Forest Ecosystem Services and Local Communities: Towards a Possible Solution to Reduce Forest Dependence in Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam

Abstract

Conservation of protected areas is likely to be challenging in the long term if the dependence of local communities on natural resources is not measured appropriately. We investigated forest ecosystem services utilized by communities living around the Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam, and examined their spatial distributions through the integration of data from interviews, participatory mapping, and GIS analysis. The results suggest that provisioning services are crucial to the local livelihoods, and especially for an ethnic minority group. Many respondents confirmed the collection of specific types of forest foods, materials, and water resources mainly used for family consumption. We conducted spatial pattern analysis with land use, administrative units, terrain conditions, and accessibility, and clarified the characteristics of the spatial distribution of ecosystem service collection in relation to these factors, resource abundance, and forest governance. We propose the introduction of community-based tourism as one means to improve the livelihood opportunities of the ethnic minority groups to reduce their forest dependence.

Examining Linkages among Livelihood Strategies, Ecosystem Services, and Social Well-Being to Improve National Park Management

“…On the other hand, agricultural and forestry practitioners who depend on material output seek higher added-value industrial activities under PA management. This trend of ecological and cultural valorisation in protected area is becoming common [55][56][57] and is also hinted by the results that middle-and high-income families that tend to engage in tourism operating. Moreover, tea farmers and tourism operators prioritised eco-tourism and tea, respectively, indicating their expectation of livelihood diversification based on the combination of provisioning and culture services, which can be conservation-compatible.…”

Socioeconomic factors affecting households' use of indigenous forest management practices in managing non-wood forest products: evidence from forest communities in Nigeria derived savannah

“…Das (2000) observed that conservation activities in common property resource is weak in labor constrained setting. The finding also suggests that large households, as indicated by Hong and Saizen (2019), are involved in indigenous forest management practices for NTFP management and conservation because of their need for forest products to ensure their livelihoods. Also, the finding that the number of years spent in school is negatively and significantly associated with the use of indigenous protective mechanisms suggests that educated people who are pragmatic in their thinking will not rely on the efficacy of indigenous protective mechanisms for forest protection.…”

“…Although the finding shows that indigenous knowledge increases with age, there is no explicit agreement regarding the influence of age on the practice of harvesting of forest products. While Mamo et al (2007) and Coulibaly-Lingani et al (2009) found that young people collect forest products more than older people, Hong and Saizen (2019) found that older people collect more forest products than younger people.…”

An Investigation of the Factors That Motivated Illegal Settlements in the Mau Forest, Kenya

“…The rest of the forest users include people living in urban and rural areas. Ecosystem services derived from the forest include fuelwood, fiber, construction material, herbal medicine, honey, fodder and water among other services [2] [3]. According to Jenkins & Schaap [1], forests are an important income generator especially to rural families in Africa, Asia and Latin America.…”