Community Forestry Program in Vietnam
Program in Vietnam brings benefits of forest conservation to local people
Community Forestry in Vietnam
The survival of forests is in the hands of the local people who live in and around them. Too often, forest conservation is promoted by city people and conservationists overseas, who do not spare much thought to local people. They do not consider the cost to local people, or try to compensate them for lost earnings.
Programs of community forestry aim at bringing the benefits of forest conservation to local people. In Vietnam, this program is based on a contract between the local community, and the Government. Local people agree to look after the forest and share the proceeds (sometimes on a 50/50 basis, sometimes 60/40, depending on the amount of labor involved. If local people plant trees, their share is higher than if they look after an existing forest).
The local community which signs the contract is usually a village or hamlet. However, it might also be another kind of group such as a women's group or a farmers' union.
In the first few years of any communal forestry project, the government pays the group a small sum of money, generally around 45-50,000 Dong (US$3-4) per hectare per year. In return, local people protect the forest against illegal logging, clear fire breaks, thin timber as needed, and prevent forest fires. They are allowed to collect as much dead wood Programs of community forestry aim at bringing the benefits of forest conservation to local people. In Vietnam, this program is based on a contract between the local community, and the Government. Local people agree to look after the forest and share the proceeds (sometimes on a 50/50 basis, sometimes 60/40, depending on the amount of labor involved. If local people plant trees, their share is higher than if they look after an existing forest).
The local community which signs the contract is usually a village or hamlet. However, it might also be another kind of group such as a women's group or a farmers' union.
In the first few years of any communal forestry project, the government pays the group a small sum of money, generally around 45-50,000 Dong (US$3-4) per hectare per year. In return, local people protect the forest against illegal logging, clear fire breaks, thin timber as needed, and prevent forest fires. They are allowed to collect as much dead wood as they want. A few non-economic species can be cut as firewood.
If they want to build a house, they can get permission to cut down trees, but they are not allowed to cut timber for sale. They can gather mushrooms and wild herbs from the forest.
Reforestation
Like most Asian countries, Vietnam has areas of slopelands with poor soils which were once forested. Marginal for agriculture and vulnerable to erosion, timber is the best crop for such areas. However, it is some time before people get a return from planting forests. Contracts between the government of Vietnam and local people also cover reforestation.
The contract may be signed with a single farm household, or with a local group. After signing the contract, local people are given a piece of land on which to establish a forest. The amount of land involved depends on the size of the group. A community may receive as much as 100 ha. A single household usually receives around 5 ha.
Those who sign the contract are allowed to select which species they want to plant. For example, women's groups may want to plant fuel species for firewood, while men's groups may prefer to plant timber species as a cash crop. The government supplies the seedlings, and any technical support which may be needed.
The government pays for forest establishment, and shares the profits from the harvested timber. The rate of payment varies according to the situation, but the top rate is about 1.4 million Dong (c. US$100) per hectare. In return, the group would be expected to clear the ground by hand and prepare their own seedlings. The government pays less if it has to provide help with clearing, or supplies the seedlings.
Information Needs
More research is needed on the impact of the communal forestry program, including the ecology. Just as important, but more difficult to measure, is the impact on the economy of the local people, and any social changes the program has brought about.
Upland peoples traditionally enjoy the communal use of resources on an informal basis. How has this attitude been affected by the communal forestry program?
Index of Images
Figure 1 Clearing Scrub and Planting Forest Trees in a Community Forestry Program, Vietnam
