After 10 years of enforcement, Law on Forest Protection and Development (LFPD) has created an enabling legal framework for forest governance and provided a structure for the participation of different stakeholders, contributing to the increase in forest coverage, socio-economic stability and poverty alleviation. Nevertheless, due to the impacts of the development of market-oriented economy and increased economic integration of Vietnam into global market as well as emerging climate change issues, LFPD has started to reveal some weaknesses related to forestry structure, State management of forest and forest land, and the consistency in policies on land and natural resource management.
In order to provide inputs for the amendment and supplementing of LFPD 2014 and to better forest protection as well as to improve daily life of local communities, given the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), VNGO-FLEGT network in collaboration with Forestry Sector Support Partnership (FSSP) and Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) conducted a community consultation at village level to collect opinions on issues related to the implementation of LFPD in 3 provinces, namely Bac Kan (December 4 -8, 2013), Thua Thien Hue (November 30 – December 5, 2013) and Lam Dong (December 2-12, 2014).
The research sites were selected according to a set of criteria, defined by the research team of VNGO-FLEGT network consisting of experienced officers and experts in the field of forestry and law research and evaluation, which include large forest coverage, conducting land and forest allocation and having rich source of statistical data. Based on those criteria, in Bac Kan province, the consultation led by Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) in collaboration with other member organizations of VNGO-FLEGT network including People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), the Research Institute for Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Certification (SFMI), Center for Application Research Transfer Science and Technology in the Northwest (CARTEN), The Centre of Forestry Economics - Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences was conducted in Cho Don and Na Ri district. Meanwhile, Center for Central Rural Development (CRD) and CORENARM decided to choose Nam Dong and A Luoi district in Thua Thien Hue province to carry out the consultation. In Lam Dong province, Lac Duong, Duc Trong and Di Linh districts were selected by Research Centre for Forests and Wetlands (FOWET) and lectures from Ho Chi Minh University of Agriculture and Forestry to hold consultation with village-level communities and households.
The research revolves around land and forest allocation policies of protection and production forest to households and villages. Moreover, it focuses on the rights and obligations of households and village-level communities which are allotted land and forest. Secondary data and results collected from the consultations will be synthesized to provide comments on the current implementation of the LFPD especially in terms of land and forest allotment to households and local communities. Furthermore, the drawbacks of current LFPD will be examined and reflected in the research. The network then will base on those findings to put forward suggestions or recommendations on the amendment and supplementing of LFPD and other related legal documents, thereby making them more practical and consistent.
Findings of the research conducted by VNGO - FLEGT network were presented at the feedback workshops held in the three provinces, which were participated by the Network Steering Committee, the representatives of different provincial departments such as Department/Bureau of Agriculture & Rural Development, Department/Bureau of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Forestry, Forestry Department Protection and representatives of village-level communities and households.
Based on research on the implementation of LFPD in Bac Kan, Thua Thien Hue and Lam Dong, a joint report for the three provinces will be presented by VNGO-FLEGT network at the national conference, which is scheduled in February 2014, to share the research findings and recommendations with governmental agencies.
- SRD -
Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD)
No.31, Alley 19 Kim Dong Street, Hoang Mai District, Ha Noi
Phone: +84 24 3943 6676/78 | Fax: +84 24 3943 6449
