1 COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT IN HOA BINH - SOLUTIONS Tran Duy Ruong, researcher Department of Forest Economic Research – Forest Science Institute of Vietnam Background The process of implementing multi-sector economic policies and the movement towards forestry strategy, from State’s forestry management to people’s forestry management appear a lot of new factors, especially diversification of forest resource management approaches - Community participated in in forest management is one the forest management forms attracted the interest in the central and local levels. In terms of Vietnam history, community forest has long existed in the communities based forest. Especially in recent years, derived from forest management requirements, some other provinces as well as Hoa Binh province has allocated forest lands to communities (villages, households ) for management with stable use and long-term in forestry purposes. Of which community is a forest owner. In addition, the community also participated in a contracted forest protection, forest regeneration and new plantation of the State organizations. In some areas the forest management with the participation of local communities living near forests is the feasibly socio - economic forest management model, in accordance with traditional production of many ethnic groups in Vietnam. - A series of questions are raised, such as: location, how is the role of community in forest management organization system in Vietnam? should government encourage development of community forest? What are potential issues in the development of community forests? How is the legal framework which needs to be established to encourage community participation in forest protection and development? Starting from the above requirements, this report contributes to clarify the current status, potential, trends and arising issues in the process of developing forest communities in Hoa Binh. It helps the policy maker to identify the urgent requirements from forest resources management for the proposed supplement, to modify or set up new policies to create a favorable legal framework for community to participate in forest development and protection particular in Hoa Binh and general in Vietnam. I. Objectives To assess the community forest management status of Muong ethnic communities in Hoa Binh, and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the community forest management, 2 and provide recommendations as well as solutions to encourage community participating in sustainable community forest management. II. Methodology - To collect documents related to community forest management and materials related to the habits of Muong ethnic in natural resource use. - To interview forestry management staffs at all levels of the province, district, commune and village, and to interview members of community at Kim Son commune, Kim Boi district - Hoa Binh based the questionnaires. III. The concepts of community forestry Community forestry is defined in many ways, there was also different. The broader definition used this term to refer activities related to the relationship between people and trees. The narrower definition focused on forest management by local communities have their own interests. According to FAO 1978, Community Forestry and Social Forestry terms used to indicate the forest management is closely linked with local people. These terms related to community forest, community forest management is much discussed in the scientific community as well as in the projects recently. Despite the national workshop on community forest, so far, there is not any a unity for using these terms in Vietnam. According to the Arnold 1992, the general definition of community forestry (CF), it is a term covering a wide range of activities between rural people and forest trees as well as the products and benefits derived from forest trees. Community Forest Management (CFM) is understood as the participation of local people, groups of households or households in the management, protection and use of forests and forest land. Community directly manage community forest as well as forest of other organizations. CFM term is often used to refer to the management of group trees of people groups. CFM is a way of speaking community forestry naturally limited and a method applies only for forestry land, with no directly participation of agricultural technique as well as agricultural extension. CFM term in Vietnam as we understand that the involvement of local communities in the management (organizes and controls activities in accordance with certain requirements) of 3 forest area (assigned by the State or under the traditional management right), or the forest areas of other State organization through the contract. In summary, community forest management should be seen as a way of management, use and protection of sustainable forest resources and also allows local people have the right management, long-term use of forest resources, the benefits for local people and is used for rural development. This model is formed on the basis of indigenous knowledge of local people. IV. Community forest management status in Hoa Binh 4.1. Social and economic condition 4.1. 1. Population and administration Hoa Binh Province has 10 districts and 1 city, including 195 communes and 11 towns, 8 wards with population distribution and labor in 2006 as follows: - Population, ethnic groups: Hoa Binh has many ethnic groups living (Muong, Kinh, Thai, Tay, Dao, Hmong, other ) with a population of 822,545 people including 410,096 males and 412,449 females. - Population distribute not equal, the highest population density (Hoa Binh city 643 persons/km2), the lowest population density (Da Bac district 64persons/km2). - Urban Residents: 125,077 people, accounting for 15.2%, rural: 697,468 people, accounting for 84.8%. 4.1.2. Overall assessment of socio-economic development in Hoa Binh Province - For Economics: The economics of Hoa Binh province has stably growth in recent years, the value of the gross domestic product (GDP) increases an average 8% per year. The economic structure shifted towards positive, increasing proportion of industry and services, reducing the proportion of agro-forestry and fishery. However, the province of the starting point is low; province’s GDP per capita is lower than the national average GDP. - For Society: People living standard is more increasingly and political security, social order has been maintained in over the province. Number of employees was increasingly addressed jobs, the rate of poverty households significantly reduced. However, according to new poverty criteria, the household poverty rate of the province remains at high level (31.1%). income/capita is 4.3 million/ per year ( 83% higher than it in 2000). However, the income/capita/month at Hoa Binh Province remains low compared with the whole country. 4 4.2. Forestry production status in Hoa Binh province 4.2.1. Forest resource status and forest management of Hoa Binh Province Table1: Forestry land is divided into 3 types of forest and forest types (natural forest, plantation forest, and land without planted forest). Unit: ha Divided into 3 forest types Natural land area of province Total area PH SX DĐ Forestry land 333,453 129,735 161,582 42,136 1.Natural forest land 148,650 90,497 24,819 33,334 2. Plantation forest 53,252 8,736 43,582 934 3. Cleared Lands 131,551 30,502 93,181 7,868 Source: Forest Protection Department of Hoa Binh Province Currently, Hoa Binh has four nature reserve management boards under the Forest Protection Department, one critical forest protection board for watershed of Da river, Hoa Binh Forestry Company of Vietnam Forestry Cooperation has 7 plantations over Hoa Binh province. - Hoa Binh forestry relatively develops, plantation forest area replants and newly planted forest exploited from 7.000 to 9.000 ha every year a, Natural forest - Forest botany: Hoa Binh’s natural forest is a semi-evergreen jungle forest type, half-raining in tropical season, forest plants are quite plentiful and various, divided into the following sub- types: + Evergreen forest in plateau: Distributing at height from 800 - 1000m, mainly in Da Bac district, a few at Kim Boi district, Lac Son. Average forest has reserves wood from 110-150 m3/ha. + Evergreen forest in mountain: Distributing at altitudes below 800 m, it was primeval forest exploited, the impact at many different levels; value wood trees have been exploited out, leaving only most trees less economic value, forests are mainly poor forest, restoration forest, wood reserves from 30-50 m3/ha. + Limestone mountains forest: dangerous rocks, the forest has two layers: on the above layer mainly: Bassia, teak,etc below layer mainly: Oro, Hoocquang, bassia,etc. Forests are distributed in the Mai Chu district, Lac Son, Tan Lac. Forest plant system of Hoa Binh province is quite rich; wood tree has about 995 species, in 180 groups. 5 - The situation of forest restoration: Results of forest regeneration showed that most of IC and IB blind area designed for forest regeneration, if it is well protected; after 7-8 years will be restored in young forest without reserves. There is a deep soil layer, moisture, land is still forest land form, so the recovery time of natural forests relatively fast in Hoa Binh province. b) Plantation forest: Protection forest is grown and developed at medium level, while the growth of production forest is well-developed (due to productive forest is planted mainly Acacia mangium, Acacia hybrid can grow quite fast and suitable with Hoa Binh area) with an average yield 60-90 m3/ha for a cycle 6-9 years. c) Assessing forest volume: There has not been conducted any assessment survey of forest volume in Hoa Binh province, and therefore it is necessary to carry out soon inventory survey of overall forest and forestry land, including inventory forest volume. It is scientific base for forest valuation, forest allocation, forest lease, forest land and planning construction and protection and development forest at grassroot level. 4.2.2. Land allocation and forestry land status in Hoa Binh Hoa Binh Province conducted natural forest allocation to households under the Government Decree No. 02/CP dated on January 15, 1994, completed the identification the owner of these forest since 1999. Land and forest allocation status in Hoa Binh was shown in Table 2 below: Table 2: Forest area and planed lands for forestry sectors based the ownerships Types of forest land Total area State enterprises Forest management board Other business organization Household Commu nity Other institution Armed unit People committee (not allocation) Natural area 466,714.3 30,099.6 30,886.8 549.6 373,103.1 - 20,133.8 2,822.0 9,119.4 I. Land planed for forest 210,533.2 15,050.5 23,602.4 451.8 169,193.5 - 1,287.2 877.2 70.7 A. Natural forest 147,513.9 7,174.9 22,959.5 8.0 115,900.7 - 698.2 772.7 - 1. Wood forest 45,470.8 3,217.4 8,214.8 - 33,928.1 - 104.4 6.1 - 2. Baboo forest 8,446.7 463.1 230.8 - 7,746.1 - 6.7 - - 3. Mixed forest 8,822.0 219.0 400.4 - 8,202.6 - - - - 4. Mangrove forest - - - - - - - - - 5. Limestone forest 84,774.5 3,275.4 14,113.5 8.0 66,023.9 - 587.1 766.6 - B. Plantation forest 63,019.3 7,875.6 642.9 443.8 53,292.8 - 589.0 104.5 70.7 1. Reserve forest 44,301.2 5,213.8 465.7 332.8 37,911.5 - 268.2 76.4 32.8 2. Unreserved forest 18,428.2 2,661.8 145.1 106.1 15,128.4 - 320.8 28.1 37.9 3. Bamboo 284.9 - 32.1 - 252.8 - - - - 4. Specialty tree 4.9 - - 4.9 - - - - - II. Land and mountain without forest 115,974.3 8,941.3 3,931.4 43.1 101,785.0 - 659.8 222.4 391.3 1. Ia (grass) 66,268.8 4,961.8 2,409.2 1.9 57,980.9 - 450.4 78.9 385.7 2. Ib (shrub,wood and bamboo) 21,472.5 1,960.7 379.5 0.8 19,086.7 - 4.5 40.3 - 3. Ic (recycled woods ) 23,600.8 1,859.3 808.3 40.4 20,835.6 - 33.5 18.1 5.6 6 4. Limestone without forest 4,632.3 159.5 334.4 - 3,881.9 - 171.4 85.1 - 5. Sand, marsh, land was violated - - - - - - - - - III. Other land 140,206.8 6,107.8 3,353.0 54.7 102,124.6 - 18,186.9 1,722.4 8,657.4 According to Hoa Binh province’s statistic, there is no case of forest allocated to community, but in fact natural mainly protection forest have been allocated to community under various form of use such as some people in village or leader village's name or group of people. Recently, some people who are managing the community ask the authority for getting the permission to covert the community forest to household forest lands. Therefore, many conflicts occurs in the local communities. The traditional forest management customs of ethnic communities in Hoa Binh still exist and there are many places replied on principle of community to protection forest. Some places people do it well , some places people do it not so well lead to the phenomenon of forest loss 4.2.3. Community forest management status of Muong ethnic in Hoa Binh 4.2.3.1.CFM at Mo village, Kim Son commune, Hoa Binh Muong ethnic at Mo village - Kim Son commune - Kim Boi district - Hoa Binh with 246 households and 1281 population. The village manages 531.1 hectare community forest, with clear boundaries, community forest area mostly located in remote places, complicated terrain. - The status of forest is natural mixed forest degradation; there are diversity plant species in forest including many indigenous trees such as canarium, walnut, styrax and dracontomelum. - Most of wood forest is in groups of IIA, IIB, regeneration tree, the average diameter of about 20-25cm, remain some woods of low quality with diameter approximately 40cm in difficult exploited terrains. 4.2.3.2. Organizations relates to Community forest management a, Village leader - On behalf of village people builds up village’s conventions, issues rules to protect forest and forest land. He is considered and allowed households to exploit appliance logging; - When forest fire occurs, illegal forest exploitation of village and household, the village leader mobilizes village police, militia, local people to participate in extinguishing fire, preventing of violations of forest law. - If people in village violated village’s conventions, the village leader will organize the meeting and based on village’s convention to penalize. For example, if it is light violation, he/she must pay 30kg rice fine, then increase 50kg, 100kg and the heaviest can be reached to a ton of paddy. 7 b, Co-operative - With the consent of Village people’s committee and village leader, the head of a co- operative was authorized to sign newly planted forest and natural forest protection contract, planted forest for the entire village of Management Board 661 - The co-operative charges fee management, this fee used for village welfare projects. c, Household : - Participating in patrols to protect village’s forest - Households are the main beneficiaries from the village forests. When household has demand for building house, it will be considered by village for allowing wood, bamboo exploitation in the village. There are many families every year permits village to exploit logging for household use (build house, coffin ) d, Other forces - Chairman and Secretary of Party committee of the commune, village groups are determined to work for village, community protects and develops community forest. It is always ready to mobilize forces to community forest protection when necessary. 4.2.3.3. Benefits from forest Community forests brings many benefits to people such as wood, other forestry products, environmental protection, water resource for farming activities as well as daily for local people. 4.3. The advantages and disadvantages in community forest management 4.3.1. The advantages in community forest management in Hoa Binh Village community based organization of the Muong people in Hoa Binh is well organized, village leaders are democratically elected. Most Muong communities have an internal convention and highly effective, it was showed that the relationship of village members closely with social aspect. Rewarding and punishing mechanisms by community convention proved to be effective.  Potential labor is abundant, especially in leisure period. If local people are guided to protect, develop and forest use technique, they will respond positively to the forestry development programs improving living standard of each Muong family and community.  Indigenous knowledge systems related to forest protection and development. Indigenous knowledge is considered the most effective for forest management, including knowledge of soil classification, forest classification, and animal forest classification, knowledge of exploitation and use products from forest. This is a really favorable factor for participation of community to manage and protect local forest. 8  Forest plays an important role in community life. The interviews showed that forest has an important role in the production of life or spiritual significance to the community. They have existed with the forest as inseparable parts of human ecology.  High community of local people. Muong people in Hoa Binh as well as most of the local ethnic community are high community. This is a favorable factor for the development of community rules on resource management including forest resources. 4.3.2. The disadvantages in community forest management in Hoa Binh  The community forest in Hoa Binh was used and named by some of villagers, this legal aspect was not strictly, leaded to the dispute and conflicts that leads to the loss of community forest.  Community forest management in village is a volunteer organization, the investment of village in community forest is very limited  Educational level, awareness of Muong people as well as other ethnic communities in remote areas is still low, indigenous knowledge has not been promoted. Low education and undeveloped culture are conditions preventing to the process of access knowledge and advanced technology in forest management, in accordance with local circumstances.  Difficult economic circumstances people: Poverty alleviation work has always been considered by the government at all levels; however, the rate of household poverty rate remains high in Hoa Binh province concentrated mainly in remote and mountainous areas. Poverty is the cause makes them less conditional to interest, invest for protecting and developing forest  Market for agro-forestry products has not yet developed: Market is one of the decision factors to people’s product activities. Especially non-timber forest products market has not developed lead to low efficiency in forestry product and reduces the attractiveness of forest protection and development activities.  Agricultural and forestry extension activities have still not developed. Forestry extension activities have not developed so that people have a little chance to access the forestry technique achievements, improved the efficiency of production activities. Therefore, they are not actively involved in forest protection and development.  State policies on community forest management are still inadequate. Until now there has not been any written law in Vietnam refers to the legal position of the community, not recognizing the legal rights and responsibilities of local community as a real forest owner, the legal documents for investment and credit have not regulated village community is entitled to borrow investment capital and investment priorities under the Law on Domestic Investment Promotion when engaged in forestry activities. 9 4.4. Recommending some solutions to engage community in forest management 4.4.1. The economic solutions  Economic support. Capital support to develop a high economic efficiency of plants and animals. Most households are lack of investment capital for argo-forestry development. Many households have labor, land the available and desire to develop high economic efficiency in agriculture crops and livestock to increase household economic income. These are strong points and also high efficiently and sustainably products activities.  Supporting Capital to develop local business, increase income, reduce leisure time, and reduce pressure on forests. Sponsor capital to develop some potential local businesses such as tree planting and processing medicinal herbs, rattan, weaving, bee keeping, processing of agricultural products Local people mainly focused on the development of sub trades and it is considered as one of important potential for economic development and social stability in local.  Investing in infrastructure development. Especially transportation system to the village, the school system and electric network are defined as one important solutions for improving people's knowledge, strengthening economic and cultural exchange, thereby improving management capability to manage resources, including forest development and protection management.  Investing in developing forestry business. Forestry business includes wood, non-timber forestry products as well as processing of forest products is awareness by local government as one of feasible solutions to improve the economic efficiency of business forests, create economic attractiveness for community participation in forest protection and development.  Investing in further development on the forest areas has high economic and ecological value in land not in use. Investment to reforestations on the unused area is one of the measures both increase people income and reduce pressure on forest resources  Investing in development inter-activities both ensures to forest conservation goal and economic development goals. It is necessary to invest in exploiting the potential for ecotourism based on the habitat of the forest. If it is well-managed, it will create significant revenue sources to improve people livelihood and investment returns for further forest development.  Investment in developing forestry products market. Local forestry products market does not develop, especially in non-timber forest products such as pharmaceutical materials, rattan, oil, plastic. Most forest products are not stable prices, due to less quantity and other reason is lack of market information. This is the reason why people don not focus 10 on forest business and production. The investment on development of forest market both increases in economic income and attracts local people to protect and develop forest.  When natural forest allocation for community to manage and use. There should be authorized the community have the right decision of exploiting and using forestry. It is needed to confirm community forest is assets of the community; the community has the responsibility to manage and use forest products under the law of protecting and developing forest. 4.4.2. Social solutions.  It is necessary to definitely address using some people name to community forest allocation. There has been occurred conflict between forest owners name (previously representative name for village community) and community managed forest to replace this forest owners by the name of community forest  Propaganda and educational to raise people’s awareness about the economic value, ecological forest, encouraging people to actively participate in forest protection and development. So far most people awareness that forest to be considered stock of resources. With the nature of renewable resources, forest is a precious material for production, a giant factory continuous production different types of forest products. Strengthen propaganda and education to raise people's awareness about the economic value, great ecological forest and those values serves for socio-economic development is one of the social solutions to engage people in protecting and developing forest activities.  Implementation of agro-forestry land use planning. Some locals still have not land use planning. Forest area as well as land for forestry development is often invasive to turn into other types of land. Therefore, stable land use planning in conjunction with land and forest allocation will help any forest land area has itself owner. This is an important basis legal for community participation in forest protection and development  Set up organization for forest management at the commune level. It is necessary to build forestry management system have enough capacity to implement and monitor protecting activities and business at commune level under the provisions of the State.  Set up community organizations relates to protect management and forest development at commune level. Social organizations such as the Peasant, Women Union, Veterans’ Association, the Party organizations, Communist Youth Union play a huge role in mobilizing people to implement the Party and State's policies contribute social stability, creating favorable conditions for development and production activities. For rural and mountainous areas in general and in particular in Hoa Binh activities of forest protection and development related closely with community organizations. Community actively [...]...participate in resource management solutions, when it has suitable solutions, community is a force to implement the State policies of resource management In contrast to, if the solutions are not appropriate, they become interfere forces, even in opposition to the state in resource management activities Hence, the solutions of forest resources management needs to develop towards combining protecting activities,... forest protection department and forest protection and management forces on the same area Therefore, it is needed to well-coordinated to perform effectively common tasks in which encourages people participate in protecting forest and preventing destroys on forest resources Capacity development in community forest management Completing convention of CFM in each local community When establishes convention... appropriate solutions to enrich forest, enhance of forest growth, the poverty situation and low economic value of forests also lasts for many years They are easy being invasive, narrow and affect the sustainability of forest With the view of forest protection and development must depend on forest wealth, the construction of demonstration models of forest business is highly considered effective technology solutions. .. people's lives, increasingly demand for the cultivated area but also lead to people continuous exploiting forest to have more supplement their income It is needed to study technical measures to improve crop yield, livestock in farming system and to be 11 considered as a factor reducing the pressure of community life on forest resources These technical measures that can be focused on improving farming technique,... developing forest resource and production activities to improve people living quality, united benefits of people and national interests in the activities of forest protection and development Build up a combine regulation between forest protection department and commune authorities It is thought that one of the causes of effective forest management is not high due to lack of well-cooperated between forest. .. encouraging people towards forest protection and development The content of the demonstration models to include newly planted species or grows more high economic value species including both trees and non-timber forest products which could meet people demands for forest products, and demand of goods, thereby reducing pressure on forest At present, most of ethnic minorities’ people use farming methods... democratic and approved by community Then this convention must be recognized by the People's Committees at all levels 4.4.3 Technology science solutions To set up research plan to control community forest as a basis for community manages and sustainable uses of forest community To conduct the researches to build up demonstration models with high efficiency in forest business Poor forest has low economic... prevention, forest fire In fact, forest fire is always occurred at the local, forest fire reduced grass productivity, destroying many species of non-timber forest products under the forest canopy To establish effectively research plan for fire prevention and forest fire are necessary and the local people identified that this is one of solutions increases efficiently and attractively economics of forest. .. animal breeds Besides disseminate knowledge, technology transfer, it is needed to pay attention to improve household’s knowledge about economic management, supply market information for households have exactly decision on doing business To revise and disseminate indigenous knowledge related to forest protection and development needs to be preserved and deeply disseminated in the community of ethnic groups... crop restructuring from food crops to industrial crops, fruit, specialty crops, improving livestock group that first as cattle To strengthen agricultural and forestry extension activities have not developed Because of low of intensive farming technique level and people breeding techniques results to people economic life is not high Hence, there is needed to enhance agricultural and forestry extension . development of community rules on resource management including forest resources. 4.3.2. The disadvantages in community forest management in Hoa Binh  The community forest in Hoa Binh was used. Hoa Binh Province remains low compared with the whole country. 4 4.2. Forestry production status in Hoa Binh province 4.2.1. Forest resource status and forest management of Hoa Binh Province. disadvantages in community forest management 4.3.1. The advantages in community forest management in Hoa Binh Village community based organization of the Muong people in Hoa Binh is well organized,