Use the links above to see more photos.

Any way you slice it Laos is a poor country. But it's rich in minerals, as well as flora and fauna. Development here, has been slow but it's picking up speed and is creating the usual problems.

With a rise in commercial and illegal logging, poaching, strip mining, slash-and-burn agriculture - you name it - much of the pristine forest and the endangered species it contains are in peril of disappearing forever.

Laos, with the help of the many NGO's here, is trying hard to maintain what it has, while at the same time helping people raise their standard of living. It's a delicate balancing act.