Laos is one of the few countries in Southeast Asia that still has close to 50 per cent of its land under forests. In the 1960s, the country’s forests covered 70 per cent of Laos’ land area. By 2010, this cover had declined to 41 per cent. There are various drivers of forest cover loss in Laos, including infrastructure development, hydropower evelopment and the conversion of forests to cash crops and industrial tree plantations. Also significant are ‘slash and burn’ cultivation methods: about 80 per cent of the country’s population live in rural areas and engage in such agricultural practices. Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is a program that could help to reduce further forest destruction in Laos. REDD is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. REDD+ goes beyond targeting deforestation and forest degradation and includes a focus on the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.