Community participation in Mat Forest Watershed conservation at Meung Kham District, Xieng Khouang Province, Lao PDR

This study examined community participation in Mat Forest Watershed Conservation at Meung Kham District, Xieng Khouang Province, Lao PDR, and analyzed socioeconomic factors associated with that participation. A structured interview survey was conducted with 167 randomly selected households from three villages — Ban Yodkeo, Ban Xam, and Ban Viengkham — using the Taro Yamane formula (1973) at 95% confidence level. Four conservation activities were assessed: forest management planning, forest boundary demarcation, tree planting, and forest patrol. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Chi-square tests at a 0.05 significance level. Results showed that most households participated in tree planting (85.00%) and forest boundary demarcation (74.30%), while forest patrol (34.10%) and planning activities (14.40%) had lower participation rates. Chi-square analysis revealed that age and education level were significantly associated with patrol participation (p<0.05), and monthly income was significantly associated with both boundary demarcation and patrol activities. Gender, occupation, and ethnicity showed no significant association with any conservation activities. The study concludes that targeted awareness campaigns, financial support, and capacity-building programs for community members — particularly focusing on older and less-educated groups — would improve overall participation in watershed forest conservation.