THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY DO THI HIEN TOPIC TITLE: RESEARCH ON CORRELATION BETWEEN FOREST MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN BAO THANG DISTRICT, LAO CAI PROVINCE: LOCAL PEOPLE'S PERCEPTION AND POTENTIAL USES OF GIS TECHNOLOGY BACHELOR THESIS Study Mode: Full-time Major: Environmental Science and Management Faculty: International Training and Development Center Batch: K42-AEP Thai Nguyen, 20 January 2015 I Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry Degree program Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management Full name DO THI HIEN Student ID DTN1053040044 Research on the correlation between forest management and climate change in Bao Thang district, Lao Cai Thesis title province: local people's perception and potential uses of GIS technology Assoc Prof Dr Hoang Van Hung Supervisor Abstract Bao Thang, located in the central of Lao Cai province and having Red river flowed through, is a typical industrial district which is essential to the socio-economic development of the province As a result of industrial zone expansion, Bao Thang environment and biodiversity are declined both in quality and quantity, especially forest communities Bao Thang forests recover from past clearing or heavy harvest, and forest carbon stores are growing larger over time However, the industrial emissions from burning fossil fuels in the this district is captured only about 10% by forests Although private forest use in Bao Thang has been regulated, illegal deforestation still takes place This study seeks to assess current status of forest management practices and effects of climate change by observing local people's perception on these fields as well as to find out potential uses of GIS technology at local level The results showed that Bao Thang residents are highly aware of the climate change impacts and willingly to take actions though some constraints still exist Moreover, GIS is also applying in Lao Cai as a whole, which promisingly will come to local level (Bao Thang in specific) in the near future In addition, the study suggested some recommendations specifically suitable for study areas in order to improve sustainable forest management practice for forest owners and managers Keywords Bao Thang, GIS, Lao Cai, perception, sustainable forest management Number of pages 50 Date of submission January 20, 2015 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author thanks Mr Do Van Hai for making this report accomplished A special appreciation to the local people who provided information, and to many K42 classmates, teachers from AEP office and lecturers including MSc Nguyen Huu Tho, Dr Nguyen Manh Ha and Dr Ho Ngoc Son, who provided guidance, critics and encouragement And finally, thanks to Assoc Prof Dr Hoang Van Hung, who enthusiastically reviewed and corrected this report into its final form Student DO THI HIEN TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS PART I INTRODUCTION .8 1.1 Research rationale 1.2 Research's objectives 10 1.3 Research questions 11 1.4 Limitations 11 PART II LITERATURE REVIEW 12 2.1 Theoretical background 12 2.2 Practical background 20 2.2.1 Researches in the world 20 2.2.2 Researches in Vietnam 21 PART III METHODS 22 3.1 Material 22 3.2 Methods 22 3.2.1 Survey questionnaires .22 3.2.2 Observation .23 3.2.3 Data collection 23 PART IV RESULTS 24 4.1 General description of the study area 24 4.1.1 Topography .24 4.1.2 Geology .24 4.1.3 Meteorology 25 4.1.4 Extreme events 25 4.1.5 Ecology .25 4.2 Current status and climate change impacts 26 4.3 Roles of forest in climate change 30 4.4 Survey results 31 4.3.1 Importance of climate change 31 4.3.2 Impact of climate change 32 4.3.3 Adaptation and mitigation .33 4.3.4 Support for climate change 34 4.4 Potential uses of GIS technology 34 PART V DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 39 5.1 Discussion 39 5.2 Recommendation 41 5.3 Conclusions 43 REFERENCES 44 APPENDIX 47 Appendix Survey questionnaires 47 Appendix Survey result summary (in percentage) 52 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Bao Thang map Figure 2: Lao Cai map Figure 3: Land surface temperature map Figure 4: Land cover map Figure 5: Aspect map Figure 6: Contour map Figure 7: Digital Elevation Map LIST OF TABLES Table I: Forest status quo of study areas in Bao Thang district, 2013 (ha) Table II: Temperature and precipitation changes in 21st century Table 1: Gender Table 2: Time living and working in this Bao Thang Table 3: Residents' awareness of climate change over the last few decades Table 4: The trends of changes, driven by climate change and/or other forces Table 5: The importance of climate change compared to the other challenges Table 6: Effects of climate change Table 7: Aspects affected by climate change in the next decade Table 8: Awareness of national policies, strategies or legislation aimed at climate change that have a direct or indirect impact on the forest sector Table 9: Respondent percentage implemented modifications to forest management plans or practices due to the impacts of climate change Table 10: Awareness of effects of climate change on forests and the options for climate change adaptation and mitigation Table 11: Willingness to undertake climate change adaptation and mitigation actions Table 12: The greatest constraints limiting forest managers' ability to undertake climate change adaptation and mitigation actions in Bao Thang Table 13: Necessary assistance to address climate change in your area? Table 14: Support acquisition to forest management and climate change issues LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS UNEP: United Nations Environment Program RS: Remote Sensing GIS: Geographic Information System LULC: Land Use and Land Cover AR4: The fourth Assessment Report IPCC: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change UNDP: United Nations Development Program REDD+: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation GHGs: Greenhouse Gases RECOFTC: Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific NGOs: Non-governmental Organizations PART I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research rationale Almost every nation has been addressing the threat of severe climate change, mostly through policies aimed at reducing the buildup of greenhouse gases Natural ecosystems, counting forests - a critical link in the global carbon cycle, play a vital role in the mitigation of global warming Forests are crucial both for their large existing reservoirs of carbon (called “pools” or “sinks”) and because of the ongoing net flow of carbon from the atmosphere into that forest reservoir called “flux” As consensus grows about the accumulative, grave impacts of climate change, the role of forests in carbon storage is increasingly recognized as one of the easiest options to deal with these effects Better or sustainable forest management is thus one of the foremost strategies to mitigate global climate change Forest is a precious resource needed to maintain current conditions of environment as well as to meet the needs of human beings by supplying multiform of resources It is a part several cycles on Earth such as water and carbon ones However, since human population increases with considerable growing rate and high density particularly in urban areas, people tend to exploit more and more to ensure food security, firewood and raw material for the socio-economic development, putting pressure on natural resources in general and forests in specific Thus, the decline of forest resources has become a common and pressing issue of the world, especially for developing countries including Vietnam which is well-known with high hills and mountains and 14th place in population Recently, overexploitation and natural disasters such as landslides and fires are causing forest resources deteriorated substantially in both quantity and quality, leading to air, water and soil problems due to the loss of CO2 storages, soil erosion, land use change, and unbalanced natural cycles, which results in the influence on economic, public health, and social benefits that these ecosystems provide The challenge for humans and modern science is to understand and regulate the effects of these changes, and the complex interaction between human and biotic systems at various scales, typically at local level to acquire more accuracy Improving local people's understanding and knowledge of the consequences of land use and land cover change is a critically important to address the current major science issues relating to climate change Contemporary, Vietnam is facing with many environmental problems that have impacts on socio-economic development at local and national levels The increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere exaggerates climate change process, thus more extreme weather events, such as tropical storms, floods and droughts take place Those natural disasters have become a pressing issue for Vietnam government who is in charge of the people’s prosperity as well as for future development of the country Lao Cai, one of the provinces situated on the Sino-Vietnamese borderline in the northwestern part of the country, is home to some vast expanse of primal forests with several kinds of rare timber plants such as Po Mu ( Fukiena), Lat Hoa (Chukrasia Tabularis), and Cho Chi The province is also the habitat of many kinds of medicinal herbs and rare animals including deer, wild boar, tigers and others However, the rate of forest degradation in the area is exacerbated by human activities Topography of Lao Cai is very diversified with rivers, high mountain peaks, steep and high mountain passes, deep streams and wide valleys but it is also one of the obstacles to apply modern technology in environmental monitoring Bao Thang, located in the central of economic sectors, particularly the energy sector, industry, and agriculture The adaptation strategy should aim to minimize the negative consequences of climate change, and to support ecological and productive functions of the forests through supporting their role in the biochemical cycles, biodiversity, agricultural landscape protection, soil and water protection, production of wood and non-wood forest products, and other social services Listed below are some recommendations that should be taken into consideration for sustainable forest management: The improvement of forest protection methods against wildfires; the application of more advanced measures aimed at forest protection against pests; the introduction of resistant tree species, and supporting the highest productivity in the forecast climatic conditions are essential for local people to directly and effectively carry out the adaptation and mitigation approaches that benefits both sides The development of the scientific and methodological knowledge for forest protection against pests and diseases and enhancement of scientific research work dealing with the selection and introduction of new forest species which is resistant to the forecast climate changes are long-term strategies for sustainable forest management and development Increase in forest user responsibility for forest preservation and creation of a stimulus system aimed at supporting forest management activity directed at supporting social and ecologically important functions of the forests are action plan in order to deal with incentive and finance issues 42 It is crucially important to conduct personnel training and support sustainable forest management systems Plus, additional research is needed to help us better understand carbon cycles under different forest types and management regimes Combining GIS technology and local people's knowledge may bring us positively surprising results 5.3 Conclusions Bao Thang residents' activities have significant impacts on Bao Thang forest ecosystems, thus they become more and more vulnerable to climate change The local people are highly aware of the impacts, drivers and future trends of climate change over the last few decades as well as in the next one The forestry sector needs to evaluate the long-term effects of climate change on forests and determine what the community might now and in the future to respond to this threat Vietnam forest management has been affecting the timing and direction of forest adaptation at national level, but in many situations, including Bao Thang circumstance, society will have to adjust to forests adapt at local level Adapting to climate change in the face of the uncertain timing of impacts means we must have a suite of readily available options A high priority will be coping with and adapting to forest disturbance while maintaining the genetic diversity and resilience of forest ecosystems As Vietnam develops a longterm strategy to reduce climate change impacts, it is also individual's responsibility to protect our existing stores of forest carbon as well as to enhance the forest capacity to fix additional carbon in the future In addition, GIS application at local level combining with the involvement of local people will promisingly become one of effective strategies for future management practices 43 REFERENCES Book Benson N (2008) Climate Change, Effects (In Philander S G edited) Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change, Vol -3, Sage Publications, Inc Heltberg, R., P B Siegel and S L Jorgensen (2010) Social Policies for Adaptation to Climate Change, in Social Dimensions of Climate Change: equity and vulnerability in a warming world (edited by R.Mearns and A Norton) 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(2007 ) Mapping carbon sequestration in Forests at the regional scale- a climate bio-monitoring approach by example of Germany Retrieved from: http://www.enveurope.com/content/23/1/31 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (accessed on 11/10/2014) 46 APPENDIX Appendix Survey questionnaires LOCAL PEOPLE'S PERCEPTION ON FOREST MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE SURVEY FIELD DATA SHEETS Researcher: DO THI HIEN I GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION Please fill in your information and circle the correct answer about yourself Date of interview:………………………………………………………………… Full name:…………………………………………Gender: Male Female Age group: Under 18 18-65 Over 65 Commune:…………………………………………………………………… II BACKGROUND ON LAND MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGES Please circle the correct answer about yourself How long have you stayed in the village? a - years b 5-9 years c 10-15 years d Over 15 years Do you feel that the climate in your district has changed over the last few decades (or during the time you live and work here)? a Yes b No If yes, in what ways you think the following trends, driven by climate change and/or other forces, have impacted the forests that you own or are responsible for? Please rate the following questions by means of checking each as: High impact Low impact Don't know Medium impact No impact 47 Increase in extreme weather events (e.g storms, droughts, landslides) Increase/decrease water availability More frequent and severe forest fires More outbreaks and damage by pests and diseases Changes in forest habitat and biodiversity Altered forest productivity and ecosystem services How important would you consider climate change when compares to the other challenges faces in forest management Please rate the following questions by means of checking each as: Extremely important Somewhat important Important Not important Land use conflicts Governance issues Limiting or perverse government policies Economic feasibility Access to financial resources Lack of information and/or technical assistance 48 What effects of climate change in your district would you consider particularly important from a forest owner's perspective? Please rate the following questions by means of checking each as: Very important Somewhat important Important No effects Don't know Increase in extreme weather events (e.g storms, droughts, landslides) Increase/decrease water availability More frequent and severe forest fires More outbreaks and damage by pests and diseases Changes in forest habitat and biodiversity Altered forest productivity and ecosystem services Increase in extreme weather events (e.g storms, droughts, landslides) How might forests and people in your district be affected by climate change in the next decade? Please rate the following questions by means of checking each as: High impact Low impact Medium impact No impact Don't know Change in quantity and quality of wood supply Loss of forest ecosystem services Increased uncertainty in the supply of wood and non-wood forest products Higher production and delivery costs for forest products Loss of forest based employment Loss of biodiversity III REGULATION ROLE OF GOVERNMENT 49 Has your government developed national and local policies, strategies or legislation aimed at climate change that have a direct or indirect impact on the forest sector? a Yes b No c Don't know Have you made any modifications to forest management plans and/or practices due to the impacts of climate change on the forests you manage or own? a Yes b No c Don't know Do you understand the effects of climate change on forests and the options for climate change adaptation and mitigation? Please rate the following questions by means of checking each as: Well understood Somewhat understood Not understood Don't know Effects of climate change on forests Forest adaptation options Forest mitigation options Do you feel that you have the capacity to undertake climate change adaptation and mitigation actions? a Yes b No c Don't know 50 In your view, what are the greatest constraints limiting forest managers' ability to undertake climate change adaptation and mitigation actions in your district? a Lack of finances or financial incentives b Lack of technical knowledge c Lack of clarity of existing regulations d Lack of conviction that it is important e Lack or poor access to information f Lack of interest In your opinion, what assistance would you require to address climate change in your area? a Policy and financial incentives to undertake adaptation b Policy and financial incentives to undertake mitigation c Improved public awareness on forests and climate change d Improved access to training and technical assistance e Improved access to technical information f Access to loans Do you receive any support (e.g technical and financial assistance, capacity building etc) related to forest management and climate change issues? a Yes b No 51 Appendix Survey result summary (in percentage) Table 1: Gender Response Count Male 82 Female 18 Table 2: Time living and working in this Bao Thang Response Count 0-4 years 5-9 years 10-14 years 15 years or more 15 Count 16 17 52 Table 3: Residents' awareness of climate change over the last few decades Response Count Yes 100 No Don't know Table 4: The trends of changes, driven by climate change and/or other forces Increase in extreme weather events (e.g storms, droughts, landslides) Increase/decrease water availability More frequent and severe forest fires More outbreaks and damage by pests and diseases Changes in forest habitat and biodiversity Altered forest productivity and ecosystem services High impact Medium impact Low impact No impact Don’t know 28 51 16 28 44 18 29 32 21 11 23 36 25 10 24 37 26 16 50 23 52 Table 5: The importance of climate change compared to the other challenges Land use conflicts Extremely important 28 Important Governance issues Limiting or perverse government policies Economic feasibility Access to financial resources Lack of information and/or technical assistance 37 Somewhat important 27 Not important 23 42 27 24 43 24 26 45 23 27 40 25 32 42 20 Table 6: Effects of climate change Increase in extreme weather events (e.g.storms, droughts, landslides) Increase/decrease water availability More frequent and severe forest fires More outbreaks and damage by pests and diseases Changes in forest habitat and biodiversity Altered forest productivity and ecosystem services Increase in extreme weather events (e.g storms, droughts, landslides) Very important Important Somewhat important No effects Don’t know 41 44 11 44 32 18 40 31 21 33 37 24 3 30 39 19 26 40 23 27 40 26 53 Table 7: Aspects affected by climate change in the next decade Change in quantity and quality of wood supply Loss of forest ecosystem services Increased uncertainty in the supply of wood and non-wood forest products Higher production and delivery costs for forest products Loss of forest based employment Loss of biodiversity High Impact Medium Impact Low impact No impact Don’t know 28 34 29 39 33 19 29 37 23 23 35 28 11 25 27 33 11 45 38 Table 8: Awareness of national policies, strategies or legislation aimed at climate change that have a direct or indirect impact on the forest sector Response Count Yes 60 Count No 24 Don't know 17 Table 9: Respondent percentage implemented modifications to forest management plans or practices due to the impacts of climate change Response Count Yes Count 42 No 47 Don't know 12 54 Table 10: Awareness of effects of climate change on forests and the options for climate change adaptation and mitigation Well understood Somewhat understood Not understood Don’t know 54 42 44 49 49 44 Effects of climate change on forests Forest adaptation options Forest mitigation options Table 11: Willingness to undertake climate change adaptation and mitigation actions Yes No Don't know Response Count Count 65 23 12 Table 12: The greatest constraints limiting forest managers' ability to undertake climate change adaptation and mitigation actions in Bao Thang Lack of finances or financial incentives Response Count Count 76 Lack of technical knowledge 62 Lack of clarity of existing regulations 46 Lack of conviction that it is important 45 Lack or poor access to information 45 Lack of interest 55 Table 13: Necessary assistance to address climate change in your area? Policy and financial incentives to undertake Policy and financial adaptation incentives to undertake Improved mitigationpublic awareness on forests and climate change Improved access to training and technical assistance Improved access to technical information Access to loans Response Count Count 77 74 67 60 56 14 Table 14: Support acquisition (e.g technical, financial, capacity building etc.) to forest management and climate change issues Response Count Yes No 69 Count 31 56 [...]... interviewing local people in Bao Thang district with the following objectives: - Identifying current status of forest management and climate change impacts in Bao Thang district, Lao Cai province - Identifying local people's perception on forest management and climate change adaptation and mitigation actions - Identifying the potential uses of GIS technology in the study area 10 - Recommending possible intervention... declining continuously and have global environmental implications He indicated the world wide consequences of deforestation as - change in the way of life of local people, extinction species, loss of undefined reservoir of genetic resources, increased erosion from wind and water, and increased desertification; increased runoff to rivers, 14 resulting in flooding and future erosion; reduced transpiration... will result in unfavorable conditions for the main forest- forming species In addition, the currently dominant species will continue to grow in the changing conditions, but during the adaptation period their condition may also deteriorate According to annual report from Bao Thang Forest Protection Division in 2013, the main effects of this impact are predicted, first of all, the growing areas of several... negatively affect the patterns of climate, the patterns of natural hazard and socio-economic dynamics in global and local scale Therefore, available data on LULC changes can provide critical input to decision-making of environmental management and planning the future Forest ecosystems represent the dominant form of land cover in Bao Thang province Given satellite, administration and land images, GIS can produce... clarity of existing regulations, lack of conviction that it is important, lack or poor access to information and lack of interest There are 76% respondents choosing lack of finances or financial incentives as the most constraints, and 62% picking lack of technical knowledge The least selected constraint was lack of interest in implementing climate change measures with only 4% who also belong to the old... climate change threat modification, effect prevention, change in land-use or activity, location change, furtherance of research on better methods of adaptation and behavioral change (Pittock, 2009) Going by the range of options of adaptation, it is rational to settle for prevention rather than cure 19 2.2 Practical background 2.2.1 Researches in the world There are thousands of researches in the world in. .. intervention actions and suggestions for further research and better management practices in the study area 1.3 Research questions The research was conducted in Bao Thang district - located at 22°22'56"N and 104°10'38"E, Lao Cai province from September to December It focused on agevarying indigenous people, immigrants, and those who are working in the district and the feasibility to apply GIS and technology. .. cycles, succession dynamics, and forest ecological and social functions These effects will have an impact on the forests of Bao Thang to various degrees So far, Bao Thang has little actual data on climate change impact on forest plantations (in terms of changing reserves, sustainability, dieback and restoration of forests) according to the annual forest report of Bao Thang district (2013) Forest dieback... involvement of local people and application of GIS technology is important to address relevant issues on forest management and climate change in Bao Thang to answer the question: what trends can we expect in our forests if the climate becomes drastically warmer in 2050? 1.4 Limitations Inadequate data is one of the limitations that the thesis only covered the general problems rather than intensive studies... 4.3.4 Support for climate change Following on from the constraints to implementing climate change measures, respondents were asked what assistance they would require to address climate change The most selected options were policy and financial incentives to undertake adaptation (77%) and mitigation (74%) actions in forests 4.4 Potential uses of GIS technology The increase of carbon dioxide and greenhouse ... status of forest management and climate change impacts in Bao Thang district, Lao Cai province - Identifying local people's perception on forest management and climate change adaptation and mitigation... management and climate change in Bao Thang district, Lao Cai Thesis title province: local people's perception and potential uses of GIS technology Assoc Prof Dr Hoang Van Hung Supervisor Abstract Bao Thang, ... mitigation actions - Identifying the potential uses of GIS technology in the study area 10 - Recommending possible intervention actions and suggestions for further research and better management