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Summary People who live on the edges of protected areas may harvest timber to make their living from this natural forest product. Therefore, understanding timber consumption at the household level is critical for developing effective conservation policies. Previous studies have highlighted relationships between the consumption of forest products and socioeconomic status, but they have failed to examine timber consumption under cultural contexts. In this study, we interviewed 121 villagers to examine the socioeconomic profiles of timber consumers with regards to their indigenous culture in the buffer zones of Vietnam’s Bu Gia Map National Park. We found that indigenous identity, landownership, number of crops grown by villagers and proximity to markets are statistically significant for explaining the consumption of timber from natural forests. Given the high likelihood that most of this timber was collected illegally, we make several recommendations for forest managers on how to interact with villagers to improve park protection.

Remote communities alleviate economic hardship by renting their crops to others, and these transactions are often informal and exploitative. Because farmland is an important income source for rural areas, understanding the participation in distress rentals of cashew nut farms is critical for sustainable development. Previous studies have highlighted relationships between socioeconomic factors and participation in land rentals but have failed to examine distress rentals under ethnic contexts. In this study, we interviewed 121 villagers to examine socioeconomic determinants of the participation in distress rentals of farmers with regard to their indigenous culture in two communes in Binh Phuoc province. We found that ethnic identity, land-ownership, informal training in agriculture, family size, and proximity to markets are statistically significant in explaining the likelihood to participate in distress rentals. Based on these findings, we make several recommendations for how local governments can create better policies to ensure social justice.