Reforming the Canopy: Southeast Asia’s Uneven Fight Against Deforestation

 

Southeast Asia is home to some of the most vital—and vulnerable—forests on Earth. Yet the region’s green canopy is under immense pressure, with over 3 million hectares lost in 2024 alone. As the world edges toward climate tipping points, countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand find themselves on radically different paths in the race to reform. From REDD+ incentives to rubber plantations, it’s a story of ambition, inertia, and in some cases, outright regression.

Cambodia: A Tale of Targets and Contradictions

Cambodia has pledged to restore forest cover to 60% by 2050, but actual deforestation continues at an alarming clip—170,000 hectares lost in 2024 alone. Community-managed forests now span ~270,000 hectares, with promisingly low deforestation rates (<0.5% annually). However, these gains are undercut by government approval of new dams and hydropower projects in the $11M REDD+ Cardamom Mountains, threatening carbon offset zones and indigenous land. It’s a patchwork strategy that risks unravelling under the weight of extractive development and weak enforcement.

Laos: Quiet Reform, Global Credibility

Laos, with ~78% of its territory still forested, has emerged as a surprising reform leader. It lost 355,000 hectares in 2024—largely from shifting agriculture—but earned a “low-risk” designation under the EU’s 2025 Deforestation Regulation. Key to this is the $17M UNFCC CliPAD project, which protects 2 million hectares and targets an 11.7 million tCO₂e emission reduction. Paired with participatory land-use planning and village forest management, Laos is threading a cautious yet credible pathway toward sustainable forestry.

Myanmar: Reform in Name, Regression in Practice

While the junta claims to be increasing forest cover to 50%, the reality is grim: Myanmar's forest cover has slipped to 42.15%, with illegal logging rising in conflict-ridden regions like Bago Yoma. Armed groups on both sides of the civil war are implicated in deforestation-for-finance, undermining projects like the Restoration Initiative (TRI). REDD+ efforts have largely stalled. In short, true reform is impossible without peace and accountability.

Thailand: Stability with Stumps

Thailand paints a mixed picture. Although official figures claim 31.5% forest cover, independent satellite data suggests continued deforestation—120,000 hectares lost in 2024, mostly to eucalyptus, rubber, and palm oil expansion. The government aims for 40% forest cover by 2037, backed by tree-planting drives and national parks. But critics argue this masks a deeper issue: plantation forests displacing biodiverse ecosystems, and weak indigenous rights and national park or wetlands protections. Policy exists, but enforcement lags behind economic pressures.

A Forest Future in the Balance

Together, these four countries illustrate Southeast Asia’s forest crossroads. Where Laos moves with quiet purpose, Myanmar bleeds green amid conflict. Cambodia’s dual-track reform struggles to reconcile hydropower ambition with climate pledges, while Thailand risks trading real forests for monoculture mirages. True reform will demand not just laws—but land justice, local leadership, and long-term vision rooted in both ecology and equity