Community development of medicinal plants under natural forest canopy in Tuong Duong - Part 3: Sharing benefits from models
The models of growing medicinal herbs under the forest canopy that people in Yen Hoa and Nga My communes of Tuong Duong district have benefited from not only help ethnic minorities have more sources of livelihood, but also help improve community capacity in awareness and practice of sharing benefits from this activity.
Project "Supporting communities in buffer zone communes"growing medicinal plants under the forest canopy"To increase income and conserve biodiversity in the Western Nghe An World Biosphere Reserve" by the Center for Environment and Biological Resources (CEBR) and technical support experts from Vinh University.
This project is coordinated by the Small Grants Program (SGP) - Global Environment Facility (GEF) within the framework of the Project: "Integrating natural resource management, biodiversity conservation goals into socio-economic development planning and management of biosphere reserves in Vietnam" (BR Project) implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and funded by GEF through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Vietnam.
One of the objectives of this Project is to realize a benefit sharing mechanism. This is a mechanism based on a multi-dimensional approach to natural resource management, recognizing and closely cooperating between partners in their respective roles to achieve the ultimate goal of environmental protection, sustainable use of natural resources, equitable sharing of benefits and responsibilities related to resources. In Yen Hoa and Nga My communes (Tuong Duong), these are forest resources, including precious medicinal plants.
In Nga My commune, the models of growing medicinal plants under the forest canopy that households benefit from are located in the protected forest area of Pu Huong Nature Reserve. Therefore, in the coordination and funding mechanisms agreed upon between the sponsoring organizations and the government, local people and relevant agencies and units all agree on sharing benefits between economic exploitation and benefits from growing medicinal plants under the forest canopy associated with forest protection and natural environment protection.
Instead of people going into the forest to exploit the natural resources and destroy the precious trees, when there is a sponsored project, people switch to planting, selectively exploiting and understanding the ways and methods to preserve tree species while protecting the biodiversity of forest resources.
Through the support activities of the Project, local people have realized and enjoyed the benefits that forests bring. In addition to a clean environment, people also enjoy the benefits of exploitable forests, which are both economically valuable and can ensure the basic functions of forests, providing people with a more regular source of income, requiring no investment, or little, short-term investment... Thereby, people in mountainous and remote areas easily have the opportunity to develop and exploit medicinal herbs under the forest canopy, "taking short-term to feed long-term" when they invest in afforestation or perennial tree planting.
According to the agreement between the parties implementing the Project, the types of resources shared are those that can be exploited sustainably without harming the functions of the forest as prescribed by the State. Only those types that are not on the priority conservation list and in areas that are not special-use forests can be exploited.
Areas that share resources include: Buffer zone in Pu Huong Nature Reserve: Forest environmental service values from hydropower, clean water, tourism... including carbon absorption value (in the REDD+ Program); water resources and shrimp and fish in streams (except for rare and endemic species that need conservation); non-timber forest products: rattan, reed, firewood, medicinal plants, bamboo shoots, honey..., only species not on the priority conservation list can be exploited.
Special-use forests are not allowed to exploit forest products. Forest environmental service values will be exploited sustainably in production forests, protection forests and special-use forests. Non-timber forest products and aquatic resources will only be exploited sustainably in production forests and protection forests.
The exploitation method in the project's benefit sharing mechanism is sustainable exploitation measures organized and implemented by village communities based on the community's sustainable forest management regulations, which must strictly comply with the provisions of this Agreement and under the guidance of management agencies.
The season for harvesting non-timber forest products and shrimp and fish in streams will be aimed at the appropriate time of year, or the appropriate harvesting season for each type of resource. During the dry season, when forests are prone to fire, harvesting activities should be limited to minimize the possibility of forest fires. For example, limiting bamboo harvesting, managing fire sources when collecting honey, etc.
Recommended exploitation methods: Use and promote traditional and sustainable exploitation methods, which have been learned from many generations. The project strictly prohibits destructive and exhaustive exploitation methods, such as using explosives, poisoned fish leaves, bottom trawling, cutting down trees, applying salt to tree trunks to get fruit, peeling tree bark to kill trees, etc.
Targeted subjects: Households in village and hamlet community groups that have committed to implementing the Community Sustainable Forest Management Regulations and the Agreement on implementing the benefit sharing mechanism with forest owners and organizations.
