Decentralized forest governance in central Vietnam

A major challenge in decentralized forest governance in Vietnam is developing a mechanism that would support both reforestation and poverty reduction among people in rural communities. To help address this challenge, Forest Land Allocation (FLA) policies recognize local communities and individuals as legal recipients of forest and land-use rights. Although forest cover has increased in Vietnam since the implementation of the FLA policies, the forest is of low quality. It remains uncertain how and to what extent rural people really benefit from these policies. Bach Ma National Park (BMNP) in central Vietnam has gone through the FLA policy process. It provides an interesting case study to evaluate the impact of FLA on forest cover and poverty reduction for everyone by comparing the impact on two different cultural groups, the “Vietnamese” Kinh and the indigenous Co Tu. This article presents major research findings from four villages in Thua Thien Province, Vietnam. It analyzes whether FLA policies have been able to integrate conservation and poverty reduction among rural communities