Asia-Pacific Environmental Innovation Strategies (APEIS) Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO) Good Practices Inventory

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1 Asia-Pacific Environmental Innovation Strategies (APEIS) Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO) Good Practices Inventory Growing the native Mac Rac (Delavaya toxocarpa Franch or Delavaya Yunnanensis Franch) tree by the Nung, an ethnic group in Vietnam, through their indigenous knowledge-based management Summary of the Practice Keywords: reforestation, self-financing, local/indigenous knowledge-based management Strategy: Promoting local/indigenous knowledge-based sustainable resource management Environmental areas: Ecosystem and biodiversity conservation, Rural environment, Forest conservation Critical instruments: Awareness/capacity building, Organisational arrangements, Self-regulation Country: Vietnam Location: Phuc Sen Village, Quang Hoa District, Cao Bang Province, Vietnam s Northern Mountain Region, Vietnam Participants: Individual local people, local authority, and local elderly groups Duration: Funding: no funding Background: Deforestation is a serious environmental problem in Vietnam. With the forest covering 43 percent of the nation s total land in 1945, the proportion was reduced to approximately 18 percent by the late 1980s. Over the last decade well-intentioned national and international efforts to ameliorate the problem through programs and projects on re-greening the bare hills and mountains have produced only very modest results; by 2000 the forest covered about 25 percent of the total natural land of the country. Fast-growing tree plantations in Vietnam have been used. Villagers throughout the country have seen their forests, fallow and grazing lands replaced with eucalyptus, acacia and pine monocultures. This mono-cultivation of trees, for example, eucalyptus, an exotic species from Australia, has been shown to worsen land erosion. This results from the fact that both planners and technicians tend to pay attention to modern technologies that have often been introduced from other places rather than to local/indigenous knowledge. Without any initiatives from the government, however, elsewhere in the country, often in remote areas, the local people apply their indigenous knowledge and organise themselves to carry out reforestation, as they most understand how important the forest is for their production and livelihoods and how to do it effectively. The local Nung An ethnic minority people s initiative to grow a local native species, the Mac Rac (Delavaya Toxocarpa Franch or Delavaya Yunnanensis Franch) tree, to re-green limestone mountains in Phuc Sen village, Quang Hoa district of Cao Bang province in Vietnam s northern mountain region, is a good example. Objectives: While reforestation in the village s watershed is crucial for the villagers as the forest helps to maintain water resources in a sustainable way for their agriculture and livelihoods, the cost of planting trees is very high in the absence of government subsidy programmes, which in some cases have worsened the situation. The objectives of the local people s initiative are to reduce the cost of reforestation for local people and to effectively re-green the forest through using indigenous knowledge in planting native trees that are freely available and are ensured of growth in a way that suits local conditions. Description of the activity: The village is located in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains, which occupy 79 percent of the village s total natural land. The local economy is mainly based on agricultural production as well as 1

2 traditional handicrafts, which form the basis of Nung An culture. In 1960 forest in these limestone mountains was already over-exploited and destroyed; firewood was scarce; and the village water resource was so dry that water could not run to nearby hamlets. In that year, starting when President Ho Chi Minh launched the tree planting campaign nation-wide, the village authorities called a meeting with the elderly and local people in the village. Aware of the importance of forests in the local ecology, they eventually agreed that with the present situation of their village, there was no choice but to grow the native Mac Rac, only few of which still grew in the local forest, to re-green barren hills and limestone mountains. Within only three years after launching the afforestation program, the local people had solved their problems of firewood and water. Thus made aware of the benefits, local people have ever since been very conscientious in planting and developing Mac Rac. By 1990 the whole 1,010 hectares of rocky mountains surrounding the village were covered with forest. Local agricultural yields have improved significantly since then. After about one year of planting Mac Rac, local people began to plant other higher value timber trees such as Thitka, Chukrasia and Margose as inter-crops. These trees grow well due to the shade and moisture created by the Mac Rac, thereby providing local people with further benefits. Consequently, forests in Phuc Sen are very diverse, with trees of different species and different ages. A View of Chieng Pay Hamlet, Phuc Sen Village Mac Rac intercropped with Thitka in the forest in the background of the photo Tuong-Vi Pham, CRES Weaving Woman Weaving is a traditional practice in Phuc Sen, where woven products meet 80 percent of the local people s need for garments. Critical Instruments Overview The success of this innovation was based on several instruments in the form of the local authority s direction and monitoring, the strong self-regulation of the community with support from the elders, and awareness of the importance of the tree in reforestation and income generation among the local community intra and inter generations. Awareness/capacity building Raising local community, authorities, and scientists awareness of the importance of planting the tree. Being aware of the importance of the Mac Rac tree in provision of firewood and water, the local people often voluntarily grow and nurture it. At present, individual forest plots in Phuc Sen are the property of each family. When getting married, the sons are given properties by their parents and forest to grow and protect Mac Rac. Thus, traditional knowledge in planting trees has been encouragingly maintained from generation to generation. Furthermore, the commune s leaders have taken opportunities to be involved in different workshops and conferences to raise awareness of the importance of Mac Rac in fulfilling the task of reforestation. As a consequence, people from adjacent, and even more distant, areas also 2

3 came to Phuc Sen to gain experience of how to plant it and to buy Mac Rac seeds. In addition, the effect of Mac Rac trees forming vegetation cover on limestone mountains interested and was studied by scientists. Following a research project conducted by the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, this initiative has been widely disseminated to gain the attention of other localities. Once there are obvious scientific research results on Mac Rac trees, it would encourage more investment in planting them, enabling indigenous knowledge to be exploited and sustained. Mac Rac Leaves Delavaya Toxocarpa Franch or Delavaya Yunnanensis Franch A View of Mac Rac Forest, Phuc Sen Village A typical example of Mac Rac intercropping with Thitka in the forest in the Phuc Sen Village. (Mac Rac in the foreground) Organisational arrangements Local leadership through its direction has promoted the plantation of Mac Rac The Phuc Sen People s Committee and other line agencies take great interest in growing, and instruct local people in how to grow Mac Rac. With active participation from local people, local leaders and authorities of Phuc Sen village have worked out appropriate policies and regulations for local people to implement forestation programs and projects. Importantly, they have promoted the role of hamlet heads and the elderly, who are respected by the local people, in growing and developing local trees and plants and protecting the forest. It is possible to follow the local process of protecting and developing forest through the village annual reports on forestry development since Self-regulation The community set up strict rules for protection and management of forests While Phuc Sen began growing Mac Rac in 1960, the project has been particularly successful since the village introduced the policy of allocating forest to all hamlets and families for protection in Following this policy, each hamlet sets up a steering committee to allocate and protect forest consisting of the hamlet head, the secretary of the Party cell and the head of the forest protection group. The steering committee manages forest allocation and protection and deals with forest violations in the hamlet. Fines are based on the rules of each hamlet, which were designed with the participation of local people. For example, Phay Chang hamlet imposes cash fines, with the lowest level being VND20,000. When violators are caught, the steering committee meets to decide the fine. The hamlet head keeps all fine-money for public use for the hamlet s worshipping ceremonies. Strict rules have helped prevent violations of the forest. Self-control and the development of strict rules worked out by each hamlet have contributed to the success of forest allocation and protection. Impacts The initiative to grow Mac Rac not only revived the forest and helped protect the water resources, but also helped save the tree itself from extinction. In fact, Mac Rac had been listed in the Red Book among the trees that face extinction in Vietnam. As the Phuc Sen project has been so successful, the tree will be erased from the book. 3

4 All of the rock mountain area in Phuc Sen had been re-greened with Mac Rac trees by 1990, with a total area of 1,010 ha, an average of 101 ha for each hamlet. The four hamlets that have the largest forest area are Tinh Dong, Lung Vai, Pac Rang and Lung Sau. The area of community and private forest in the four hamlets is half of the village s forest area. Phuc Sen is the leading village among five villages in Quang Hoa district that have re-greened their forest area, while forest-cover in other neighbouring areas like Chi Thanh remains barren, or has only bushes and grass. Mac Rac trees are also used to make production tools, build houses and fences, and some families use the tree leaves to feed buffaloes and horses, and cut the branches for cooking. As local people are highly aware of the value of intensively growing Mac Rac together with other high-economic-value timber trees, the village s forest has many layers of trees; Thitka and Margose trees make up the higher layer, while Mac Rac makes up the lower layer. Some families have grown Thitka trees intensively with Mac Rac for 15 to 20 years. In addition, local income has improved by selling Mac Rac seeds. In recent years, people in Phuc Sen have been selling Mac Rac seeds to other areas. Many families gather seeds in their individual forest to sell in the market. Each kilogram of seeds is sold at VND3,000 to 3,500 (20 to 25 cents U.S.). These positive impacts of planting Mac Rac have attracted the attention and consideration of provincial and district authorities. However, while the local authorities are more interested in economic value than the long-term environmental value of the native Mac Rac trees, they encourage people to grow Mac Rac, but do not fund it. Consequently, Mac Rac trees are mostly planted in villages resided in by Nung An people, while other villages still have vast areas of barren mountains. Mac Rac has also drawn the attention of scientists as a native tree to grow and green limestone mountains. The Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources is conducting a five-year scientific study ( ) on the growing of Mac Rac trees in Tra Linh and Quang Hoa districts in Cao Bang province. The first pilot scheme conducted in Phuc Sen to grow 100 ha of Mac Rac with Thitka and Chukrasia timber trees has been the most successful one because the village has strict rules on forest protection. The institute is considering intercropping Mac Rac with medicinal plants to increase the value of the forest and to gain income in a short time. This is the first scientific project on Mac Rac to be implemented in Phuc Sen. Funds are provided to the project to enhance the growth of Mac Rac by planting it in a nursery. Some universities are also keen on the project. In 1999, the Thai Nguyen Agriculture and Forestry University came to Phuc Sen to buy 100 kg of Mac Rac seeds to grow in several areas in Thai Nguyen Province in a pilot scheme. The Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) is also working on methods to green limestone mountains with local native trees and plants, including studying the Mac Rac experience. Interior of Local Building, Phuc Sen Village Interviewing with villagers in a local building (Case reviewer is at the second from right.) Lessons Learned The success of growing Mac Rac in Phuc Sen village is an example of the self-reliance, selfstrengthening, and the combined development of the knowledge and experience of local people. Lessons from the initiative, which can be applied in other projects, include the following: - Projects must be based on the local people s real needs and be suitable to local conditions 4

5 - It is necessary to share and learn from local people s knowledge in implementing projects - Self-discipline in the local community in managing projects must be developed and encouraged. The success of the project to grow Mac Rac in Phuc Sen village has been partly due to the following factors: - Local people s strong spirit of hard work and their efforts to overcome difficulties in their lives. This reflects their desire to preserve their traditional culture and lifestyle, and the pride and self-confidence of the Nung An people. - Local people s well-developed internal strength and the experience that their ancestors had used in fighting against natural disasters to survive. The initiative to grow Mac Rac is one of the examples of Nung An people s creativeness in their work. - The Nung An s long-term traditional culture, great unity and community spirit, that enable them to have a common voice for the interests of the entire community. They know how to apply the hamlet s rules in allocating and protecting forest, and this is a prerequisite for them to maintain their afforestation initiative. - The local authorities creative ways of implementing the state policies, relying on local people themselves, and adapting the policies to suit local conditions. Potential for Application In recent years, people in Quang Hoa district, especially Nung An people in surrounding areas, have learned to grow Mac Rac from people in Phuc Sen. Many places in Quang Hoa district where Nung An people live have also done a good job in covering limestone mountains with Mac Rac trees. They include Quoc Dan hamlet (where the population is entirely Nung An), Pac Mat hamlet in Doc Lap village, Tuc Ngon hamlet of Chi Thao village, and Lung Ri, Lung Kac and Canh Man hamlets of Tu Do village. The practice of growing Mac Rac has also expanded to other ethnic groups such as the Tay, the majority Viet, and other Nung groups. During harvest time every year, people in other areas usually come to Phuc Sen to buy seeds. However, it seems that improper management has meant Mac Rac planting and development in other places has been less successful than in Phuc Sen and other residential areas of the Nung An. Phuc Sen s initiative to grow Mac Rac has spread to other places within and outside Cao Bang province that also have limestone mountains. Those who have come to learn from this experience and buy seeds include the Department of Science, Technology and Environment of Ha Giang province, Yen Minh district in Hoa Binh province, and Bac Son district in Lang Son province. Many people from Ha Giang came to Phuc Sen to buy Mac Rac seeds throughout In 1997, they bought 50 kg of seeds to pilot, and it was so successful that they then bought 400 kg of seeds in Phuc Sen is the major Mac Rac seed provider for other localities. Even people from distant Nam Dinh province have travelled up to Phuc Sen to buy Mac Rac seeds to grow in rock mounds in their paddy fields, just to give it a better appearance because nothing else can be grown in the mounds. This can be applied to similar areas. Contact 1. Phuc Sen People s Committee, Quang Ba District, Cao Bang Province, Vietnam 2. Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (CRES) Vietnam National University, Hanoi 19 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi, VIETNAM 5

6 Tel: Fax: or Case reviewer: Tuong-Vi Pham, Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Information date : 15 March