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Rapid Rubber Expansion in Viet Nam and its Impacts on Forestlands

Publication

Authors: Tropenbos International Viet Nam

Viet Nam - 2015

Language: English

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This info-brief summarizes the results of a research project on the expansion and impact of rubber plantations in Viet Nam in two major cultivation regions: the Central Highlands and the Northwest. Rubber plantations have increased rapidly in these regions in recent years following the Rubber Development Strategy of 2009. However, most of the expansion is done at the expense of forestlands. The lack of compliance with government regulations regarding rubber development by some local authorities resulted in large areas of natural forest being converted to rubber plantations. This has had substantial impacts on forest resources in Viet Nam’s Central Highlands and Northwest provinces. Additionally, while the economic benefits of rubber development models are not yet guaranteed, many local populations do not share in the benefits of these models. The limitations placed on acquiring cultivated land for local people has also led to forestland encroachment and land conflicts. Presently, Viet Nam is actively participating in international initiatives such as the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) programmes. The implementation of these commitments requires Viet Nam to establish and effectively operate mechanisms that address drivers of deforestation and degradation, including the drivers of natural forest conversion for rubber plantation. To effectively curb the exploitative practices of rubber plantation expansions, the Vietnamese government needs to strengthen the monitoring and inspection on land appraisal processes and on the implementation of forest conversion projects

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