Policies Drive Sub-National Forest Transitions in Vietnam

Abstract

Vietnam has seemingly been able to shortcut the forest transition (FT) by quickly moving to the reforestation phase. Provincial-level forest cover and socio-economic trends are, however, not necessarily compatible with a standard FT framework. This article compares forest cover change and associated policy reforms in two provinces. Bac Kan is one of the poorest provinces in Vietnam, and has, after years of deforestation and forest degradation, expanded its forest cover during the past two decades. In contrast, Lam Dong province has higher GDP and population density, but has had high deforestation linked to expansion of perennial crops. This is contrary to what could be expected from a conventional FT hypothesis. Land use dynamics in Vietnam is heavily driven by its historical heritage related to the independence from French rule and heavy state-control and collectivization, and its more recent shift to “market-led socialism” (doi moi), involving export promotion, decentralization and land tenure reforms. The Vietnam experience shows that policies can trump the typical FT patterns linked to general development trends and structural changes, and that the typical FT-trajectory is not unavoidable. Yet, these policies have not primarily been guided by forest concerns, but should be viewed as a side effect of the doi moi policies pursuing economic growth and of the devolution of rights and decision-making.

The Supported Policies in the Afforestation and Perennial Crops Project and its Effects on the Local Peoples’ Livelihoods in Dien Bien Province of Vietnam

“…The results identified that the government had issued several policies to help the investors and farmers involved in this project. However, concerns about their practice were raised, some of which included: the low percentage of dividend sharing for farmers, unclear land use rights, and the inadequate application of policies to reality (Traedal & Angelsen, 2020). Moreover, in the study area, rubber plantations expanded into to cropland areas.…”

Envisioning better forest transitions: A review of recent forest transition scholarship

“…Four articles empirically linked forest gain to policy changes. In Bac Kan, Vietnam, new land entitlements led to forest regrowth on land previously under shifting agriculture [ 33 ]. In China, policies encouraging farmers to maximize labor productivity in land use resulted in more select land use, and consequently in reclamation and resurgence of ecological services elsewhere [ 34 ].…”

The spatiotemporal patterns and pathways of forest transition in China

“…The 'pathway hypothesis' was put forward and fully developed and widely recognized, including 'economic development pathway' and 'forest scarcity pathway,' 'globalization pathway,' 'national policy pathway' and 'agroforestry intensive pathway' (Ellis et al, 2021; Lambin & Meyfroidt, 2010; Rudel et al, 2005; Schelhas et al, 2021). Recent studies indicate that food imports (Belay et al, 2015); topography and proximity to plantations (da Silva et al, 2016), economic globalization (Li et al, 2017; Liu et al, 2017); conservation and restoration efforts (Chazdon, 2019); economic, policy interventions, and governance (Chazdon et al, 2020; Cochard et al, 2020; Liu et al, 2017; Saraiva et al, 2020; Tradal & Angelsen, 2020) influence the magnitude and timing of forest transition. Recent analyses have investigated the combined effects of multiple forest transition pathways (Jadin et al, 2016; Singh et al, 2017).…”