Illegal logging threatens Laos forests, government urged to increase penalties.
Laos is facing deforestation due to illegal logging by commercial contractors. A study used a model to analyze this issue in a specific region. The results suggest that the forest stock may fall below the government's target level. To address this, the government could increase contract values, contract durations, or fines for illegal loggers. The model is a simplified version of a complex problem, and further improvements are suggested.