Factors Affecting Community Forest Management in Ha Giang Province, Vietnam45249

However, after implementing the Law on Forest Protection and Development, since 2004, village communities have not yet been fully recognized and access to the right to participate in the

Factors Affecting Community Forest Management in

Ha Giang Province, Vietnam

Dao Thi Thu Trang (1) *

(1) VNU Economic Business University, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam

* Correspondence: daothutrang.pd@gmail.com

Abstract: With the current deforestation in the world, to save the earth and forest resources, residents

need to have a long-term strategy for their management and conservation A form of forests management that has been applied in Vietnam as well as several countries in Asia is model of community forests management This model was initially promoted its effectiveness in improving the lives of residents and restricting rampant logging, reducing forests over- exploitation Community forests management is a forest management methods based on traditional knowledge and experience of community aspirations, aims to enhance capacity and strengthen partnerships to share experience and community stakeholders in order to manage resources sustainably and contribute to improving the material life, spiritual, cultural and ethnic communities living in and near forests This study focused on the factors affecting the community forests management in Ha Giang through the subjective opinions of the respondents Then, it identifies what the factors that have been done better and the factors need to complete in order to improve the community forests management here From the data collected, tested scales, factor analysis, the paper has constructed a linear regression model The study results are also valid recommendations for organizations looking

to develop appropriate strategies to achieve effective community forests management in Ha Giang

Keywords: Community forests management; Likert 5; ANOVA analysis; Ha Giang; Vietnam

1 Introduction

In recent times, the developing countries in general and Vietnam in particular, forest resources have been reduced more in terms of quantity as well as quality So, countries face two problems such as poverty and the consequences of degradation of natural resources and the environment Since then, the policy and strategy development should be designed and implemented toward both objectives, which are reducing poverty and improvement of community life, sanitation and efficient use of natural resources So, management, protection and development of forest resources is an urgent task of the whole residents, as well as the government bodies from the central to local levels To protect, manage and development forest effectively requires the active participation of residents living near the

forest

In order to effectively manage and protect forests, there must be active participation

of residents living near forests Village communities are self-governing social units that play

a particularly important role in managing and protecting forests, especially community forests However, after implementing the Law on Forest Protection and Development, since

2004, village communities have not yet been fully recognized and access to the right to participate in the management, use, protection and development of community forests same as other forest owners Community forest allocation policies are still inadequate,

making community forest management in localities in Vietnam difficult

Ha Giang is a mountainous province borders the northern forest, its area for forestry development is 553,138.3 ha Currently, Ha Giang has 06 special-use forests, protected species and habitat areas With the first national location, the role of forests in Ha Giang is particularly important not only to preserve the environment and natural resources in Ha Giang in particular, but also for the whole country, especially the northern provinces Ha Giang Forest in one of the forests are to be managed, protected and developed For a long time, the life of the local population especially ethnic minorities has closed with forests, both materially and spiritually In the history of its development, the ethnic communities of Ha Giang province was aware of the benefits of forests and the need to protect the forest, which was formed by the customs, a sense of forest management, which guide and regulate human relations and community forests However, at present, deforestation and forest degradation

in Ha Giang remains, requiring the need to have clear strategies to improve the management

and protection of forests

Therefore, it is necessary to study the factors affecting community forest management in Ha Giang so that local authorities have appropriate solutions to improve

the effectiveness of forest management here

2 Literature review

2.1 Concept

2.1.1 The concept of community

In Vietnam, the concept of "community" is used in the forest management can be

generalized into two categories the following key points:

Firstly, the "community" is a collection of residents who live close together in a small society there are similarities in terms of cultural, economic, social traditions, customs, relations in production and life are often intertwined and spatial boundaries in a village According to this concept, "community" is the "village communities" (hereinafter "villages" are collectively referred to as "rural" in accordance with the Law on Forest Protection and

Development (National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam 2004)

Second, the "community" is used in forest management is talking to groups of residents have relationships intertwined in the production and life Thus, according to this view, "community" is not only the community but also the entire village, including ethnic

communities in rural areas; family or community groups in rural households

Despite these different conceptions of community, but most of the comments were

that "community" is used in forest management is talking to rural communities

Article 3 of the Law on the protection and development of forests in 2004 defines

"Community is the whole village households and individuals living in the same village, hamlet, village, hamlet or single equivalent" (National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of

Vietnam 2004)

2.1.2 The concept of community forest management

The concept of community forest management has been discussed for decades, but

in fact there have not been fully defined it On Asia forest network, the views of community

forest management are generally seen as referring to the activities of the community

towards the management and sustainable use of forest resources

In the world, concept of community forest management was first held in 1978 by FAO in the world forestry conference That is "all forestry activities that community participate, including works in the garden, harvesting forest products for the needs of human life and planting trees at farms, production and processing of forestry products in households and cooperatives to increase income for the communities living near the forest."

(FAO 1978)

Quach Duong give a simple concept That is "process forest management, protection and development based on indigenous knowledge, traditional architecture, festivals and customary law of the community." Community forest management include activities of individuals and communities relating to forest management, protection and development (Duong 2005)

Indeed, it is hardly for a full definition to reflect the reality of community forest management because natural conditions, economic and social in parts of the world is different So, the forms of community forest management also become very different In addition, the community forests management not only framed in community activities but also involve multiple stakeholders such as policy makers, government agencies, non-government agencies sponsorship and scientists The involvement of these organizations also impacts on process forest management and protection as well as economic conditions,

social of communities

Although not a completely accurate definition of community forest management, the process of developing forest communities in fact has not decreased Community forests management has been done for hundreds of years ago, and that was carried out before scientists mentioned Ecological and social effective of community forests have shown that community forest management is one of the logistic operations and most efficient in finding out the principles, the strategies employed the management, protection and development

of forest resources (Poffenberger 2003)

In terms of science, community forest management has only been known in the early 1970s, when droughts in African and floods in Asia have made forest resources seriously impaired Fuel for rural communities become increasingly difficult It was at this time the experience of community forest management in India (social forestry model), South Korea (village garden model), Thailand (the village forest model) and in Tanzania (the village plantation forest model) were interest by scientists in the world and they are considered as

a solution to forest development and solving fuel in rural areas By the late 1970s, the

concept of community forest management has been widely recognized worldwide

In 1978, World forestry Congress has taken the title as "community forests" to honor and promote community forest activities (Arnold and Stewart 1991) In the 1980s, the forest development project has been expanded to communities around the world, particularly in India and Nepal The name of the community forest also changes as "Join Forest Management"; "Social Forestry", "Community Based Forest Management" However, the

nature of the community forest management has not changed, it is the process in which the residents are center in forests management, protection and development At the end of the 1980s and 1990s, scientists focus more on research institutions in community forest management, including institutional traditions and institutions of the state, in order to create a legal framework for the development of community forests In this stage, the concept of ownership is given to discuss a wide range, including state ownership, private ownership, community ownership and use freely For a while the community forest concept was criticized vehemently on the views of Hardin in "The Tragedy of common ownership" that the community ownership of forests is synonymous with liberal use It is a form of use that every member wants to take maximizing general benefits for themselves, thus forest

was over exploited (Hardin 1968)

Contrary to Hardin, Arnold and Jongma suggest that forest communities bring greater efficiency in forest development and community development They stressed that the community forest is an integral component of rural development, which targets mainly aimed at helping poor communities to sustain themselves and grow their life So, forest community is for the residents and there is residents’ participation in management and development (Arnold and Jongma 1978) With a view like that, they has pointed out three basic goals of the community forest is (1) providing fuel and other vital supplies to serve the basic needs of the community, (2) providing sustainable source of food and habitat for a process of continuous food production, and (3) having income, resolving employment for local residents Burda et al also acknowledged the community forest management that: "The longer residents live in the forest have special knowledge about the local ecology and the long-term impact of forest on the social, environmental to their lives The centralization of bureaucratic management systems lacks the flexibility and ability to adapt to the real

conditions of different localities (Burda et al 1997)

While community forest management helps residents to live closer to nature and thereby establish the institutions, plans to use forest management and a more efficient manner Community forest management has created a system responsive to rapid decision-making and action to adapt to the changes of specific conditions The decision to meet the

interests of the entire community, those directly responsible for making those decisions."

Herb also gave arguments favor community forest management that "forest management by communities create opportunities to find solutions that without in centralized power system The process of planning and action are integrated a responsible manner because they are done at the same place and by the community." (Herb 1991) Despite the debate, the community forest has developed naturally and quickly Many parts

of the world have been accepted it and is seen as an important strategy in the management,

protection and development of forest resources

Community forest management is not new in Vietnam Many studies have shown the existence of traditional forest management by mountain communities in different places across the country With forest allocation policy since the early 1990s and the support of development projects in the country in the forestry sector, the involvement of local

communities in forest management has more and more increase

Community forest management is a form of traditional forms of management in the mountainous region of Vietnam ago The Vietnam ethnic communities with different scales: tribe, clan, village played a vital role both the forests management and protection and residents use forest resources logically with conventional community Ethnic use forest resources to serve their life: wood, bamboo for houses, firewood, mining rattan bamboo

housewares and collectibles crops cure patient experience of traditional folk

So far, in Vietnam, in terms of both theory and practice, the community forest management has been recognized Code management, protection and development of forests in 2004 has confirmed community ownership for forests and which there were regulations on forests allocation for village communities In the highlands, especially ethnic minorities, community forest management is performed by "sacred forest", "ghost forest",

"family group forest" These forests are managed by residents, protection fairly closely and

effectively

From the contents of the above definitions, one can see the forest management

community is shown on 2 content

* The members of the community participate in business and management forests which belong to the general public (state- owned or assigned according to tradition) This

management is directly

* Community manage forests owned by the state organization through contracts Participation in the management directly related to community life such as employment, income, products harvested or enjoy the benefits of forests and other benefits cannot be calculated (such as watershed protection, creed, monuments ) Community can join the general management of private forest patches are delivered to every household in the community to achieve high efficiency in management The management is considered

indirect management

2.2 The role of community forest management

* The community can protect forests more effectively than households (at the study sites showed that the area of forest managed by community are currently not want to divide the household, because most forests are located in remote places village, when the violation occurs in forests, households cannot solve When fire occurs, they can mobilize village all members of the community to help) And here is the method of forest management in terms

of cost effectiveness, (requires less investment from the Government) that are all accepted

and high environmental nature

* Community organizations in the local village very closely, village leaders are elected democratically and receive state subsidies Most communities have local conventions (write a text and unwritten) and highly effective, showing the relationship of social ties of community members in a coherent way Mechanism of reward and punishment

according to the conventions of the community proved very effective

* Management of community forests to meet the demand for domestic water protection and agricultural production; environmental protection and beliefs; the wood used in the construction of public infrastructure (schools, clinics) as well as provide

agricultural parts contribute to improving life for residents in the community The residents

in the community that for each root in management, and exchange experiences in

production

2.3 Factors affecting the community forest management

2.3.1 Community forests management Policy

* Government Policy

Based on practical issues happening in the economy, government policies such as orientation, measures, actions of government to solve problems, towards common

development goals and the effect of economic activity

Government policies greatly influence the management of community forests When the government recognized the village community, which means they are an organization that has legal status and is considered to be the object of state land and forests and the

management, protection and local forest (Nguyen Van Them 2004)

Generally, in terms of legal, forests allocation is handing local communities empowers management, use of assets attached on forest land Community residents have

the right to manage, protect, develop and use a common interest in serving the community

Government policies encourage the community forest community forest

management will be done well and vice versa

* Province Policy

District’s policy is perspective, policy guidelines and action of the district authorities

in order to achieve the goal of economic development - cultural - political - social District policy on forest management are the guidelines, action plans and methods on how to manage, protect, develop and use local forest district to achieve common development Because the forest is a nature resource, the efficiency forest management and harvesting will

bring great benefit to the community

The policy of the district has forests is also a great influence on the community forests management Sometimes, the district's policy not completely coincide with the government's policy There are government policies are proposed but not implemented in the district Conversely, cannot government policy but if the agency deems necessary local and efficiently, they can also make specific policy to encourage certain activities performed Therefore, the district's policy on forest management is a new local policy directly affects

the activity in the forest district (Duong 2005)

District policy encourages land and forest allocation, implementation of community forest management brings advantageous and effective Conversely, if the district does not have policies to promote community forest management, then this will work hard to

survive

2.3.2 Understanding of residents in community forest management

Residents’ understanding of forest management is that residents have sufficient information and knowledge needed to manage forests and their role in forest management Residents knowledgeable about forest management as they grasp the techniques and

principles of exploitation and use of forest resources It also means knowing how to handle problems that occur on state forest deforestation, forest fires, forest regeneration

As forests are national resources and the existence of forests not only affects the lives

of residents close to the forest, but also affect the environment and living conditions of the country Therefore, the state has always had an important role in forest management For community forest management, whether the residents directly managing the forest but still need close coordination between state management agencies and local communities This combination is shown in place: state agency entrusted to manage residents In addition, state agencies also act as a guide, technical advice on management, protection and development

of forests, equipped with certain knowledge of the community It impacts positively on the

management of community forests (Nguyen Ba Ngai 2009),

Because community forest management is the shared responsibility and relies on the collective power to protect common resources, collaboration between residents, between residents in forest areas is very important Residents coordinate forest management and discipline in order to ensure certain forest management activities are carried out community

constantly and fully and effectively

This combination is that these residents together to protect the forest, when problems occur together, including handling the assignments clear and fair Thus, the close collaboration between residents in forest management has a positive impact on community

forest management

2.3.4 Protective Equipment for forest management

Protective equipment for the forest management is the equipment to be able to help residents handle problems that occur in forests with ease and convenience For example, the fire-extinguishing equipment when wildfire, protection devices, against those who deforestation, the media to update the public on forests and increase understanding of the residents equipment for forest management as the full implementation of forest management more effective For forest communities, when residents are well equipped with the protection of forest management activities and community good will (Swiss Association

for Development and Cooperation 2005)

forest community recognition and self- managed communities traditionally well protected

in accordance with customs and conventions (Ngai 2009), These forests have an important role in production, meaning life or spiritual, religious communities and for almost the entire community to decide on the management, protection and use of forests as well as benefits

from forests

2.3.6 Benefit from forest management

Residents see the benefit when they participate in forest management, they will be enthusiastic about the job and promote effective forest management Benefits from forest management as they are exploited forest use without affecting its long life and other residents Benefits are led participants to explore creative ways to enhance the quality of work Thus, the benefits from forest management to influence positive community forest management (Tuyen 2012)

Methodology

3.1 Research model and hypothesis

The research questions are:

- What is the impact of factors on community forest management in Ha Giang?

- What should Ha Giang provincial authorities adjust to improve the effectiveness of

community forest management?

Based on the research purpose, nine following research hypotheses are set out:

* Hypothesis 1 (H1): Government and local forest management policies that encourage forest land allocation and recognition of the role of communities in forest management will positively impact community forest management This effect is

interpreted as the effect in the same direction

* Hypothesis 2 (H2): Residents’ understanding of forest management is that residents have sufficient information and knowledge needed to manage forests and their role in forest management When residents have an understanding of forest management, they will voluntarily protection and know how to effectively protect forests This active

promotion of community forest management

* Hypothesis 3 (H3): State agencies have an important role in forest management orientation The combination of residents in forest management is very important Community forest management to achieve the effect by the large number of participants, the ongoing management and all problems are solved quickly and with resolve collective strength Want to get it there must be better coordination between the residents in the community forest areas The close collaboration between residents will impact positively on

community forest management

* Hypothesis 4 (H4): Protective equipment have a positive impact to overall forest management and community forest management in particular Protective equipment to

help solve the problems that occur in forests that are easy and more convenient

* Hypothesis 5 (H5): The traditional habit of the residents is a major influence on forest management If communities have traditionally love forests, forest protection, they

will enthusiastically participate in forest management and vice versa

* Hypothesis 6 (H6): Benefits from the forest always attractive man When participating in forest management, both public defenders, both the mining and forest use Benefits from sustainable forests and as long as the community wishes to participate in

forest management activities

With the above 6 hypotheses, the research model is set up as follows:

1.1 The local Government recognizes community is an object allocated forest

land and private forest owners as a way of actually promoting community

forest management

CS1

1.2 Local government direct the model building and community forest policy

and related activities to promote community forest management

CS2

1.3 Local government building regulations guiding protection and

development of forest communities in promoting community forest

management

CS3

2 Residents’ understanding of community forest management

2.1 Residents’ understanding of their role in protecting the forests will

promote community forest management

HB1

2.2 Residents understand the power of collective forest management will

promote community forest management

HB2

2.3 Understanding techniques that use forest resources will impact positively

on community forest management

HB3

3 The combination of community forest management

3.1 Agency support state management, resident’s management and forest will

impact positively on community forest management

PH1

3.2 Residents who work together will increase the effectiveness of community

forest management

PH2

3.3 The combination of the residents to ensure forest management is ongoing

and timely handling work

PH3

4 Protective Equipment for the management

4.1 Protective Equipment facilitate community-based forest management TB1 4.2 Equipment protection reduces the risk of community-based forest

management

TB2

4.3 Residents are equipped with full protective equipment for forest

management have a positive impact to the management of community

5.2 The traditional customs of the residents to respect and protect the forest

has promoted community participation in forest management

TQ2

6.1 Join forest management can help residents exploit, income and other

benefits from forests will promote community-based forest management

LI1

6.2 Residents are doing all participate in forest management while promoting

community forest management

LI2

6.3 Forest management will keep the forest has not lost promote community

forest management

LI3

7.1 Quan Ba District, Ha Giang province has been implementing community

* Goal setting questionnaire: validation of opinions forest management staff, leaders and residents in Ha Giang province to study the status of community forest management in the district

* Base construction question: based on an assessment of the factors variables that affect the community forest management are shown in the literature review

* Structure of the questionnaire:

The content of the questionnaire was divided into 2 parts:

Part I: General information about the interviewee characteristics including age, gender, place of work, education

Part II: Measuring the level of assessment of the factors affecting the community forests management in Ha Giang Province

* Assessment Scale

In this study type scale was selected using 5-point Likert scale, from totally disagree

to totally agree In addition, the scale represents the name was chosen to set the question additional variables such as age, gender, income

Formally, the question is printed on A4 paper, clearly presented, easy to read, easy

to understand and include the contents of the above scale

3.4 Sample size and data analysis

The survey was conducted for forest managers, officer in Residents’ Committees and residents in Ha Giang Province There were 400 questionnaires were sent directly to the objects of study Total number of questionnaires collected was 355, after entering and cleaning data, the number of valid questionnaires were used for analysis is 353, achieved 88,25%

Research using non-probability sampling, (select elements involved in irregular patterns random) Samples were selected as the forest management staff, office of DPC and residents in Ha Giang Province

This test is carried with the use of SPSS software version 20.0 By using calculation tools, illustration and test, the study will show the result of liner regression indicating the degree of influences of independent variables on dependent variables in attracting investment with 5% p-value

In this study, there are 5 types of data analysis techniques to be applied, including demographic description, descriptive statistics, reliability test analysis, linear regression, and ANOVA analysis Demographic and descriptive statistics are two major data analysis techniques whether the author utilizes SPSS to take a summary on how many respondents

to choose each point in Likert 5 points of scale On the other hand, the author adapts the rule

of thumb provided by Sekaran (2003) whether this researcher indicates that mean value will represent for the agree level of the respondents In more detail, mean value of factor which

is higher than 3.5, in between 2.5 and 3.5, and less than 2.5 will indicate for the context of which the respondents have high, medium and low agree with the questionnaire’s contexts

Furthermore, the author also applies reliability test analysis on organizational commitment, compensation management in the conceptual research model According to Hair et al (2011), reliability test analysis will provide to the researchers the level of reliability in the survey scale This analysis consists of 3 statistical tests, including Cronbach’s alpha value should be higher than 0.6, Corrected Item-Total Correlation should be higher than 0.3, and Cronbach’s alpha if Item Deleted should be less than Cronbach’s alpha value in overall The last but not least is linear regression whether this data analysis techniques will provide to the researchers on how factors in conceptual research model relate with each other Finally, ANOVA analysis is applied in order to understand on how difference between respondents who have different characteristics in term of gender, age, marital status, and education toward organizational commitment, compensation management, and government officials’ performances

4 Results

4.1 Statistical description

4.1.1 The independent variables

Statistical results minimum value (Min) and maximum (Max) of each observed variable in Table 4.5 shows that the respondents evaluated for factors differ greatly That is the same speech, someone totally agree, but also completely disagree Lowest rating for the scale of the variable "policy on community forest management" (CS2), "The coordination of community forest management" (PH2) and was rated as the variable "Benefits from forest management" (LI2)

Overall, the average value (mean) of the independent variables differ (mean = 2.86 - 3.65), this proves there is a different assessment of the level of importance between the independent variables

Table 2: Descriptive statistics of factors affecting community forest management

* Description of variable frequency "Policy on the community forests management "

"Policy on the community forests management" variable is those respondents rated pretty high (mean from 2.86 to 3.5) This variable was assessed rather large difference between the observed variables Most respondents agreed that local government have recognized community is forest owners (accounting for 46.4%), only 5.3% did not agree that demonstrated community forest management has a very interesting here However, 38.5% said that local governments do not have the leadership or clear policy to build a model community forest management and only guide the convention of forest protection, and development in communities

Table 3: Description of the variable frequency “Policy on community forest management”

CS1 The local Government recognizes community is an object

allocated forest land and private forest owners as a way of

actually promoting community forest management

0.7 4.6 48

4 36.6 9.8

CS2 Local government direct the model building and

community forest policy and related activities to promote

community forest management

2.6 35.9 38.6 19.0 3.9

CS3 Local government building regulations guiding protection

and development of forest communities in promoting

community forest management

Ba District, Ha Giang Province is quite a lot This is a favorable factor for the development

of community forest management The evaluation of observed variables HB1, HB2 have a high mean, respectively 3.56 and 3.61 Only observed variables HB3 have mean less than 3 These statistics describe reasonably reflect the reality of Ha Giang residents’ understanding