BUILDING CAPACITY ON LAW ENFORCEMENT OF FOREST PROTECTION, FOREST PRODUCT MANAGEMENT AND SKILL ON PARTICIPATION IN SUSTAINABLE FOREST USE IN QUANG NAM AND THUA THIEN HUE
In April 2014, C&E Center in collaboration with Quang Nam FPD and the Forestry Science and Technology Association in Thua Thien Hue organized 2 capacity building trainings on law enforcement of forest protection, forest products management and skill on participation in sustainable forest use for two environmentally friendly forest use clubs in 2 provinces. This is a periodical activity aims to build capacity of club members to protect and develop forest. This activity belongs to the project “Sustainable management of natural forest through raising awareness and building capacity to improve the rights and legal status of ethnic minority communities to natural forest in central Vietnam (2012-2014)” funded by RLS Southeast Asia.
In Quang Nam province, the training course was organized on April, 13th – 14th with 30 participants who are the main force take part in forest management and protection activities and are members of environmentally friendly forest use club in Xa Nghin I Village. To support effectively for forest management and protection in the upcoming dry season, participants were equipped with knowledge and skills about forest fire prevention and fire treatment. Besides, participants learnt about civet farming, work management for individual, family and group; finance management for family, group and club. These knowledge and information is fairly new but very close and practical for daily lives of local people. With a high spirit and positive attitude, local people learnt easily and are able to implement what they learnt in life.
Training course in Thua Thien Hue was organized on April 11th – 12th with 33 participants. Participants are members of Khe Tran village forest protection and management board and some officers working at local such as members of farmers association, Fatherland Front, village leader, and other unions in Khe Tran village. Besides, the training course also had the participation of officers from people committee of Phong My commune, local forest rangers. The main content of this training is to build capacity on law enforcement of forest management and protection, forest product management for local people. After trainers guided on theory and gave out hypothesized cases, participants will practice writing skills in writing a report to test suspects have forest management and protection violation. The hypothesized practice of participants is highly appreciated, almost participants’ reports meet 60% requirements, some reports even reach 90%. These knowledge and skills are the ideal addition to the weaknesses of forest management and protection process of the club. The training helps members to understand better their rights and responsibilities as the forest owner in forest management and protection and forest’s product management in the natural forest handed over by the government.
In this training course in Thua Thien Hue, participants also were guided how to plan acacia trees to get wood in an appropriate way to support developing sustainable livelihood and protecting the environment. After the training, participants understand that it is time for them to change from planting acacia trees to get wood chips to planting them to get sawn timber. Since Vietnamese Government has closed natural forest and ban wood extraction from natural forest, people switched to buying and using planted forest wood (like acacia). Therefore the price of acacia wood will rise a few times higher. This is a chance for local people to take the lead in switching their livelihood and planting acacia trees for wood.
The training courses reached their expected goals. All participants understand deeply the knowledge, information and kills that were taught to apply them into the forest management and protection work of their clubs. It will contribute in managing and developing their clubs’ forest sustainably and also make their famillies’ lives better.