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COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT IN HOA BINH - SOLUTIONS
Tran Duy Ruong, researcher
Department of Forest Economic Research – Forest Science Institute of Vietnam

Background
The process of implementing multi-sector economic policies and the movement towards
forestry strategy, from State’s forestry management to people’s forestry management appear
a lot of new factors, especially diversification of forest resource management approaches
- Community participated in in forest management is one the forest management forms
attracted the interest in the central and local levels. In terms of Vietnam history, community
forest has long existed in the communities based forest. Especially in recent years, derived
from forest management requirements, some other provinces as well as Hoa Binh province
has allocated forest lands to communities (villages, households ) for management with
stable use and long-term in forestry purposes. Of which community is a forest owner. In
addition, the community also participated in a contracted forest protection, forest
regeneration and new plantation of the State organizations. In some areas the forest
management with the participation of local communities living near forests is the feasibly
socio - economic forest management model, in accordance with traditional production of
many ethnic groups in Vietnam.
- A series of questions are raised, such as: location, how is the role of community in forest
management organization system in Vietnam? should government encourage development of
community forest? What are potential issues in the development of community forests? How
is the legal framework which needs to be established to encourage community participation
in forest protection and development?
Starting from the above requirements, this report contributes to clarify the current status,
potential, trends and arising issues in the process of developing forest communities in Hoa
Binh. It helps the policy maker to identify the urgent requirements from forest resources
management for the proposed supplement, to modify or set up new policies to create a
favorable legal framework for community to participate in forest development and protection

particular in Hoa Binh and general in Vietnam.

I. Objectives
To assess the community forest management status of Muong ethnic communities in Hoa
Binh, and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the community forest management,

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and provide recommendations as well as solutions to encourage community participating in
sustainable community forest management.

II. Methodology
- To collect documents related to community forest management and materials related to the
habits of Muong ethnic in natural resource use.
- To interview forestry management staffs at all levels of the province, district, commune and
village, and to interview members of community at Kim Son commune, Kim Boi district -
Hoa Binh based the questionnaires.

III. The concepts of community forestry
Community forestry is defined in many ways, there was also different. The broader definition
used this term to refer activities related to the relationship between people and trees. The
narrower definition focused on forest management by local communities have their own
interests.
According to FAO 1978, Community Forestry and Social Forestry terms used to indicate the
forest management is closely linked with local people.
These terms related to community forest, community forest management is much discussed
in the scientific community as well as in the projects recently. Despite the national workshop
on community forest, so far, there is not any a unity for using these terms in Vietnam.
According to the Arnold 1992, the general definition of community forestry (CF), it is a term
covering a wide range of activities between rural people and forest trees as well as the
products and benefits derived from forest trees.

Community Forest Management (CFM) is understood as the participation of local people,
groups of households or households in the management, protection and use of forests and
forest land. Community directly manage community forest as well as forest of other
organizations.
CFM term is often used to refer to the management of group trees of people groups. CFM is
a way of speaking community forestry naturally limited and a method applies only for
forestry land, with no directly participation of agricultural technique as well as agricultural
extension.
CFM term in Vietnam as we understand that the involvement of local communities in the
management (organizes and controls activities in accordance with certain requirements) of

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forest area (assigned by the State or under the traditional management right), or the forest
areas of other State organization through the contract.
In summary, community forest management should be seen as a way of management, use and
protection of sustainable forest resources and also allows local people have the right
management, long-term use of forest resources, the benefits for local people and is used for
rural development. This model is formed on the basis of indigenous knowledge of local
people.

IV. Community forest management status in Hoa Binh
4.1. Social and economic condition
4.1. 1. Population and administration
Hoa Binh Province has 10 districts and 1 city, including 195 communes and 11 towns, 8
wards with population distribution and labor in 2006 as follows:
- Population, ethnic groups: Hoa Binh has many ethnic groups living (Muong, Kinh, Thai,
Tay, Dao, Hmong, other ) with a population of 822,545 people including 410,096 males
and 412,449 females.
- Population distribute not equal, the highest population density (Hoa Binh city 643
persons/km2), the lowest population density (Da Bac district 64persons/km2).

- Urban Residents: 125,077 people, accounting for 15.2%, rural: 697,468 people, accounting
for 84.8%.
4.1.2. Overall assessment of socio-economic development in Hoa Binh Province
- For Economics: The economics of Hoa Binh province has stably growth in recent years, the
value of the gross domestic product (GDP) increases an average 8% per year. The economic
structure shifted towards positive, increasing proportion of industry and services, reducing
the proportion of agro-forestry and fishery. However, the province of the starting point is
low; province’s GDP per capita is lower than the national average GDP.
- For Society: People living standard is more increasingly and political security, social order
has been maintained in over the province. Number of employees was increasingly addressed
jobs, the rate of poverty households significantly reduced. However, according to new
poverty criteria, the household poverty rate of the province remains at high level (31.1%).
income/capita is 4.3 million/ per year ( 83% higher than it in 2000). However, the
income/capita/month at Hoa Binh Province remains low compared with the whole country.

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4.2. Forestry production status in Hoa Binh province
4.2.1. Forest resource status and forest management of Hoa Binh Province
Table1: Forestry land is divided into 3 types of forest and forest types (natural forest,
plantation forest, and land without planted forest).
Unit: ha
Divided into 3 forest types Natural land area
of province
Total
area
PH SX DĐ
Forestry land 333,453 129,735 161,582 42,136
1.Natural forest land 148,650 90,497 24,819 33,334
2. Plantation forest 53,252 8,736 43,582 934
3. Cleared Lands 131,551 30,502 93,181 7,868

Source: Forest Protection Department of Hoa Binh Province
Currently, Hoa Binh has four nature reserve management boards under the Forest Protection
Department, one critical forest protection board for watershed of Da river, Hoa Binh Forestry
Company of Vietnam Forestry Cooperation has 7 plantations over Hoa Binh province.
- Hoa Binh forestry relatively develops, plantation forest area replants and newly planted
forest exploited from 7.000 to 9.000 ha every year
a, Natural forest
- Forest botany: Hoa Binh’s natural forest is a semi-evergreen jungle forest type, half-raining
in tropical season, forest plants are quite plentiful and various, divided into the following sub-
types:
+ Evergreen forest in plateau: Distributing at height from 800 - 1000m, mainly in Da Bac
district, a few at Kim Boi district, Lac Son. Average forest has reserves wood from 110-150
m3/ha.
+ Evergreen forest in mountain: Distributing at altitudes below 800 m, it was primeval
forest exploited, the impact at many different levels; value wood trees have been exploited
out, leaving only most trees less economic value, forests are mainly poor forest, restoration
forest, wood reserves from 30-50 m3/ha.
+ Limestone mountains forest: dangerous rocks, the forest has two layers: on the above
layer mainly: Bassia, teak,etc below layer mainly: Oro, Hoocquang, bassia,etc. Forests are
distributed in the Mai Chu district, Lac Son, Tan Lac.
Forest plant system of Hoa Binh province is quite rich; wood tree has about 995 species, in
180 groups.

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- The situation of forest restoration: Results of forest regeneration showed that most of IC and
IB blind area designed for forest regeneration, if it is well protected; after 7-8 years will be
restored in young forest without reserves. There is a deep soil layer, moisture, land is still
forest land form, so the recovery time of natural forests relatively fast in Hoa Binh province.
b) Plantation forest: Protection forest is grown and developed at medium level, while the
growth of production forest is well-developed (due to productive forest is planted mainly

Acacia mangium, Acacia hybrid can grow quite fast and suitable with Hoa Binh area) with an
average yield 60-90 m3/ha for a cycle 6-9 years.
c) Assessing forest volume: There has not been conducted any assessment survey of forest
volume in Hoa Binh province, and therefore it is necessary to carry out soon inventory survey
of overall forest and forestry land, including inventory forest volume. It is scientific base for
forest valuation, forest allocation, forest lease, forest land and planning construction and
protection and development forest at grassroot level.
4.2.2. Land allocation and forestry land status in Hoa Binh
Hoa Binh Province conducted natural forest allocation to households under the Government
Decree No. 02/CP dated on January 15, 1994, completed the identification the owner of these
forest since 1999. Land and forest allocation status in Hoa Binh was shown in Table 2 below:
Table 2: Forest area and planed lands for forestry sectors based the ownerships
Types of forest
land
Total area
State
enterprises
Forest
management
board
Other
business
organization
Household
Commu
nity
Other
institution
Armed
unit

People
committee
(not
allocation)
Natural area 466,714.3 30,099.6 30,886.8 549.6 373,103.1 - 20,133.8 2,822.0 9,119.4
I. Land planed for
forest
210,533.2 15,050.5 23,602.4 451.8 169,193.5 - 1,287.2 877.2 70.7
A. Natural forest 147,513.9 7,174.9 22,959.5 8.0 115,900.7 - 698.2 772.7 -
1. Wood forest 45,470.8 3,217.4 8,214.8 - 33,928.1 - 104.4 6.1 -
2. Baboo forest 8,446.7 463.1 230.8 - 7,746.1 - 6.7 - -
3. Mixed forest 8,822.0 219.0 400.4 - 8,202.6 - - - -
4. Mangrove forest - - - - - - - - -
5. Limestone forest 84,774.5 3,275.4 14,113.5 8.0 66,023.9 - 587.1 766.6 -
B. Plantation forest 63,019.3 7,875.6 642.9 443.8 53,292.8 - 589.0 104.5 70.7
1. Reserve forest
44,301.2
5,213.8 465.7 332.8

37,911.5
-

268.2

76.4
32.8
2. Unreserved
forest
18,428.2 2,661.8 145.1 106.1 15,128.4 - 320.8 28.1 37.9
3. Bamboo 284.9 - 32.1 - 252.8 - - - -

4. Specialty tree 4.9 - - 4.9 - - - - -
II. Land and
mountain without
forest
115,974.3 8,941.3 3,931.4 43.1 101,785.0 - 659.8 222.4 391.3
1. Ia (grass) 66,268.8 4,961.8 2,409.2 1.9 57,980.9 - 450.4 78.9 385.7
2. Ib (shrub,wood
and bamboo)
21,472.5 1,960.7 379.5 0.8 19,086.7 - 4.5 40.3 -
3. Ic (recycled
woods )
23,600.8 1,859.3 808.3 40.4 20,835.6 - 33.5 18.1 5.6

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4. Limestone
without forest
4,632.3 159.5 334.4 - 3,881.9 - 171.4 85.1 -
5. Sand, marsh,
land was violated
- - - - - - - - -
III. Other land 140,206.8 6,107.8 3,353.0 54.7 102,124.6 - 18,186.9 1,722.4 8,657.4
According to Hoa Binh province’s statistic, there is no case of forest allocated to community,
but in fact natural mainly protection forest have been allocated to community under various
form of use such as some people in village or leader village's name or group of people.
Recently, some people who are managing the community ask the authority for getting the
permission to covert the community forest to household forest lands. Therefore, many
conflicts occurs in the local communities.
The traditional forest management customs of ethnic communities in Hoa Binh still exist and
there are many places replied on principle of community to protection forest. Some places
people do it well , some places people do it not so well lead to the phenomenon of forest loss

4.2.3. Community forest management status of Muong ethnic in Hoa Binh 4.2.3.1.CFM at Mo
village, Kim Son commune, Hoa Binh
Muong ethnic at Mo village - Kim Son commune - Kim Boi district - Hoa Binh with 246
households and 1281 population. The village manages 531.1 hectare community forest, with
clear boundaries, community forest area mostly located in remote places, complicated terrain.
- The status of forest is natural mixed forest degradation; there are diversity plant
species in forest including many indigenous trees such as canarium, walnut,
styrax and dracontomelum.
- Most of wood forest is in groups of IIA, IIB, regeneration tree, the average
diameter of about 20-25cm, remain some woods of low quality with diameter
approximately 40cm in difficult exploited terrains.
4.2.3.2. Organizations relates to Community forest management
a, Village leader
- On behalf of village people builds up village’s conventions, issues rules to protect forest and
forest land. He is considered and allowed households to exploit appliance logging;
- When forest fire occurs, illegal forest exploitation of village and household, the village
leader mobilizes village police, militia, local people to participate in extinguishing fire,
preventing of violations of forest law.
- If people in village violated village’s conventions, the village leader will organize the
meeting and based on village’s convention to penalize. For example, if it is light violation,
he/she must pay 30kg rice fine, then increase 50kg, 100kg and the heaviest can be reached to
a ton of paddy.

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b, Co-operative
- With the consent of Village people’s committee and village leader, the head of a co-
operative was authorized to sign newly planted forest and natural forest protection contract,
planted forest for the entire village of Management Board 661
- The co-operative charges fee management, this fee used for village welfare projects.
c, Household :

- Participating in patrols to protect village’s forest
- Households are the main beneficiaries from the village forests. When household has
demand for building house, it will be considered by village for allowing wood, bamboo
exploitation in the village. There are many families every year permits village to exploit
logging for household use (build house, coffin )
d, Other forces
- Chairman and Secretary of Party committee of the commune, village groups are determined
to work for village, community protects and develops community forest. It is always ready to
mobilize forces to community forest protection when necessary.
4.2.3.3. Benefits from forest
Community forests brings many benefits to people such as wood, other forestry products,
environmental protection, water resource for farming activities as well as daily for local
people.
4.3. The advantages and disadvantages in community forest management
4.3.1. The advantages in community forest management in Hoa Binh
Village community based organization of the Muong people in Hoa Binh is well organized,
village leaders are democratically elected. Most Muong communities have an internal
convention and highly effective, it was showed that the relationship of village members
closely with social aspect. Rewarding and punishing mechanisms by community convention
proved to be effective.
 Potential labor is abundant, especially in leisure period. If local people are guided to
protect, develop and forest use technique, they will respond positively to the forestry
development programs improving living standard of each Muong family and community.
 Indigenous knowledge systems related to forest protection and development. Indigenous
knowledge is considered the most effective for forest management, including knowledge
of soil classification, forest classification, and animal forest classification, knowledge of
exploitation and use products from forest. This is a really favorable factor for
participation of community to manage and protect local forest.

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 Forest plays an important role in community life. The interviews showed that forest has
an important role in the production of life or spiritual significance to the community.
They have existed with the forest as inseparable parts of human ecology.
 High community of local people. Muong people in Hoa Binh as well as most of the local
ethnic community are high community. This is a favorable factor for the development of
community rules on resource management including forest resources.
4.3.2. The disadvantages in community forest management in Hoa Binh
 The community forest in Hoa Binh was used and named by some of villagers, this legal
aspect was not strictly, leaded to the dispute and conflicts that leads to the loss of
community forest.
 Community forest management in village is a volunteer organization, the investment of
village in community forest is very limited
 Educational level, awareness of Muong people as well as other ethnic communities in
remote areas is still low, indigenous knowledge has not been promoted. Low education
and undeveloped culture are conditions preventing to the process of access knowledge
and advanced technology in forest management, in accordance with local circumstances.
 Difficult economic circumstances people: Poverty alleviation work has always been
considered by the government at all levels; however, the rate of household poverty rate
remains high in Hoa Binh province concentrated mainly in remote and mountainous
areas. Poverty is the cause makes them less conditional to interest, invest for protecting
and developing forest
 Market for agro-forestry products has not yet developed: Market is one of the decision
factors to people’s product activities. Especially non-timber forest products market has
not developed lead to low efficiency in forestry product and reduces the attractiveness of
forest protection and development activities.
 Agricultural and forestry extension activities have still not developed. Forestry extension
activities have not developed so that people have a little chance to access the forestry
technique achievements, improved the efficiency of production activities. Therefore, they
are not actively involved in forest protection and development.
 State policies on community forest management are still inadequate. Until now there has

not been any written law in Vietnam refers to the legal position of the community, not
recognizing the legal rights and responsibilities of local community as a real forest owner,
the legal documents for investment and credit have not regulated village community is
entitled to borrow investment capital and investment priorities under the Law on
Domestic Investment Promotion when engaged in forestry activities.

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4.4. Recommending some solutions to engage community in forest management
4.4.1. The economic solutions
 Economic support. Capital support to develop a high economic efficiency of plants and
animals. Most households are lack of investment capital for argo-forestry development.
Many households have labor, land the available and desire to develop high economic
efficiency in agriculture crops and livestock to increase household economic income.
These are strong points and also high efficiently and sustainably products activities.
 Supporting Capital to develop local business, increase income, reduce leisure time, and
reduce pressure on forests. Sponsor capital to develop some potential local businesses
such as tree planting and processing medicinal herbs, rattan, weaving, bee keeping,
processing of agricultural products Local people mainly focused on the development of
sub trades and it is considered as one of important potential for economic development
and social stability in local.
 Investing in infrastructure development. Especially transportation system to the village,
the school system and electric network are defined as one important solutions for
improving people's knowledge, strengthening economic and cultural exchange, thereby
improving management capability to manage resources, including forest development and
protection management.
 Investing in developing forestry business. Forestry business includes wood, non-timber
forestry products as well as processing of forest products is awareness by local
government as one of feasible solutions to improve the economic efficiency of business
forests, create economic attractiveness for community participation in forest protection
and development.

 Investing in further development on the forest areas has high economic and ecological
value in land not in use. Investment to reforestations on the unused area is one of the
measures both increase people income and reduce pressure on forest resources
 Investing in development inter-activities both ensures to forest conservation goal and
economic development goals. It is necessary to invest in exploiting the potential for
ecotourism based on the habitat of the forest. If it is well-managed, it will create
significant revenue sources to improve people livelihood and investment returns for
further forest development.
 Investment in developing forestry products market. Local forestry products market does
not develop, especially in non-timber forest products such as pharmaceutical materials,
rattan, oil, plastic. Most forest products are not stable prices, due to less quantity and
other reason is lack of market information. This is the reason why people don not focus

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on forest business and production. The investment on development of forest market both
increases in economic income and attracts local people to protect and develop forest.
 When natural forest allocation for community to manage and use. There should be
authorized the community have the right decision of exploiting and using forestry. It is
needed to confirm community forest is assets of the community; the community has the
responsibility to manage and use forest products under the law of protecting and
developing forest.
4.4.2. Social solutions.
 It is necessary to definitely address using some people name to community forest
allocation. There has been occurred conflict between forest owners name (previously
representative name for village community) and community managed forest to replace
this forest owners by the name of community forest
 Propaganda and educational to raise people’s awareness about the economic value,
ecological forest, encouraging people to actively participate in forest protection and
development. So far most people awareness that forest to be considered stock of
resources. With the nature of renewable resources, forest is a precious material for

production, a giant factory continuous production different types of forest products.
Strengthen propaganda and education to raise people's awareness about the economic
value, great ecological forest and those values serves for socio-economic development is
one of the social solutions to engage people in protecting and developing forest activities.
 Implementation of agro-forestry land use planning. Some locals still have not land use
planning. Forest area as well as land for forestry development is often invasive to turn
into other types of land. Therefore, stable land use planning in conjunction with land and
forest allocation will help any forest land area has itself owner. This is an important basis
legal for community participation in forest protection and development
 Set up organization for forest management at the commune level. It is necessary to build
forestry management system have enough capacity to implement and monitor protecting
activities and business at commune level under the provisions of the State.
 Set up community organizations relates to protect management and forest development at
commune level. Social organizations such as the Peasant, Women Union, Veterans’
Association, the Party organizations, Communist Youth Union play a huge role in
mobilizing people to implement the Party and State's policies contribute social stability,
creating favorable conditions for development and production activities. For rural and
mountainous areas in general and in particular in Hoa Binh activities of forest protection
and development related closely with community organizations. Community actively

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participate in resource management solutions, when it has suitable solutions, community
is a force to implement the State policies of resource management. In contrast to, if the
solutions are not appropriate, they become interfere forces, even in opposition to the state
in resource management activities. Hence, the solutions of forest resources management
needs to develop towards combining protecting activities, developing forest resource and
production activities to improve people living quality, united benefits of people and
national interests in the activities of forest protection and development
 Build up a combine regulation between forest protection department and commune
authorities. It is thought that one of the causes of effective forest management is not high

due to lack of well-cooperated between forest protection department and forest protection
and management forces on the same area. Therefore, it is needed to well-coordinated to
perform effectively common tasks in which encourages people participate in protecting
forest and preventing destroys on forest resources
 Capacity development in community forest management. Completing convention of CFM
in each local community. When establishes convention it must be made publish,
democratic and approved by community. Then this convention must be recognized by the
People's Committees at all levels.
4.4.3. Technology science solutions
 To set up research plan to control community forest as a basis for community manages
and sustainable uses of forest community.
 To conduct the researches to build up demonstration models with high efficiency in forest
business. Poor forest has low economic efficiency and if lack of appropriate solutions to
enrich forest, enhance of forest growth, the poverty situation and low economic value of
forests also lasts for many years. They are easy being invasive, narrow and affect the
sustainability of forest. With the view of forest protection and development must depend
on forest wealth, the construction of demonstration models of forest business is highly
considered effective technology solutions encouraging people towards forest protection
and development. The content of the demonstration models to include newly planted
species or grows more high economic value species including both trees and non-timber
forest products which could meet people demands for forest products, and demand of
goods, thereby reducing pressure on forest. At present, most of ethnic minorities’ people
use farming methods while agricultural crops productivity is low. This not only affects to
people's lives, increasingly demand for the cultivated area but also lead to people
continuous exploiting forest to have more supplement their income. It is needed to study
technical measures to improve crop yield, livestock in farming system and to be

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considered as a factor reducing the pressure of community life on forest resources. These
technical measures that can be focused on improving farming technique, crop

restructuring from food crops to industrial crops, fruit, specialty crops, improving
livestock group that first as cattle
 To strengthen agricultural and forestry extension activities have not developed. Because
of low of intensive farming technique level and people breeding techniques results to
people economic life is not high. Hence, there is needed to enhance agricultural and
forestry extension activities to support for local people to develop production, in
accordance with local conditions, agricultural and forestry extension activities need to be
specifically support technology technique: agricultural and forestry extension
organization have enough capacity to carry out regular activities in the villages and
hamlets to guide people growing crops care technique, farming techniques, pest
prevention techniques for trees species and animal breeds. Besides disseminate
knowledge, technology transfer, it is needed to pay attention to improve household’s
knowledge about economic management, supply market information for households
have exactly decision on doing business.
 To revise and disseminate indigenous knowledge related to forest protection and
development needs to be preserved and deeply disseminated in the community of ethnic
groups. To establish an effective research plan for fire prevention, forest fire. In fact,
forest fire is always occurred at the local, forest fire reduced grass productivity,
destroying many species of non-timber forest products under the forest canopy. To
establish effectively research plan for fire prevention and forest fire are necessary and the
local people identified that this is one of solutions increases efficiently and attractively
economics of forest protection and development.