Developing a model of sustainable use of naturally regenerated chestnut forest in Chi Linh District, Hai Duong Province
Chi Linh is one of the two only districts of Hai Duong province which has existing forests. Before 1970s, the areas had a large area of forest, which had very high biological value and were connected with forests in other provinces such as Quang Ninh and Bac Giang. However, due to deforestation and overexploitation of forest resources, the forest has been degraded in terms of area and biodiversity value. Thanks to the great efforts of the government and relevant agencies in the 1980s and 1990s, afforestation and reforestation programmes were given high priority and successful implemented, significantly increasing the area of the forest in the area. According to the recent survey by the Forestry Inventory and Planning Institute, the forest is now the habitat for many species which are listed and classified as rare and extinct in the Vietnam Red Book.
Among the 2,500 hectares of existing forest in Chi Linh District, there are 1,200 hectares of naturally regenerated chestnut forest, which plays a very important role for upstream protection and for the economic development in the area. Most of the forests have been allocated to the community for protection. However, the forests are under the threat of agricultural encroachment of the community living in the area. Some areas of the forest have been converted into lichee orchards in recent years. Major causes of this problem is the lack of understanding of the community about economic and environmental values of the forest and especially the ineffective use and exploitation of chestnut forest resources. Income generation for the community from the forest is very limited. The community currently only collects nuts for sale. In order to protect the forest, the local Government has issued a local decree strictly applying administrative fine to the community who have violated the national law on forestry protection. One sustainable solution to address the issue is to encourage the involvement and participation of the community in forestry protection by raising their environmental awareness and transferring appropriate silviculture techniques for the sustainable use of the chestnut forest resources.
The project will be carried out in Bac An and Hoang Hoa Tham Communes, Chi Linh District. The primary purpose of the project is to control the encroachment of agriculture development in the forest area in order to protect the existing forests and generating higher income from sustainable use and exploitation of chestnut forest resources for the community. Through undertaking the project activities, the project aims to raise environmental awareness of local stakeholders and community on the issues of forestry management and sustainable use of natural forest resources.
The project develops the model which has the potential to be largely replicated in other provinces in Vietnam where there are the naturally regenerated chestnut forests, contributing to poverty alleviation for the communities living in adjacent to the forests. The project also contributes to improving the quality of the environment and the landscape in the project area where major provincial industrial parks and national historic relics are located.
Among the 2,500 hectares of existing forest in Chi Linh District, there are 1,200 hectares of naturally regenerated chestnut forest, which plays a very important role for upstream protection and for the economic development in the area. Most of the forests have been allocated to the community for protection. However, the forests are under the threat of agricultural encroachment of the community living in the area. Some areas of the forest have been converted into lichee orchards in recent years. Major causes of this problem is the lack of understanding of the community about economic and environmental values of the forest and especially the ineffective use and exploitation of chestnut forest resources. Income generation for the community from the forest is very limited. The community currently only collects nuts for sale. In order to protect the forest, the local Government has issued a local decree strictly applying administrative fine to the community who have violated the national law on forestry protection. One sustainable solution to address the issue is to encourage the involvement and participation of the community in forestry protection by raising their environmental awareness and transferring appropriate silviculture techniques for the sustainable use of the chestnut forest resources.
The project will be carried out in Bac An and Hoang Hoa Tham Communes, Chi Linh District. The primary purpose of the project is to control the encroachment of agriculture development in the forest area in order to protect the existing forests and generating higher income from sustainable use and exploitation of chestnut forest resources for the community. Through undertaking the project activities, the project aims to raise environmental awareness of local stakeholders and community on the issues of forestry management and sustainable use of natural forest resources.
The project develops the model which has the potential to be largely replicated in other provinces in Vietnam where there are the naturally regenerated chestnut forests, contributing to poverty alleviation for the communities living in adjacent to the forests. The project also contributes to improving the quality of the environment and the landscape in the project area where major provincial industrial parks and national historic relics are located.
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Project Snapshot
Grantee:
The Tropical Silviculture and Environment Research Centre
Country:
Viet nam
Area Of Work:
Biodiversity
Grant Amount:
US$ 35,952.00
Co-Financing Cash:
US$ 7,205.00
Co-Financing in-Kind:
US$ 35,627.00
Project Number:
VIE/00/007
Status:
Satisfactorily Completed
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Project Characteristics and Results
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
- Hai Duong Province is a plain province with forest only in Chi Linh and two Kinh Mon district. In the '70s and earlier, most of Chi Linh mountain area is natural high biodiversified forest connected to forest in Dong Trieu (Quang Ninh) and Luc Nam (Bac Giang).
- Of the nearly 2,500 ha of natural remaining forests, there were 1,200 hectares of pure regenerating chestnut forests, adjacent to many pure recovered chestnut forest in Dong Trieu (Quang Ninh) and Luc Nam (Bac Giang).
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- Natural forests area in Chi Linh belongs to lowland tropical rainforest ecosystems of northern Vietnam with the dominant tree species such as lim ? d? ( phía B?c ), táu- d? ( Ngh? T?nh ), gõ ? hu?nh d? ( Qu?ng Bình, Qu?ng Tr? )
- Chi Linh forest had 149 species of vertebrates on land and many other animals. There were about 530 plant varieties belonging to 105 families and 290 sub-species of which 150 timber varieties, 132 medicine varieties, 11 high valued varieties and 9 rare species listed in Vietnam Red Book.
- Income of the community did not meet the needs of life. Income from main productivity activities was from rice, fruit trees (litchi) and animal husbandry. The exploitation of the economic value of the chestnut forest was not effective so the community's income is low, incommensurate with the actual economic potential of chestnut forest. In addition to gathering chestnuts, with few households (13.6%) were beekeepers in chestnut flower season. The advantage of chestnut forest resources was taken in very low effectiveness. Because not understanding the value of chestnut forests and not exploring the potential value of forests, the community had missed sense of responsibility for protection and local governments had not respected and considered the economic development of chestnut forests to be in local economic development. Therefore, there were significantly floating/ missing time of state economic development activities.
Policy Influence
- It was effective to involve the participants from government, corporate concerned departments of the provinces (Provincial people committee, provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Forestry Protection Department), the departments of the district (District People Committee, Agriculture and Rural Development Department, Education Department, Farmers? Association, Women's Union...) and the local community where the project is actually implemented. For example, there were the commitment letter from the PPC, provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and participation on project design from Chi Linh forestry plantation, Bac An commune and Hoang Hoa Tham commune.
- There were co-financing commitment from the recipients and beneficiaries as following:
? 127,512,870 dong from PPC of Hai Duong.
? 16,000,000 dong from authorities in Bac An and Hoang Hoa Tham communes.
? 270,196,500 dong from people in community to take part in the project.
? 54,000,000 dong from the grantee.
- Local authorities and communities had enhanced responsibilities in protecting the chestnut forest, especially an issuance of the convention on forest protection and development. Provincial People Committee issued Directive no. 21/CT-UBND to prevent the encroachment of natural and planted forest for litchi plantation. When the project numbered VIE/00/007 was implemented, people consciously and voluntarily make the protection of natural forests and plantations have created conditions for Directive 21 of the province made more effective. The project contributed termination of encroachment issue in Hai Duong forest according to Directive no. 21 of the province.
There is potential for a policy link with forest protection and management.
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