Once a densely forested country, Viet Nam today is left with only 10 percent closed tropical forest. Majority of its remaining forest cover are found within the mountainous midland and upland regions. Over 50 ethnic groups inhabit this region.

The period of 1943 to 1983 saw massive loss of forest cover in Viet Nam. About 50% of its forest was cleared during the four decades of intensive utilization. Government's focus on agricultural development between 1954 and 1965 increased extraction for timber and non-timber forest products. In 1991, the Ministry of Forestry classified as barren 10 out of 19 million hectares of designated forestland stripped of forest cover.

Until 1990, forest management in Viet Nam was under the direct control of the state. In 1991, new legislations and plans in Viet Nam provided a new framework for greater people's participation in forest management. Veering away from exclusive state control over forests, private households replaced state forest enterprises in managing the country's forestland.

The 1993 Land Law further strengthens people's extensive use rights over agricultural and forestry land. It enables individual households, groups of households and organizations to exercise rights of transfer, lease, mortgage and even transfer of rights for inheritance.

During pre-colonial period, ethnic communities practicing sustainable forest management approaches inhabited Viet Nam's forests. Today, these practices, though recognized by the state, have yet to be translated into policies that will institutionalize their important role in forest management.

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NATURE OF COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT

What is community management?
In the Viet Nam context, 'community' is always an entity smaller than the commune, which is the smallest administrative structure of government. 'Community' refers to a group of households in a village, to the whole village in a commune, or to a clan of an ethnic group. The group is customarily considered 'community' when there is a process for building consensus among village members to follow agreed rules and regulations; which becomes the basis for forest use, maintenance and protection. Vietnamese practitioners describe such forest management driven by initiatives on the ground as "spontaneous" management.

Where are the CFM areas?
NWG-CFM identified 94% of the 2.35 million hectares under CBFM occurring in the northern parts of Viet Nam (northeast, northwest, north central) and the central highlands, which are areas with high ethnic populations. Allocated areas have been found in both forested and bare lands. NWG-CFM considers forestlands allocated to households and individuals as not included under CBFM but included it under a broader category of CFM.


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POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION ENVIRONMENT

Viet Nam is yet to have a formal CFM policy. However, CFM has been recognized using implementation guidelines of various national policies, such as:

• Land Law (1994) giving communities rights to exchange, transfer, lease, mortgage and pass on land for inheritance
• Law on Forest Protection and Development (1991) banning exports of unprocessed logs
• Decree 327 (1992) on the role of the village for projects implemented in barren land
• Communist Party Resolutions (1993, 1996) on traditional customs and village level regulations
• Decree 2/CP (1994) and Decree 163/CP (1999) on forestland allocation and lease to individuals, households, and organizations for long-term purposes
• Decree 29 / CP (1998) and the ensuing Prime Minister Decision 24 (1998) on implementation of Democracy at Village Level.
• MARD Circular 56 (1999) regarding guidelines on compilation of village regulation on forest management.

Areas under CFM have government acknowledgement through different ways:

1. Local authorities (commune, district, province) providing 50-year land use rights based on decree 2/CP first issued in 1994 and updated in 1999. More than 50% of the total area under CFM has been acknowledged this way.
2. State organizations (forest enterprises, watershed boards, or protection units) sub-contracting their protection functions to villages in exchange for payment. Almost 40% of the total area under CFM was acknowledged this way.
3. Different levels of government (commune, district, province) negotiating with ethnic communities prior to any intervention recognizing traditional use (burial grounds, water source, hunting area) and customary regulations in a forest area. Almost 10% of total CFM area has been acknowledged this way.

These forms of village management, however, are presently not included in national figures for forestland allocation. The Civil Law of 1995 says that only organizations with clear organizational structures, recognized or established by authorities, and in possession of assets can be allocated forestlands and enjoy benefits accruing to recognized management systems (such as households and registered organizations) recognized by government.

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LOCAL CONTEXTS

Northeastern Viet Nam

Land Area: 669,072 ha
Limestone Areas: 227,600 ha
Forest Cover: 208,585 ha (96% natural ; 4% plantations)
Areas Under CFM: 122,511 ha (55% from local authorities)
Population: 497,000
Forest Dependent People: 430,000 (87% of total population)
Districts with CFM: 12 districts

One landscape feature that stands out for visitors in Northeast Viet Nam is the majestic limestone outcrops abruptly jutting out of near planar surfaces. The main ethnic groups managing natural resources in the region are the Tay, Nung, Dao, Hmong and San Chay. Resource use practices are closely tied to their worship of ancestors and influenced by Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.

Northeast Viet Nam accounts for 36% of the country's 1.15 million hectares of stone mountains, with limestone concentrated mostly in the provinces of Cao Bang and Lang Son. Some can be seen in other parts of northern Viet Nam, in the provinces of Lai Chau, Ha Giang and Quang Binh.

Local people value the limestone forests beyond their stunning beauty. Farmers see them as a source of water supply for paddies below. With karst environments having a complex water balance, the water-regulating capacity of the steep slopes of these mountains can make or break their season's harvest. For households, they are a source of fuelwood, medicinal plants and housing materials.

However, Viet Nam's northeastern eco-region has the poorest forest cover on its mountain areas, with only 18% of limestone mountains forested. Other areas in the north average between 45%-65% vegetation cover on limestone mountains.


Cao Bang Province

Land Area: 669,072 ha
Limestone Area: 227,600 ha
Forest Cover: 208,585 ha (96% natural; 4% plantations)
Areas Under CBFM: 122,511 ha (55% from local authorities)
Population: 497,000 (as of 2000)
Forest Dependent People: 430,000 (87% of total population)
Districts with CBFM: 13

Cao Bang is a mountainous province in Northeast Viet Nam. Forestland accounts for 64% of its total land area. Different types of forest management have evolved through the years in the province, including State, collective and individual management.

Indigenous forms of resource use management have been in practice by ethnic communities largely comprising the population.

Cao Bang is known for its considerable achievements in rehabilitating forests on limestone mountains. In Quang Uyen District, Phuc Sen Commune provides an overview of Viet Nam's evolving resource management forms.

Forest Management in Phuc Sen Commune


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Land Area: 1,300 ha
Forestland: 1,010 ha
Areas Under CFM: 404 ha (village managed), 606 ha (household managed)
Population: 2,027 (Predominantly Nung An ethnic group)
No. of Villages: 11

Phuc Sen villagers have over 40 years of experience in limestone forest regeneration. Faced with severely damaged forest and low living standards, the Phuc Sen People's Committee allocated forestlands to village communities for management in the 1960s. Each village was assigned 2-4 limestone mountains or half a mountain ridge to manage.

Over the years, three forms of management arrangements with villagers emerged:

1. Forests managed by community - These are located in high elevation areas and far from the village allowing natural regeneration to occur. Common forests are tended twice a year wherein each family sends one to two members to participate in collective tending.
   
   
2. Forests managed by group of farmers - This area also belongs to the common forest of the village. It is only allocated to groups of households for more convenient management. As fewer households are involved (10-12), management methods and benefit-sharing schemes are easier to formulate.
   
   
3. Forest managed by households - This is an area allocated to households to encourage them to protect and plant trees on their own land. It is usually found in lower areas or within village forests. Households are responsible for afforestation and tending. Protection activities should follow village regulations. The household can get all kinds of products from the forest without paying tax or any form of contribution to the village.

As forest growth accelerated though these management forms, villagers started to enjoy benefits from their forests, such as housing materials, firewood, food, traditional medicines, income from selling non-timber forest products, and water sources for production and domestic consumption. Aside from providing good habitat for wildlife species, regenerated forest in Phuc Sen has greatly helped in stabilizing microclimate in the area.


CFM Networking and Support from Local Authorities


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In 2002, Phuc Sen farmers hosted a meeting for 16 other villages in Quang Uyen District to share stories and "tricks" in rehabilitating limestone forests. Phuc Sen representatives were very enthusiastic in presenting experiences over the past 50 years and charismatic in encouraging participants to protect and rehabilitate limestone forests.

The strategy has been proven effective and resulted into the formation of the Community Forest Management Network in Quang Uyen District. The network now groups together the 16 villages. Aside from meetings, actual field visits to Phuc Sen have been done by network members.

Officials from the provincial and district levels also attend network meetings, allowing a dialog between government officials and the villagers; educating both in the process. Ms. Zrieu Thi Lien, Quang Uyen District Peoples' Committee Vice-Chairperson, said: "Networking is very good because it broadcasts CFM in other communes. We are also learning some technical forest management skills at the village level."


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IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATIONS AND PARTNER INSTITUTES

MARD
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has responsibility to implement government programs in agriculture, forestry, irrigation and rural development. The Ministry includes: 7 departments, 9 bureaus, 25 institutes, 35 schools, 18 corporations and 24 affiliate companies. It has two official headquarters in: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It coordinates forest planning and management with provincial Peoples' Committees through the DARD.

FIPI
The Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI) is one of 25 institutes belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It is tasked to organize, implement and uniformly manage forest inventory and planning work aimed at supporting forest management and strategies for forestry development. FIPI has six sub-offices spread throughout Viet Nam's six eco-regions and 4 research centers. FIPI is supporting the spread of a CFM Network in Cao Bang Province.

DARD
The Department of Agriculture and Development (DARD) is under the jurisdiction of the Province People's Committee and coordinates with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The DARD is responsible for technical issues related to management and development of forest resources. It also administers a number of State Forest Enterprises often established on a district basis, and oversees Forest Protection and Development Branches operating in district localities.

NWG-CFM
The National Working Group on Community Forest Management traces its beginnings during its first meeting in Hanoi in November 1998. A Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development decision on 22 December 1999 recognized the establishment of the working group. The group is comprised of policy makers and practitioners from different state organizations and national programs. State organizations participating in NWG meetings are MARD, FPD, FDD, FIPI. Among the national programs active in the working group are FSSP, SGP-PTF, SFDP, ADB/FSP, MRDP, NTFP, PROFOR, FAO, and SMRP. The NWG explores policy and operational strategies that facilitate and strengthen the role of community involvement in managing forest resources. It provides a forum for examining, monitoring, and accelerating the progress in CFM.


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