SOMSAK SAE-LAO, an assistant village chief in the small Nan community of Pang Kob, still has no idea whether his villagers could be subject to any benefits for helping protect surrounding forest under a global scheme known as REDD+, if implemented here.

Forest experts and officials are trying to redefine “forest”, in an attempt to improve forest management in the country amid a variety of definitions applied for different government plans and policies, leading to frustration and lack of unity among concerned authorities.