(VientianeTimes) Mr Noulinh Sinbandhit is now the man in charge of managing the country's natural resources after officially becoming head of the newly created Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on Friday.

This ministry was created by merging the National Land Management Authority (NLMA) with the Water Resource and Environment Administration (WREA) and several portfolios from other ministries including geology and forestry management and protection.

The new ministry was established to develop and implement policies in relation to land and natural resource management.

As the new minister Mr Noulinh replaces Mr Kham-ouan Boupha who had been NLMA President since 2006 and Ms Khempheng Pholsena who was the chairperson of WREA.

During Friday's ceremony in Vientiane, for Mr Noulinh assumed his ministerial position replacing Mr Kham-ouan who will retire.

Deputy Prime Minister Mr Asang Laoly and other high-ranking officials witnessed the event.

The ceremony to replace Ms Khempheng with Mr Noulinh was held a few weeks ago giving the minister the capacity to develop and implement government policy in the sector.

Ms Khempheng is now Minister to the Government Office. Mr Noulinh had been Vice Chairperson of WREA for many years before being appointed to the ministerial post during the first session of the National Assembly in June this year.

He has committed to devote all his energy and experience to ensure success in the sector in order to maximise the socio-economic benefits.

Government officials said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment aims to centralise the management of natural resources in order to protect the environment and ensure sustainable development.

The new ministry will mainly focus on the management, monitoring and assessment of the use of resources and the contribution they make towards poverty reduction and economic growth in the country.

The government is aware that natural resources and the environment play an important role in the development of Laos, necessitating good management in order to maximise benefits and prevent exploitation.

This year, the government has made changes to its structure and now has 18 ministries and three ministry-equivalent bodies - the Bank of the Lao PDR, Government Inspection Authority, and the Government Office.

The government has established four new ministries and merged sectors that had overlapping work in order to achieve goals outlined in the current five-year plan.

The four new ministries are Home Affairs; Natural Resources and Environment; Science and Technology; and Post, Telecoms and Communication.

The official ceremony for cabinet reshuffle took place on July 7 following approval from the NA in June.

The reshuffle started with Mr Somdy Douangdy taking the position of Planning and Investment Minister, replacing Dr Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune who assumed a new role as Head of the Government Office.