scholarly journals The politics of numbers and additionality governing the national Payment for Forest Environmental Services scheme in Vietnam: A case study from Son La province

2020 ◽  
pp. 379-404
Author(s):  
Pham Thu Thuy ◽  
Ngo Ha Chau ◽  
Dao Thi Linh Chi ◽  
Hoang Tuan Long ◽  
Micah R. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Environmental Services ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Local Livelihoods ◽  
Forestry Sector ◽  
Control Intervention ◽  
Village Communities ◽  
Stable Source ◽  
Government Statistics

Payments for forest environmental services (PFES) is a major breakthrough policy in the Vietnamese forestry sector because it contributes 25% of the total investments in the forestry sector and serves as the first market-based instrument employed to protect forests. However, there is little empirical evidence of its effectiveness. Is the policy meeting the core objectives of improving forest cover and forest quality and is it also achieving its claims of supporting local livelihoods? This paper analyses the environmental, social, and economic impacts of PFES in Son La province, the longest standing implementation of a PFES scheme in Vietnam. Our study uses a sampling method that incorporates pre-matching and a before-after-control-intervention approach. Data was collected from government statistics, remote sensing analysis, focus group discussions involving 236 people, surveys with a total of 240 households, and key informant interviews with 45 people. Our findings show that additionality of PFES in Son La is controversial and depends on who collects the data and what data is used to evaluate the impacts of PFES. Data collection is also politicized to serve central, provincial and district government interests. Evidence shows that PFES has provided little additional income to individual villagers to protect forests in Son La. However, total PFES revenue paid to communities generates significant income for village communities. Moreover, not all villagers can receive continuous payments from PFES, meaning that PFES has not become a stable source of income, rendering the permanence of PFES limited. Improving monitoring and evaluation policies coupled with transparent, inclusive, independent mechanisms are essential to providing a more accurate reflection of impacts from PFES in Vietnam.

scholarly journals Impacts of Payment for Forest Environmental Services in Cat Tien National Park

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 921
Author(s):  
Thuy T. Pham ◽  
Thao D. Nguyen ◽  
Chi T. L. Dao ◽  
Long T. Hoang ◽  
Luong H. Pham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation System ◽  
National Park ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Environmental Services ◽  
Cash Income ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Local Livelihoods ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cat Tien National Park

This paper assesses the impacts of Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. We analyze the impacts and additionality of PFES on local livelihoods by comparing the socio-economic situations in four pairs of villages before and after its implementation, and between places where PFES is and is not applied. In total, 149 people participated in focus group discussions, while 244 households (123 in areas with PFES and 121 in areas without) took part in household surveys. Our research shows that 92% of the people interviewed are from ethnic minorities participating and benefiting directly from PFES. In villages with PFES, the numbers of participating households ranged from 45% to 88% of all poor households in those villages. Of the poor households participating in PFES in the studied villages, 22% have no source of cash income other than their forest protection contracts, while 81.4% have escaped poverty, based on self-defined poverty criteria, through additional income from forest protection. Since the implementation of PFES, the area of forests allocated for community and household management is estimated to be three to 3.64 times higher than it had been previously. Although the number of communities under PFES contracts has not changed, the number of households participating in forest protection contracts is now much lower than before PFES started. On average, PFES contributes 16% to 74% of total household income in villages with PFES. Incomes in places with PFES are significantly higher than in places without. Although our research demonstrates immediate positive socio-economic impacts on livelihoods, it also highlights weaknesses in the current monitoring and evaluation system and a lack of reliable data for measuring PFES impacts in Cat Tien National Park.

scholarly journals Assessing Impacts of Payment for Forest Environmental Service Policy in Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (06) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Phuong Le ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
Environmental Services ◽  
Forest Owners ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Forestry Sector ◽  
Service Policy ◽  
Social And Environmental Impacts ◽  
Hoa Binh

The policy of payment for forest environmental services (PFES) has been implemented in Vietnam since 2011 and in Hoa Binh province since 2013. This policy has had certain impacts on improvement of local people living standard as well as on forest protection and development. Based on secondary and primary information collected in Mai Chau district, Da Bac district and Hoa Binh city, this paper analyzes the economic, social and environmental impacts of PFES on the forestry sector in general and forest owners in particular. The study showed that although money that was received from PFES by households was very small in their overall income, revenue of Commune People’s Committees communities was so large that it could help them to purchase equipment for forest protection and development. Thanks to PFES, forest area and forest cover rate of Hoa Binh province have been markedly increased.

scholarly journals Livelihood and Environmental Impacts of Payments for Forest Environmental Services: A Case Study in Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dang Do ◽  
NaRanong
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Environmental Services ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Local Livelihoods ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Central Vietnam ◽  
The Difference

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) is widely employed in various settings; however, whether, and in what contexts, PES programs achieve their objectives by improving local livelihoods and conservation goals is still being debated. This paper aims to evaluate the impacts of payments for forest environmental services (PFES) policies on livelihoods and the environment using propensity score matching of data on 725 systematic randomly selected households in the buffer zones of seven protected areas (PAs) of Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces in Central Vietnam and data from the General Statistics Office and Landsat. The findings indicate that the PFES policy has some positive effects on economic and environmental issues for different groups. In terms of financial capital, the study found that poor households with PFES have slightly higher income than what they would have had they not participated in PFES. The difference in total income between poor households with and without PFES, however, was statistically insignificant, while the income of non-poor households with PFES was significantly higher than those without PFES. In addition, PFES households are likely to have more consumption expenditure for their daily living and better access to loans from various microfinance sources compared to those without PFES. The PFES policy has provided slight changes in the forest and forest cover and reduced natural forest loss between the pre-PFES and PFES periods. The findings of this study contribute to designing future PFES policies that can better distribute benefits to all household groups as well as harmonize social and natural capital.

scholarly journals Decades of tree planting in Northern India had little effect on forest density and rural livelihoods

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Coleman ◽  
Bill Schultz ◽  
Vijay Ramprasad ◽  
Harry Fischer ◽  
Pushpendra Rana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Mitigation Strategy ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Forest Density ◽  
Northern India ◽  
Local Livelihoods ◽  
Dense Forest ◽  
Household Livelihood

Abstract Myriad scholars, policymakers, and practitioners advocate tree planting as a climate mitigation strategy and to support local livelihoods. But, is the broad appeal of tree planting supported by evidence? We report estimated impacts from decades of tree planting in Northern India. We find that tree plantings have not, on average, increased the proportion of dense forest cover, and have modestly shifted species composition away from the broadleaf varieties valued by local people. Supplementary analysis from household livelihood surveys show that, in contrast to narratives of forest dependent people being supported by tree planting, there are few direct users of these plantations and their dependence is low. We conclude that decades of expensive tree planting programs have not proved effective.

scholarly journals Crop Boom as a Trigger of Smallholder Livelihood and Land Use Transformations: The Case of Coffee Production in the Northern Mountain Region of Vietnam

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuyen Nghiem ◽  
Yasuyuki Kono ◽  
Stephen J. Leisz
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Mountain Region ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Agricultural Transition ◽  
Local Livelihoods ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Agrarian Transformation

Coffee is considered a boom crop in Southeast Asia. However, while it bears typical boom crop characteristics in many places where it has been grown, in other places it has contributed to agrarian transformation. This paper examines the context of coffee development in the Northwestern Mountain Region of Vietnam and describes how smallholder coffee growing has triggered an agricultural transition process, and corresponding land use changes, from subsistence-based to commercialized agriculture production. The research was conducted in a commune located in Son La province. Interviews with 46 selected households and three focus group discussions (10–15 people each) were conducted to understand changes in crop systems, corresponding land use, and labor use, due to the adoption of coffee (the boom crop). The research found that coffee has replaced swidden crops and enables a multicrop system, with less land devoted to swidden land use. The income from coffee is used to hire labor and to pay for the inputs needed to mechanize rice farming. The research findings show that the coffee boom has brought about livelihood transformation, changed land use, and transformed local livelihoods from subsistence to production for the market.

Monitoring and evaluation of Payment for Forest Environmental Services in Vietnam: From myth to reality

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 220-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thu Thuy Pham ◽  
Lasse Loft ◽  
Karen Bennett ◽  
Vu Tan Phuong ◽  
Le Ngoc Dung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Environmental Services

scholarly journals Status, Trends and Valuation Methodologies of Forestry Sector in India

2020 ◽  
pp. 49-56
Author(s):  
Subrata Gorain ◽  
Ayushman Malakar
Keyword(s):  
Pollution Control ◽  
Traditional Method ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Forestry Sector ◽  
Status And Trends ◽  
Use Values ◽  
Direct Use ◽  
Insight Into

One of the crucial links of ecosystem is forest and its resources. Apart from producing direct use values, it provides several environmental benefits like pollution control, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, micro climate regulations etc. Forests are still an almost neglected sector and are consistently undervalued in economic and social terms. Though the area under forest cover has increased, India is still far from its target. Due to different peculiar characteristics, we are not able to valuate forest resources by traditional method of valuation. There is a need to proper insight into forest cover and its valuation methodologies. Through this article, we have tried to estimate the growth pattern, status and trends in India’s forest cover along with its method of valuation.

scholarly journals POVERTY AND ITS ERADICATION IN INDONESIA: A CASE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF VILLAGE FUND PROGRAM IN GORONTALO REGENCY

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Roni Mohammad ◽  
Ferlin Anwar ◽  
Muhammad Obie
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Community Approach ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
Village Communities ◽  
The Village ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Data Requirements ◽  
Government Level

Purpose: This study analyses the implementation of the village fund program in poverty reduction related to the program approach, the problems that arise, the implementation of social principles, and its impact on the poor. Methodology: This study used a qualitative approach, in which the study was naturalistic, and the researchers conduct their research in as natural a condition as possible — the researchers in determining research informants using snowball techniques. The snowball technique allows more informants according to data requirements. The researchers interviewed the key informants and then asked them to mention other informants who made it possible to find out the topic being discussed. Some of the techniques used in data collection were observation, in-depth interviews, focused group discussions, and document studies. Researchers analyzed data by presenting data in the form of data sorting, categorizing data, and grouping data according to the needs of the analysis. Findings: The implementation of the village fund program applies a community approach. This approach encourages the implementation of village funds to apply the principles of accountability, transparency, participation, democracy, and others. The community approach requires the participation of villagers at each stage of the program's implementation, since the planning, implementation, supervision, and preservation of development results. Nevertheless, the implementation of the village fund program was inseparable from several problems. Problems that occur found both at the local government level, advisory assistants, and the community itself. The implementation of the village fund program has more impact on the community, especially poor households. Implications: The results of this study provide academic contributions to improve the implementation of poverty reduction in general and the implementation of the village fund program in particular. Novelty: The implementation of the village fund program encourages the participation of village communities in the development of their villages. The involvement of the village community enables development to be carried out in an accountable, transparent, democratic, sustainable manner, and so forth. This approach enables the development to be carried out on target, and poor household communities feel its benefits.

scholarly journals Skala Prioritas Penggunaan Dana Desa di Kabupaten Semarang, Demak, dan Kendal

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-114
Author(s):  
Ray Septianis Kartika ◽  
Sulasdiono Arief
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Government Regulation ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
Village Communities

The priority scale in the use of village funds is an effort to take into account village needs during the planning process and when the budget is used. Its implementation must be relevant to community needs. Determining the priority scale will face problems if it gets intervention from the regional head. This study aims to identify the priority scale for village use by Government Regulation Number 60 of 2014 concerning Village Funds. This research is a descriptive qualitative type. The research focuses are Kendal, Demak, and Semarang Regency. Data were collected through interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGD). The results of the study show that the determination of the priority scale is based on the needs and problems in each region. Semarang Regency is directed towards physical development; Demak Regency is directed at village governance, implementation of village development, community development, and empowerment of village communities; while the Kendal priority scale were village community development. This study recommends that there is a need for identification of program needs based on mapping of existing problems in the local area, it is necessary to carry out supervision to synchronize the APBDesa with the priority scale for the use of village funds as well as to follow up on the results of the monitoring report, and to include village cadres in the team that oversees the suitability of village fund proposals against priority scale and use of village funds.

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