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Vietnam poverty & environment nexus study phase II

Land resource – Poverty Study in Vietnam

Tran Nhu TrungVice director of TECOS

Join stock company of consultancy service & technology development for natural resources &

environment

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The land Law was first implemented in 1987. The latest Land Law 2003 with more toward to the economic & social (poverty) development objectives of Vietnam

There is a need for monitoring the impact of land policy on poverty & environment

3 land administration measuresLand allocation (forestland)Land titling (land use right certificate)Land use planning (land law = modern LUPs)

Why is the land law an important topic in poverty and environment?

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A database for 611 districts & 61 provinces: containing 5 data groups: 1) general socio-economic, 2) Topographic & infrastructure, 3) Poverty, 4) Land & 5) Environmental data.

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Tuyen Quang province

Nghe An province Binh Dinh province 6 districts 6 communes 12 villages 176 households Contrasted

conditions among case study areas

Case study

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Background of 6 study districtsCommune

Uses of sloped land

Important stakeholders

% poor

Ethnic groups

TQ 1 Orange in village 1 SFE in village 2, with conflict

66% 84% MNG

TQ 2 RA forbidden by local government but practiced

Protected area 87% 53% MNG

NA 1 Tourism: 1 village resettledRA restricted by local government

Protected area 69% 94% MNG

NA 2 RA organized by district with land allocation

District 67% 95% MNG & SSG

BD 1 Cassava, cashew SFE, without conflict 53% No

BD 2 RA, cashew SFE, with conflict 80% 97% SSG

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Main findings Legal framework improvements, especially

in land administration, are one of the leverage points that have potential to improve sustainability of natural resource use & reduce poverty, but the poorest communities are largely by-passed by these improvements (WB PEN II report).

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Differences of land allocation proportion for household and enterprises in each

region

Enterprises Household

s

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Thre is a weak correlation between allocation of land use rights and poverty & environment. The impact of land use rights depends on how confident households are in using land. There are too many parties in forest land decision making. Households with & without Forest Land Allocated by Poverty Level

Proportion of forest land and HHs have LTC for forest land

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Total poverty score of P-E indicatorsPropotion of HHs with LTCs on forestry land (green book)Proportion of forest land per total area

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Same land allocation in one province but different results & impact on environment in two districts

Clear forest, plant orange & easy escape from the poor

Do not use forestland – poor remains

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Nghe An province: Households have not determined how to manage / develop the forestland they have.Environment is completely protected

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Binh Dinh province: No matter households receive forestland or not…

…following customary rule, slash-burn activities are prevalent

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Modern LUP is a win-win solution for poverty and environment (but now, limited participation from local people, other stakeholders, complicated procedures…)

What can I do with this land?

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Some district officers have limitation understanding of the Land Law 2003

Communal officer needs appropriate skills

Village is not an administrative unit in system, but plays a key role

in land policy implementation

Land policy implementation needs an appropriate community capacity

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Decision-makers are more aware of the impact of poverty & environment from land policies and of differences between lowlands and uplands.

• An action plan of development a modern LUP (incorporates more environment & social issues) will be released on Sep 2006 by MONRE

More interaction between local people and officers in dealing with land issues – 2 events for question and answer on land between local people and MONRE, DONRE in 2006

Some changes of Vietnam land administration since the PEN

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Recommendations Urgent need for a monitoring system for land, poverty, &

environment based on the current statistical system Develop modern land use plans, which is simple to

implement at local level. In forestry reform, clarify the role/decision making

process on forestland. It would be better has only one instead of several agencies as moment. Transition from State forest enterprise to non-State enterprise sector should be pro-poor.

Capacity building of commune & village leaders should be a key element in land policy implementation in upland areas : community leader information and training on legal framework

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ThanksFor your intention!