A resettled community in the buffer zone of Cat Tien National Park, South Vietnam. The settlement was built in 2003 when the government enforced strict regulations that prevent utilisation or habitation in the forest. Photo by Widya Prajanthi
It is often perceived - particularly by conservationists - that the human struggle against poverty is a major cause of biodiversity loss. On the other hand, human rights activists see conservation efforts to stop biodiversity loss as limiting human access to vital resources.
What is often missed in such an argument is that biodiversity conservation can actually contribute to livelihoods by helping to maintain a healthy ecosystem, which can then improve productive capacity and general human well-being.
A MacArthur-funded Conservation and Development Project Workshop took place recently in Cat Tien National Park, South Vietnam, and brought together a range of stakeholders from conservation agencies, development organizations and government departments to discuss issues surrounding the linkages between conservation and development and to share experiences of conservation interventions at the site level. The workshop was held from 18th – 22nd September 2007 and was organised by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). Twenty-five participants examined and discussed how conservation is influenced by factors such as infrastructure development, land-use change, ecotourism, government policy and market opportunities.
The workshop was held in Cat Tien National Park, which is located in southern Vietnam (between Ho Chi Minh and Da Lat cities) and is characterised by its distinctive natural landscapes and unique biodiversity. It is also renowned for the rich cultural mosaic of the Ma and S’tieng minorities. These indigenous, forest-dwelling communities are a part of the Gong Culture, which was recognized by UNESCO in 2005 as a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
According to Nguyen Huynh Thuat, the Officer of Science and Technology at Cat Tien National Park, “the condition of the forest in the National Park is very good, but there are a few problems such as occasional slash and burn activities, over exploitation of forest products and biodiversity loss.
“The burning issue between the Cat Tien National Park and the local communities began when the government implemented a strict regulation in 2003 that prevented the local communities from using or living in the forest,” Thuat said.
“Cultural diversity is the foundation and source of wisdom for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. When the wonderful, intangible link between the indigenous communities and the forest is lost, complex conflicts arise and lead to the critical loss of cultural- and bio-diversity,” he said.
In addition to these cultural issues outlined by Thuat, Nguyen Bich Ha, the Vietnam Program Manager for Fauna and Flora International, pointed to the environmental impacts of economic growth. “After the Vietnam war in 1975, Vietnam has experienced rapid economic development,” Bich Ha said.
“As a result there has been a great deal of pressure in and around those developing areas, with forest loss and degradation quite common. The high population and low wages also creates more poverty. The situation has been improving for the last 10 years or so, but we’re still facing significant deforestation and biodiversity loss”.
Participants in the workshop had the opportunity to examine the complex combinations of economic, social and environmental factors that drive poverty and biodiversity loss, and to examine various strategies for developing integrated, landscape conservation and development projects in the Lower Mekong region.
The next step in the Tools for Integrating Conservation and Development Project is to collect information from landscapes in Cambodia and Laos. The project will continue until mid-2009, when participants from across the region will distil lessons for international dissemination.