A community-based forest protection team patrols in primary forest in Song Kon commune of Quang Nam province's Dong Giang district. The patrols are part of an effective protection of forest in Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces. (Photo courtesy of A Siu) Quang Nam (VNS/VNA) - Community-based forestprotection has helped improve the management and conservation of largeareas of natural forest as it promotes the role and responsibility of localpeople on 7,833ha in Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces.
An initial assessment from the report ‘Strengthening CivilSociety to accelerate conservation efforts in Central Annamites, which wasfunded by the Swedish International Development Co-operation (SIDA) and jointlyimplemented by WWF-Vietnam and NGO GreenViet, unveiled that 545ha degradedforest area in Thua Thien Hue had been restored during the first phase ofthe project in 2018-23.
The project, worth 1.73 million SEK (Swedish Krona) or 1.67million, also helped improve the income of communities in Dong Giang district,while expanding the forest for the grey-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrixcinerea) – a critically endangered primate species – in Tam My Tay commune inQuang Nam province.
“Community-based forest management is seen as a positive solution in theconservation and protection of the primary forest. We recognised thatthe forest needed the involvement of the local people tobe well protected, and limit illegal violations,” said Nguyen DinhPhuoc, from WWF-Vietnam’s Thua Thien Hue office.
“For example, a 545ha area of degraded forest in A Luoi and Nam Dong districtshad been increased to medium forest standard (with timber reserves from 100 to200 cubic metres per hectare) in the five-year period of the project,” hesaid.
“The initial outcomes of the project persuaded the provincial people’scommittee of Quang Nam to continue community-based forest management atseven communities in Dong Giang and Nui Thanh districts,” he shared.
He added the project also offered a livelihood for 1,480 households livingnear primary forest by boosting forest farms and sustainable forest productexploitation.
A 3-ha pilot farm of black saffron (Curcuma zedoaria) and a 50-ha rattan farmwas developed by the Co Tu ethnic group in the villages of But Tua, Bh Lo Ben,A Roch and A Lieng in A Tinh and Song Kon communes in Quang Nam province.
Briu Tu, 35, in Bh Lo Ben village, said 49 households, who joined thecommunity-based forest protection teams, have benefitted from the farmblack saffron project.
“We established agriculture co-operatives with members from forest protectionteams. Saffron farming helps members earn an extra income,” Tu said.
“The pilot saffron farm created revenue of 225 million VND (9,900 USD) from theprocessed root after seven months. We have been building the One-Commune-One-Product(OCOP) brand to serve community-based tourism,” he said.
Ploong Ninh, 39, a member of a forest protection team, said his team wasassigned to patrol four jungle areas in a 2,200-ha forest in A Rochvillage with well-equipped devices for easy reporting.
“Almost all residents in the village stopped illegal logging or hunting inthe jungle since the project began in 2018. It’s because strange poachers canbe easily found by us or warned by villagers,” he said. “Patrol teams weretrained with global tracking tools and skills from WWF-Vietnam and GreenVietto improve jungle management.”
A Rat Chung from the Song Kon forest management board said black saffron andrattan farms had been an adaptive option for local people to reduceover-exploitation in the jungle (with logging and wildlife hunting by traps).
Hoang Quoc Huy, deputy director of GreenViet, a local NGO on biodiversityresearch, said 70% of the community joined forest patrols with a fee of 400,000VND per hectare.
“Patrol team members often earned 300,000 VND (12 USD) per day from non-timberproducts such as the bamboo sprout, bee honey, jungle herbs and snailsduring jungle trips,” Huy said.
He said the number of violations in the jungle has reduced by 30% per yearas livelihood options were offered during the five-year project period.
Huy said community-based forest management was highly appreciated by thelocal ethnic Co Tu group living near the forest.
“Being in the jungle is a habit and lifestyle for generations of Co Tupeople, and they respect the forest as the village's God. Local people havebeen benefiting from forest products and jungle farms as well aspayments from regular jungle patrols,” he explained. “They (local people)will have more chances for funds from NGOs such as WWF-Vietnam throughlivelihood changes and management in forest conservation projects.”
In expanding conservation for 69 grey-shanked douc langurs in Nui Thanhdistrict, Quang Nam province has allocated a 60ha forest and alogging farm into protected areas in 2020-30.
WWF-Vietnam plans to expand community-based forest protection to a widerarea in Quang Trị and Quang Nam in the second phase of the project, accordingto Phuoc.
The five-year project in Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam was seen as a positivesample for effective forest management by improving the livelihood ofjungle-based communities, he concluded./.
