Location, topography, and resources

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  Land/forest: The province was also rich in forest resources however due to logging and rapid development in the province land use and forest areas have been changed rapidly. Provincial records suggested that BKX has about 981,207 hectare (ha) of industrial crop field and 59,103 ha of cultivated land of which 34,063 ha is for rice fields, 21,091 ha of secondary crops fields, 3,950 ha of slash and burn fields. Forest area by type is about 413,646 ha of dense evergreen forest, 500,306 ha of scrubland forest, and 585,009 ha of mixed forest. There are about 468,628 ha of forest reserve (46% of total forest in the province) comprising 296,170 ha of national, 152,829 ha of provincial, and 19,639 ha of district. In addition, there are 257,945 ha of production forest, 285,646 ha of protected forest, and 27,416 ha of total forest plantation area (13,362 ha own by company and 14,054 ha by individual), and 8,473.6 ha of reforestation area. The province has registered tree plantation covering 981,207 ha. BLKX (along with KM and SVK) is one of the main tobacco producing areas of Laos and also one of the main producers of sugar cane and oranges however many of the areas are being converted for rubber plantation.
  
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  Biodiversity: The province shares part of the three large national protected areas (Nakai–Nam Theun, Nam Kading, and Phou Khao Khouay) which are known to be home for many endangered species. Wildlife hunting for local consumption and export has been identified as an issue in the province while wildlife trafficking was also periodically caught.
  

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  Water resources: BKX is rich in water resources. Apart from Mekong river there are many important rivers including Nam Xan, Nam Ngiep, Nam Kading, Nam Mang, Nam Thuen, and others. At present, there are three large hydropower projects i.e. Nam Theun 2 (1,070 MW), Theun Hinboun, and Theun Hinboun extension are in operation and stimulated socioeconomic development in the area. A few more hydropower projects (NT1) are under preparation and expected to be operated during the next 10 years. Increasing competition in water uses/allocation and water pollution in some area are expected.
  
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  Minerals: BKX is also rich in minerals (tin, limestone, gypsum, clay, phosphorus, and sand and there are gold mining, tin mining, and extraction of limestone and sand at present. It is expected that there would be more prospection and/or exploration on tin, copper, gold, and salts (potassium, sodium, magnesium) in the future.
  

12. Administration, population, culture, and socioeconomic: In 2013, BKX is divided into 7 districts (i.e. Pakxan, Thaphabath, Pak Kading, Bolikhan, Kamkert, Viengthong, and Xaychampon), 28 Kumban, 411 Ban (village), 46,304 households (HH) with a total population of 271,656 of which nearly 50% is female. Majority (80%) of the people practices agriculture. Average growth rate is about 2.4% and average population density is 15 people per km2, and average income was about 8 million kip per capita per year (in 2010).

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  Ethnic Communities (EC): According to provincial data regarding ethnic communities, Bolikhamxay has 22 ethnic communities and 2 special groups including Lao majority which is about 60% of total population in the province (see Table A1.1 below). According to WB definition of indigenous peoples, ethnic groups (EG) will be applied to the non-Lao majority.
  

Table A1.1: Number of ethnic communities households (HH) in Bolikhamxay (provincial data 2014)

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  Socioeconomic and tourism: BKX is rich in culture, water, forest, biodiversity, and other natural resources. Given its location, BKX is the gate way connecting Vientiane Capital and the southern part of Lao PDR as well as connecting Thailand and Vietnam along the east-west corridor (Road #8), development activities in BLKX, especially in Pakxan District, has been rapid and it is expected to be accelerated during the next 5 years.
  

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  Cultural: There are also many cultural sites/land marks (Wat Phabath and Wat Phonsanh). The province identifies 74 tourist sites of which 9 are for cultural, 3 historical, and 62 natural tourist sites.
  
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  Issues: Key issues in BKX include soil quality degradation, land management, loss of production land for ethnic groups due to forest clearing (slash-and-burn cultivation, logging, forest destruction, mining, and hydropower construction), chemical use in agriculture, and degradation of cultural resources. Capacity of the province to address these issues remains weak due to limited number of qualified and experience staff and limited operation budget, vehicles, and other equipment/tools necessary for management and monitoring.
  

2. 
   Xiengkhouang province (XK)
   

Location			Culture

13.