric blur at the edges like tie-dye.
    A0021834cc_1.jpg
  • The heads of opium poppies oozing sap in an upland field in remote Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. After the petals fall from the opium poppy, the heads are incised with a 4 bladed tool; the tool is used to score the skin lightly from top to bottom. During the day, the sap oozes out of the cuts and hangs in tears on the poppy head. The next day the sap is then scraped into a metal container. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    DSCF4747cc_1.jpg
  • The villagers of Ban Mouanghoun rise early for the alms giving ceremony (tak bat) donating sticky rice to the monks for their one meal of the day, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. This is an ancient, religious tradition and those who give alms earn merit for their next life. Lao Buddhists are very devout and almost every Lao man joins a monastery, or temple, for at least a short period of time. Many men also become monks for the rest of their lives. The village will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    A0027355cc_1.jpg
  • An old Lao manuscript and an orange monk's robe at the 480 year old temple in Ban Mouanghoun, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Although there are several villages with temples along the Nam Ou river, the remote and roadless Ban Mouanghoun is the only village in this area with its own resident monks who are also required to perform ceremonies at all the local villages. The village will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    A0027327cc_1.jpg
  • An elderly Buddhist monk wearing an orange robe holds an old Lao manuscript before a ceremony at the 480 year old temple in Ban Mouanghoun, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Although there are several villages with temples along the Nam Ou river, the remote and roadless Ban Mouanghoun is the only village in this area with its own resident monks who are also required to perform ceremonies at all the local villages. The village will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    A0027323cc_1.jpg
  • An elderly Buddhist monk wearing an orange robe holds an old Lao manuscript before a ceremony at the 480 year old temple in Ban Mouanghoun, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Although there are several villages with temples along the Nam Ou river, the remote and roadless Ban Mouanghoun is the only village in this area with its own resident monks who are also required to perform ceremonies at all the local villages. The village will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    A0027322cc_1.jpg
  • Tan, a Tai Lue ethnic minority man holds a fish he has caught in the river and then smoked over an open fire, Ban Bo Ha village, Luang Prabang province, Lao PDR.  For families living away from the main roads and markets, food caught or collected from the wild, especially edible plants and small animals still make up fifty per cent of their diet.  Nature’s bounty in providing for the Lao may be plentiful, but this does not mean that the task of growing and finding enough food for family subsistence and maintenance is easy. It is a major preoccupation of rural families and takes the bulk of time and energy of every man, woman and child.
    A0011010cc_1.jpg
  • 'The Green Season', a swidden rice field almost ready for harvesting Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0019065cc_1.jpg
  • A Khmu ethnic minority man lights a fire to burn the dry vegetation on his upland field, Ban Non Boun Kang, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016996cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016833cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016703cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016697cc_1.jpg
  • An Akha subsistence farmer scores opium poppies in an upland field in remote Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. After the petals fall from the opium poppy, the heads are incised with a 4 bladed tool; the tool is used to score the skin lightly from top to bottom. During the day, the sap oozes out of the cuts and hangs in tears on the poppy head. The next day the sap is then scraped into a metal container. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    A0016460cc_1.jpg
  • An upland field of opium poppies ready for harvesting in remote Phongsaly Province, Lao PDR. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    A0016420cc_1.jpg
  • An Akha Oma woman from Ban Na Nam village eats sunflower seeds as a snack during a break from harvesting hill rice with a sickle. Upland rice is the main crop grown by Lao shifting cultivators but several other crops including sunflowers are often grown in smaller quantities in the same plot.  Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A_11338cc_1.jpg
  • A partially harvested rice field, Ban Na Nam, Phongsaly Province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A_11304cc_1.jpg
  • The head of an opium poppies oozing sap in an upland field in remote Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. After the petals fall from the opium poppy, the heads are incised with a 4 bladed tool; the tool is used to score the skin lightly from top to bottom. During the day, the sap oozes out of the cuts and hangs in tears on the poppy head. The next day the sap is then scraped into a metal container. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    DSCF4746cc_1.jpg
  • Two young Lao boys riding on the back of a female Asian elephant carrying chains at Sayaboury elephant festival, Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. Originally created by ElefantAsia in 2007, the 3-day elephant festival takes place in February in the province of Sayaboury with over 80,000 local and international people coming together to experience the grand procession of decorated elephants. It is now organised by the provincial government of Sayaboury.The Elephant Festival is designed to draw the public's attention to the condition of the endangered elephant, whilst acknowledging and celebrating the ancestral tradition of elephant domestication and the way of life chosen by the mahout. Laos was once known as the land of a million elephants but now there are fewer than 900 living in the country. Around 470 of them are in captivity, traditionally employed by a lucrative logging industry. Elephants are trained and worked by a mahout (handler) whose relationship to the animal is often described as a marriage and can last a lifetime. But captive elephants are often overworked and exhausted and as a consequence no longer breed. With only two elephants born for every ten that die, the Asian elephant, the sacred national emblem of Laos, is under serious threat of extinction.
    A0029434cc_1.jpg
  • A Yumbri ethnic minority boy sings a song in front of a crowd of Lao tourists at the Sayaboury elephant festival, Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. The Yumbri, otherwise known as Yellow Leaves, Tong Luang or Mlabri are the last remaining hunter-gatherer Austroasiatic-speaking community living in the primary forests and river basins of the Nam Poui region in Sayaboury province. They are Laos smallest ethnic group with estimates of the numbers of Yumbri remaining varying between 21 and 30 individuals.
    A0029306cc_1.jpg
  • The villagers of Ban Mouanghoun rise early for the daily Buddhist alms giving ceremony (tak bat) donating sticky rice to the monks for their one meal of the day, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR This is an ancient, religious tradition and those who give alms earn merit for their next life. Lao Buddhists are very devout and almost every Lao man joins a monastery, or temple, for at least a short period of time. Many men also become monks for the rest of their lives. The village will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    A0027352cc_1.jpg
  • The villagers of Ban Mouanghoun rise early for the alms giving ceremony (tak bat) donating sticky rice to the monks for their one meal of the day, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. This is an ancient, religious tradition and those who give alms earn merit for their next life. Lao Buddhists are very devout and almost every Lao man joins a monastery, or temple, for at least a short period of time. Many men also become monks for the rest of their lives. The village will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    A0027346cc_1.jpg
  • The villagers of Ban Mouanghoun rise early for the daily Buddhist alms giving ceremony (tak bat) donating sticky rice to the monks for their one meal of the day, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. This is an ancient, religious tradition and those who give alms earn merit for their next life. Lao Buddhists are very devout and almost every Lao man joins a monastery, or temple, for at least a short period of time. Many men also become monks for the rest of their lives. The village will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower project Dam 5.
    A0027341cc_1.jpg
  • 'The Green Season', swidden rice fields in Houaphan province, Lao PDR.  Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0026756cc_1.jpg
  • A Hmong woman checking her rice whilst harvesting 'khao kam' (brown sticky rice) in the village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern is situated along  Nam Ou river and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.
    A0026352cc_1.jpg
  • A Hmong woman harvesting 'khao kam' (brown sticky rice) in the village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern is situated along  Nam Ou river and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.
    A0026340cc_1.jpg
  • A Hmong woman harvesting 'khao kam' (brown sticky rice) in the village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern is situated along  Nam Ou river and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.
    A0026317cc_1.jpg
  • A Hmong woman harvesting 'khao kam' (brown sticky rice) in the village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern is situated along  Nam Ou river and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.
    A0026236cc_1.jpg
  • A Hmong woman harvesting 'khao kam' (brown sticky rice) in the village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern is situated along  Nam Ou river and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.
    A0026229cc_1.jpg
  • A Hmong woman harvesting 'khao kam' (brown sticky rice) in the village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern is situated along  Nam Ou river and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.
    A0026228cc_1.jpg
  • Hmong women harvesting 'khao kam' (brown sticky rice) in the village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern is situated along  Nam Ou river and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.
    A0026218cc_1.jpg
  • A Khmu woman stands in her upland rice field which is almost ready for harvesting, Ban Chaleunsouk, Luang Namtha Province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    39-03_1_1.jpg
  • Fallow fields, slash and burn landscape, Luang Prabang province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. To rebuild the soil fertility after growing crops on a shifting cultivation plot, farmers ‘abandon’ that plot and allow vegetation to regrow for a number of years.  This is called the ‘fallow period’.  In the meantime, they grow crops on other new plots. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    20-07_1_1.jpg
  • Fallow fields, slash and burn landscape, Luang Prabang province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. To rebuild the soil fertility after growing crops on a shifting cultivation plot, farmers ‘abandon’ that plot and allow vegetation to regrow for a number of years.  This is called the ‘fallow period’.  In the meantime, they grow crops on other new plots. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    20-02_1_1.jpg
  • An upland rice field in the 'green season', Vientiane Province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0011175cc_1.jpg
  • A recently harvested upland rice field, Ban Cha Wang, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0019913cc_1.jpg
  • 'The Green Season', a swidden rice field almost ready for harvesting Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0019081cc_1.jpg
  • 'The Green Season', a swidden rice field almost ready for harvesting Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0019037cc_1.jpg
  • 'The Green Season', a swidden rice field almost ready for harvesting Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0019034cc_1.jpg
  • 'The Green Season', Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0019012cc_1.jpg
  • 'The Green Season', a swidden rice field almost ready for harvesting near the Ko Pala village of Honglerk, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0018990cc_1.jpg
  • A Khmu ethnic minority man lights a fire to burn the dry vegetation on his field, Ban Non Boun Kang, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016985cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016845cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016843cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016827cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016705cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016702cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape in the Phunoi ethnic minority village of Sinesai, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016641cc_1.jpg
  • A Phunoi ethnic minority subsistence farmer accompanied by her young son clears her land by slashing and burning to grow hill rice and coffee as a cash crop in Ban Sinesai; Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The practise is gradually being taken over by the planting of permanent cash crops such as coffee.
    A0016610cc_1.jpg
  • Clearing of the land for planting cash crops, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. In this area the practise is gradually being taken over by the planting of permanent cash crops such as coffee and tea.
    A0016503cc_1.jpg
  • An Akha subsistence farmer scores opium poppies in an upland field in remote Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. After the petals fall from the opium poppy, the heads are incised with a 4 bladed tool; the tool is used to score the skin lightly from top to bottom. During the day, the sap oozes out of the cuts and hangs in tears on the poppy head. The next day the sap is then scraped into a metal container. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    A0016463cc_1.jpg
  • An Akha subsistence farmer scores opium poppies in an upland field in remote Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  After the petals fall from the opium poppy, the heads are incised with a 4 bladed tool; the tool is used to score the skin lightly from top to bottom. During the day, the sap oozes out of the cuts and hangs in tears on the poppy head. The next day the sap is then scraped into a metal container. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    A0016455cc_1.jpg
  • An Akha subsistence farmer scores opium poppies in an upland field in remote Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. After the petals fall from the opium poppy, the heads are incised with a 4 bladed tool; the tool is used to score the skin lightly from top to bottom. During the day, the sap oozes out of the cuts and hangs in tears on the poppy head. The next day the sap is then scraped into a metal container. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    A0016447cc_1.jpg
  • The recently relocated village of Ban Thong Chalern in Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. Ban Thong Chalern consists of three villages (Khmu and Lao Loum) which have been joined together due to relocation because of the ongoing construction of the Xayaburi Dam in Northern Laos. The Xayaburi Dam is a hydroelectric dam under construction on the Lower Mekong River approximately 30 kilometres east of Xayaburi town in Northern Laos. The project is surrounded in controversy due to complaints from downstream riparians and environmentalists that the dam would cause significant and irreversible damage to the river's ecosystem. Funded by a Thai company, 90% of the electricity produced by the dam has already been pre-sold to Thailand.
    A0029201cc_1.jpg
  • The recently relocated village of Ban Thong Chalern in Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. Ban Thong Chalern consists of three villages (Khmu and Lao Loum) which have been joined together due to relocation because of the ongoing construction of the Xayaburi Dam in Northern Laos. The Xayaburi Dam is a hydroelectric dam under construction on the Lower Mekong River approximately 30 kilometres east of Xayaburi town in Northern Laos. The project is surrounded in controversy due to complaints from downstream riparians and environmentalists that the dam would cause significant and irreversible damage to the river's ecosystem. Funded by a Thai company, 90% of the electricity produced by the dam has already been pre-sold to Thailand.
    A0029199cc_1.jpg
  • The recently relocated village of Ban Thong Chalern in Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. Ban Thong Chalern consists of three villages (Khmu and Lao Loum) which have been joined together due to relocation because of the ongoing construction of the Xayaburi Dam in Northern Laos. The Xayaburi Dam is a hydroelectric dam under construction on the Lower Mekong River approximately 30 kilometres east of Xayaburi town in Northern Laos. The project is surrounded in controversy due to complaints from downstream riparians and environmentalists that the dam would cause significant and irreversible damage to the river's ecosystem. Funded by a Thai company, 90% of the electricity produced by the dam has already been pre-sold to Thailand.
    A0029193cc_1.jpg
  • The heads of opium poppies oozing sap in an upland field in remote Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. After the petals fall from the opium poppy, the heads are incised with a 4 bladed tool; the tool is used to score the skin lightly from top to bottom. During the day, the sap oozes out of the cuts and hangs in tears on the poppy head. The next day the sap is then scraped into a metal container. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    A0029073cc_1.jpg
  • A mahout (handler) hands his Asian elephant a piece of sugar cane during the baci ceremony at Sayaboury elephant festival, Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. The baci is a long series of chanted blessings and exhortations to welcome back any ‘kwans’ or body spirits that might have been lost. In traditional Lao culture it is believed that elephants, like humans, have 32 kwan (or souls), vital for health and spiritual wellbeing.<br />
<br />
Originally created by ElefantAsia in 2007, the 3-day elephant festival takes place in February in the province of Sayaboury with over 80,000 local and international people coming together to experience the grand procession of decorated elephants. It is now organised by the provincial government of Sayaboury.The Elephant Festival is designed to draw the public's attention to the condition of the endangered elephant, whilst acknowledging and celebrating the ancestral tradition of elephant domestication and the way of life chosen by the mahout. Laos was once known as the land of a million elephants but now there are fewer than 900 living in the country. Around 470 of them are in captivity, traditionally employed by a lucrative logging industry. Elephats are trained and worked by a mahout (handler) whose relationship to the animal is often described as a marriage and can last a lifetime. But captive elephants are often overworked and exhausted and as a consequence no longer breed. With only two elephants born for every ten that die, the Asian elephant, the sacred national emblem of Laos, is under serious threat of extinction.
    A0029587cc_1.jpg
  • A Tai Neua ethnic minority woman weaves colourful striped cotton fabric for make Sinhs (traditional Lao skirt) outside her home in Ban Si Li Houng, Luang Namtha province, Lao PDR. One of the most ethnically diverse countries in Southeast Asia, Laos has 49 officially recognised ethnic groups although there are many more self-identified and sub groups. These groups are distinguished by their own customs, beliefs and rituals.
    16-11_1_1.jpg
  • 'The Green Season', a swidden rice field almost ready for harvesting Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0019041cc_1.jpg
  • Slash and burn landscape, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0016834cc_1.jpg
  • A Phunoi ethnic minority subsistence farmer clears her land by slashing and burning to grow hill rice and coffee as a cash crop in Ban Sinesai; Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The practise is gradually being taken over by the planting of permanent cash crops such as coffee.
    A0016635cc_1.jpg
  • An Akha subsistence farmer scores opium poppies in an upland field in remote Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. After the petals fall from the opium poppy, the heads are incised with a 4 bladed tool; the tool is used to score the skin lightly from top to bottom. During the day, the sap oozes out of the cuts and hangs in tears on the poppy head. The next day the sap is then scraped into a metal container. As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    A0016484cc_1.jpg
  • A field shelter in an upland field of opium poppies in remote Phongsaly Province, Lao PDR.  As recently as 1998, Lao PDR was the third largest illicit opium poppy producer in the world.  From 1998 to 2005, opium poppy cultivation in Lao PDR was reduced by 93 per cent.  In more remote areas where cash crops are not viable, surveys from UNODC have shown that between 2008 and 2011 the area under opium poppy cultivation has doubled and continues to rise.
    A0016394cc_1.jpg
  • An Akha couple dressed in Lao style clothing at their wedding Baci in Ban Lang Pa village, Luang Namtha province, Lao PDR. Baci is a Buddhist ceremony to celebrate a special event such as a marriage.
    DSCF4694cc_1.jpg
  • A mahout washes Mae Khram Di, a female Asian elephant and her baby Noy An in the lake at the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) in Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. The ECC launched in association with the NGO ElefantAsia offers an innovative experience to visitors that combines conservation of the endangered Asian elephant with eco-tourism. Laos was once known as the land of a million elephants but now there are fewer than 900 living in the country. Around 470 of them are in captivity, traditionally employed by a lucrative logging industry. But captive elephants are often overworked and exhausted and as a consequence no longer breed. With only two elephants born for every ten that die, the Asian elephant, the sacred national emblem of Laos, is under serious threat of extinction. At the Elephant Conservation Center in Sayaboury province, the elephant nursery is an innovative reproduction project led by Lao mahouts and the Center.
    A0030088cc_1.jpg
  • A roadside stall selling brooms made from kok kham, a type of wild grass by Prai ethnic minority women in Sayaboury province, Lao PDR.
    A0029183cc_1.jpg
  • Alms giving (tak bat) at the That Luang festival, Vientiane, Lao PDR. Pha That Luang is the national symbol and most important religious monument of Laos. Vientiane's most important Theravada Buddhist festival, "Boun That Luang", is held here for three days during the full moon of the twelfth lunar month (November). Monks and laypeople from all over Laos congregate to celebrate the occasion with three days of religious ceremony followed by a week of festivities, day and night. The procession of laypeople begins at Wat Si Muang in the city centre and proceeds to Pha That Luang to make offerings to the monks in order to accumulate merit for rebirth into a better life. The religious part concludes as laypeople, carrying incense and candles as offerings, circumambulate Pha That Luang three times in honor of Buddha.
    DSCF3054cc_1.jpg
  • Balls of hemp fibre (cannabis sativa), Ban Vieng Hang, Houaphan province, Lao PDR. Making hemp fabric is a long and laborious process; the end result is a strong durable cloth with qualities similar to linen which the Hmong Du women make into skirts for their traditional clothing. In Lao PDR, hemp is now only cultivated in remote mountainous areas of the north.
    A0021273cc_1.jpg
  • A field of hemp growing in the Hmong village of Ban Tatong, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Making hemp fabric is a long and laborious process; the end result is a strong durable cloth with qualities similar to linen which the Hmong women make into skirts for their traditional clothing. In Lao PDR, hemp is now only cultivated in remote mountainous areas of the north. The remote and roadless village of Ban Tatong is situated along the Nam Kang river (an offshoot of the Nam Ou) and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.
    A0025912cc_1.jpg
  • Boatman/fisherman So throws a small fishing net into the Nam Ou river to catch fish, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. The Nam Ou river connects small riverside villages and provides the rural population with food for fishing. But this river and others like it, that are the lifeline of rural communities and local economies are being blocked, diverted and decimated by dams. The Lao government hopes to transform the country into ‘the battery of Southeast Asia’ by exporting the power to Thailand and Vietnam.
    A0025781cc_1.jpg
  • With her baby on her back, a Hmong ethnic minority woman in Ban Long Lan harvests Arabica coffee cherries for ‘Saffron coffee’, Luang Prabang province, Lao PDR. The coffee is grown in the high mountain peaks and plateaus in Luang Prabang over 800 meters above sea level. In November, December and January Saffron Coffee coffee farmers gather all of their family members to hand pick only the red-ripe cherries. It will take several passes over these few months to harvest all of them. These farmers were once producers of opium, but who have been impoverished by lack of a replacement crop in the wake of opium’s prohibition by the Lao government. Saffron Coffee’s goal in helping these farmers grow coffee is to give them a viable and sustainable cash crop, developing their economy, and thus giving them the ability to buy medicines and send their children to school.
    A0020482cc_1.jpg
  • A Hmong ethnic minority woman in Ban Long Lan harvests Arabica coffee cherries for ‘Saffron coffee’, Luang Prabang province, Lao PDR. The coffee is grown in the high mountain peaks and plateaus in Luang Prabang over 800 meters above sea level. In November, December and January Saffron Coffee coffee farmers gather all of their family members to hand pick only the red-ripe cherries. It will take several passes over these few months to harvest all of them. These farmers were once producers of opium, but who have been impoverished by lack of a replacement crop in the wake of opium’s prohibition by the Lao government. Saffron Coffee’s goal in helping these farmers grow coffee is to give them a viable and sustainable cash crop, developing their economy, and thus giving them the ability to buy medicines and send their children to school.
    A0020467cc_1.jpg
  • In the school holidays, a young Tai Dam girl embroiders her first sinh (traditional Lao skirt), Ban Na Mor, Oudomxay province, Lao PDR. She has been watching and learning from her mother and other female family members since she was a young child.
    A_17317cc_1.jpg
  • In the school holidays, a young Tai Dam girl embroiders her first sinh (tradional Lao skirt), Ban Na Mor, Oudomxay province, Lao PDR. She has been watching and learning from her mother and other female family members since she was a young child.
    A_17316cc_1.jpg
  • After drying on the upland field for several days, an Akha Cherpia ethnic minority woman threshes the rice sheaves with a wooden threshing tool to remove the grain before carrying back to the village in sacks.  Swidden cultivation or ’hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0019882cc_1.jpg
  • After drying on the upland field for several days, an Akha Cherpia ethnic minority woman threshes the rice sheaves with a wooden threshing tool to remove the grain before carrying back to the village in sacks.  Swidden cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation.
    A0019855cc_1.jpg
  • An early morning misty forest landscape in Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Phongsaly Province is one of the remotest of the Lao PDR provinces and is dominated by rugged, mountainous terrain and an abundance of thick forests. In the 1950s, forests covered 70 percent of the land area of Laos; but by 1992, according to government estimates, forest coverage had already decreased to just 47 percent. Despite the dwindling forest, timber and other forestry products constitute a valuable supply of potential export goods. The forest has also been an important source of wild foods, herbal medicines and timber for house construction for local people.
    A0016694cc_1.jpg
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