The Muong Nhe Nature Reserve is situated in Hoang Lien Son region, one of seven bio-geographical regions in Vietnam (Dang Huy Huynh, 1998). The Nature Reserve is regarded as one importantly ecological system which provides ecosystem services for a large area in the Northern Vietnam (Vo Van Tri, et al., 2010). This review focused on the analysis of the interaction between conservation and livelihood in context of the Muong Nhe Nature Reserve. The results were based on the scientific surveys and discussions carried out in 2010.
Conservation and livelihood issues in the world
The purpose of the establishment of Nature Reserves is to maintain the ecology, to protect wildlife species, to combat climate change and environmental degradation. In the contrary, the establishment of Nature Reserves have also raised some questions with regard to negative impacts on the livelihood of the local residents. In Shaanxi Province, China, an example, Shixiong Cao and colleagues (2010) found out that 34.9 % of farmers, 47.0% of livestock grazers, and 59.8% of forest workers respectively felt that their livelihoods had been adversely affected by the Natural Forest Conservation Programme due to the ban imposed on logging and grazing. They also suffered from additional economic losses because of inadequate compensation for their economic losses. However, a study by Moenieba Isaacs and Najma Mohamed in Richtersveld National Park, South Africa pointed out that the establishment of the park created commitments between local residents and local government agencies. The livelihood of the community was improved. In parallel, the property of the Nature Reserve was protected more effective (Isaacs, et al., 2000). Another example is Vutut National Park, Canada, which is a cultural World Heritage site of the aboriginal people at the North Pole. At Vutut the Management Board supported the preparation of the conservation and socio-economic development models which then were implemented by the locality
Interaction between nature conservation and livelihood in Muong Nhe, Viet Nam
Nature Reserves aren’t designed as a tool for poverty reduction but they are able to provide important benefits for the local residents. In remote and mountainous regions, for example, nature reserves are habitats to medicinal trees and other none-timber products which are able to be used as a “food store” in times of food scarcity (Vietnamese National Report for Nature Reserves and development, 2003). During periods when there was a few of farming after harvest, most men who were living in the villages around went hunting and fishing for their daily food (Nguyen Duc Tu, et al., 2001). Housing materials, including timbers, and bamboo were traditionally obtained from the forest. Interviews with Muong Nhe Commune People's Committee revealed that the local people were allowed to take these materials from the forest without any permission from the Commune People's Committee or the Forest Protection Department. The extraction of timber was currently not a significant threat to biodiversity at Muong Nhe due to the very few accesses to remaining areas of the productive forest (Nguyen Duc Tu, et al., 2001).
Since the establishment of Muong Nhe Nature Reserve in 1986, there were very few of conservation awareness initiatives have been implemented. As a result, the majority of people living within the nature reserve were unaware of its existence and nature reserve management regulations.(Nguyen Duc Tu, et al.,2001). Thus, threats to biodiversity have been increased by illegal actions of the residents. Nearly every household owned a firearm for hunting. Evidence of the extensive hunting activities can be observed in many places. The meat of Indian Muntjac and Wild Boar was frequently sold, while feathers of Silver Pheasant and Grey Peacock Pheasant could be seen in almost every village. In recent years, over-fishing has led to the exhaustion of fish stocks in many parts of rivers and streams in the vicinity of villages (Nguyen Duc Tu, et al., 2001)
Income-generating activities, hunting, timber logging, none-timber products, cultivation, and sylviculture, seem to be the most important to the locality. Animal hunting accounted for 11.70% in 2004, 4.30% in 2008 and 1.60% in 2009 compared with household income. In parallel, timber logging was reduced significantly, 13.2% in 2004, 4.4% 2008 and 3.4% in 2009. The need of fuelwood in the years 2004 to 2008 was reduced slightly but increased during the years from 2008 to 2009. None-timber products (NTFPs) such as rattan, bamboo or medicinal trees were daily utilized by the local residents. Income generating from NTFPs reduces very slightly, accounting for 8.4% in 2004, 5.2% in 2008, 5.0% in 2009. Agriculture production accounted for a high proportion of total income, 56.6% in the year of 2004, 67.2% in 2008 and 71.3% in 2009. Sylviculture production comprises of regenerating forests and forest protection was allocated by 661 Program, 0% in 2004, 10.6% in 2008, 12.7% in 2009 (Vo Van Tri, et al., 2010).
The natural resources of the nature reserve and its buffer zone were under additional pressure as a result of massive immigration in recent years (Nguyen Duc Tu, et al., 2001). At Chung Chai, a commune of the buffer zone of the Nature Reserve, the population density reached to 11.01 capita/km2. Based on a census in 2008, the population increased to 1.8 times compared to those the year of 2005; 5.9 times compared to those 1991 (District Statistics Department, 2008). The natural growth and immigration of population of the Dzao people, an ethnic minority group, to the region was a heavy pressure on the natural resources of the Nature Reserve (Vo Van Tri, et al. 2010). The main reason for forest loss was the enlargement of cultivation area by the local residents and immigrants from other places (Interview of Nguyen Van Cuong, Staff of the Nature Reserve, 2010).
The establishment of the nature preserve management board in 2009 led to the communities who got benefits directly from the activities of forest regeneration and forest protection contracts with the Management Board of the Nature Reserve. These contracts were a major source of income for each household in the community (Vo Van Tri, et al., 2010). On average, each household received 4.636.000vnd/year in 2008. By 2009, payment for protection forest and forest regeneration has doubled in 2009 in the line of the Decision No. 1274/QD-UBND dated 27/7/2009 by Dien Bien Provincial People’s Committee. However, the residents had to cope with the lack of land for cultivation and grass pasture because an area of land was allocated for the Nature Reserve. An area proportion of grass pasture in the sub-basin forest of Nam Ma, Thac Rong river was used for the strictly-protected zone. 20 hectares of the paddy field, where used to be cultivated by the local people so far, now being allocated for the Nature Reserve (Vo Van Tri, et al., 2010).
Conclusions
The establishment of the Nature Reserves is not only a wildlife conservation but also a crucial opportunity to for economic development. The wildlife conservation requires long-term strategies in terms of the certain localities and characteristics of each ecosystem. The establishment resulted in income-generation such as forest generating, forest protection contracts. And, hunting and logging have been replaced by agriculture production and forestry development. Therefore, natural resources provided an enormous benefit to the human well-being.
Recommendations to harmonize conservation and development: first, improve, complete and develop a system of special- use forests; restore the degraded watershed forests area; another, ensure the basic rights of community and their participation in the process of investment policies, strategies, master plans, plans, programs and projects concerning natural reserves as well as decision-making process.
Research group: Vo Van Tri, Tran Thi Hong Hanh, Nguyen Viet Cuong, Tran Quang Sau.