The primamry aims of the planning grant are to promote the participation of key stakeholders of the proposed project, including local authorities and relevant agencies and communties, and provide scientific assistance for the project development. Major activities of the project include conducting surveys on socio-economic conditions of the proposed project site, identifying proposed project objectives and activities and assessing their feasibility, and providing needed technical assistance in project design and writing project proposal which will be submitted to GEF/SGP for review and appraisal; and identifying possibilities for project synergies and resource mobilisation.
Cunninghamia Hagata, which was firstly discovered in Nghe An in 1964, belongs to the family plant Taxodiacea. It is listed in the Plant Red Book (1996) as a critically threatened species. This species is under the threat of extinction due to deforestation in the area. The community, especially the H'Mong people living in the area has adopted slash and burn cultivation practice for years. The forest has been cleared for agriculture production, especially for opium crop. It is also the tradition of the H'Mong people to use the wood of this species for housing construction materials.
The proposed project aims to contribute to conserving this species and rehabilitating the forest ecosystem in the high mountain in the project area. It is intended to be carried out in Tay Son Commune, Ky Son District, Nghe An Province, where several populations of Cunninghamia Hagata grow and exist. A survey on the distribution of this species in the project area and research on biological characteristics of this species will be carried out. Techniques to promote natural forest regeneration in order to conserve this species and to rehabilitate the forest ecosystem in the high mountain will be transferred. It will also test techniques in sowing and planting this species. In addition to raising community awareness and encouraging and supporting the H'Mong people to use other housing construction materials instead of wood from this species, the proposed project will give priority in increasing community income to encourage them to tear up their opium poppies through developing agroforestry model with a suitable crop structure.