Realizing Forest Rights in Vietnam: Addressing Issues in Community Forest Management

This document presents selected analyses of key issues in CFM in Vietnam. It brings together contributions by leading analysts and thinkers and is organized in three main parts: Part 1 discusses issues related to the transfer of forest rights to local people through FLA. It starts with an overview of FLA policy and its outcomes by Nguyen Quang Tan and Thomas Sikor. A case study by Nguyen Dinh Tien, Tran Duc Vien and Nguyen Thanh Lam alerts readers to the fact that too much emphasis on conservation objectives may endanger the food security of the local people. Luong Thi Truong and Orlando Genotiva call for the recognition of customary land rights of ethnic people to avoid potential conflicts and to promote economic, political, and cultural development among ethnic minorities. Part 2 relates CFM to two influential policy frameworks new to the forestry sector in Vietnam. Juergen Hess and To Thi Thu Huong introduce readers to Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES), a new financing mechanism for forest management in Vietnam, and argue for the critical importance of CFM in making PFES work. Nguyen Quang Tan and Thomas Sikor argue that Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in Vietnam should employ a community-based approach to involve local people. Part 3 turns to the question of how CFM can move forward in Vietnam. Nguyen Quang Tan and Thomas Sikor start with an analysis of the rationale for community forest management in Vietnam. Using examples from various parts of Vietnam, they identify five reasons it is important to entrust local people to manage a larger share of the country’s forests. Lai Tung Quan and Suriya Vij present a case study that illustrates the importance of involving the local community in protected area management. Do Anh Tuan and co-authors argue that Vietnam’s legal framework should recognize the diversity of governance structure for CFM, including household groups in addition to entire village communities. Finally, a short essay by Thomas Sikor and Nguyen Quang Tan concludes with concrete suggestions on how to move CFM forward in Vietnam.