Assessing the impact of forest land tenure devolution on the sustainability of forest dweller communities in Central Vietnam
Creators: name: Nguyen, Minh
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 441003
subject: Rural sociology

description: Forest land is not only an important part of forestry production but also the foundation of the social and environmental wellbeing of the indigenous communities in the mountain areas of Vietnam. This study examined the reality and implications of the Forest Land Allocation policies of the Vietnamese government on sustainable forest management programs in Central Vietnam. While acknowledging the positive impacts of FLA policies in the mountainous communities of Central Vietnam, the study sought to determine whether current methods for evaluating the FLA are appropriate or sufficient to contribute to the improvement of FLA policies in the context of a push for sustainability that values the three pillars of sustainability equally. In addressing the question of how land tenure devolution policy has affected the sustainability of indigenous communities in Central Vietnam, this study argues that strong sustainability, rather than weak sustainability, would be a more suitable guide to forest land use practice because strong sustainability principles appreciate the economic, social, and, especially, the intrinsic environmental value of the natural forest. 

Since the 1990s, the Vietnamese government has made changes to the country's land laws to allocate more land use rights to indigenous communities. Since then, several forest management programs have featured in the government’s forest land tenure allocation policies. Examples include Program 327, Program 661, the World Bank’s Forest Sector Development Project (FSDP), and the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) forest plantation loan program. 

Obtaining forest land use rights have indeed assisted the indigenous communities to invest in a wider range of livelihood activities, such as agroforestry and the development of timber production plantations. Adopting a case study approach, this research examined the World Bank’s FSDP and the VBSP’s forest plantation loan program in Central Vietnam. For these two cases, the strong sustainability and weak sustainability impacts on indigenous communities from their respective forest management programs were evaluated using the drivers-pressures-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model. 

Data analysis demonstrated that forest plantations, mostly acacia plantations, increased the weak sustainability of the forest dweller communities by improving their economic situation. While the economy improved, it was at the expense of the country's natural forest. Additionally, the DPSIR model enabled this study to identify the core issues associated with the forest land allocation policies. In conclusion, this research recommends five steps to be taken that would improve the implementation of forest land tenure devolution, including avoiding misconceptions of sustainability, embracing the concept of silviculture, enhancing the forest certification program, improving forest monitoring and optimizing cropping design.