Household’s view about forest protection activities in Cat Tien National Park

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contract to protect the forest, households have a responsibility to check the changes of forest, discover violations, clear the runways, prevent and fight fire. At present, a total area is divided into six plots (100 ha per plot) where each plot has to be monitored and patrolled at least four times a month. The group of households set up a working schedule and divided themselves into four teams under the supervision of a group leader. Every team has a duty to patrol one plot in a month. On the following month, the four teams have to draw lots to select the new plots for protection. Time for patrolling is one day except on special cases. Before patrolling, the teams have to inform the Ta Lai forest station in order to feedback developments and changes within the park as well as receive instruction from staff of Cat Tien National Park. All households get a subsidy from the park’s management board.

5.3.6 Household’s view about forest protection activities in Cat

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Table 8. Perception of households on Cat Tien National Park forest protection activity

Statements and percentage of surveyed households that said they “AGREE”

94% 94% 94% 94%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 1. “It is deemed necessary for Cat Tien National Park to protect the forest and preserve its biodiversity (flora and fauna)”

70%

48%

80%

66%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 2. “We think that the current activities of Cat Tien National Park Management Board on forest protection and reservation are very good”

46%

20%

56%

41%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 3. “We got benefits from Forest Protection and Rural development Project of Cat Tien National Park and other projects/programs”

44%

80%

62% 62%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 4. “Forest Protection means that people are absolutely not allowed to enter Cat Tien National Park for any purposes”

26%

80%

44% 50%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 5. “Although we are poor, we usually do not go to the Park to get forest products”

56%

88%

62% 69%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 6. “Even if the forest is not there, we can easily find other sources of income”

44%

24%

40% 36%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 7. “Up to now, the people in village 4 have the right to collect medicinal plants, edible plants and animals in the Park”

72%

48%

64% 61%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 8. “Forest play an important role to our family”

18% 22% 26% 22%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 9. “There are still some outsiders that abet local people in our village to get forest products”

82% 78% 82% 81%

Chau Ma Kinh Stieng Total Sample

Statement 10. “The poor people frequently go to the Park than the better-off people”

Source: Household survey, Tran Duc Luan, 2006

Table 8 shows that most households agreed to the first statement and considered it as deemed necessary for Cat Tien national park. Chau Ma and Stieng household explained that the existence of the national park help the preservation of flora and fauna. Whereas Kinh households explained that the park is a source of fresh air, reservoir of natural resources and assists the prevention of the extinction of rare and exotic wild animals. The second statement on the current forest protection activities created a varying explanation for the “agree” answer between indigenous households and Kinh households. Over 70 percent of the indigenous households think that the current forest protection activities is

“Good” because they realize that there exist an abundant fauna and flora species and that forest guards have been cooperating closely with the contracted households. However,

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only 48 percent of Kinh households agree to the current strategy of forest protection as they realized that there are too little forest guard enforces who patrol a large forest area for protection and with forest guards who are not yet well-versed in handling cases of violations.

A high 80 percent of Kinh households agree the fourth statement. It means that people are absolutely not allowed to enter Cat Tien National Park for any purposes because they have to strictly follow the forest law. Further, they assert that even if they are poor, they usually don’t go to the forest to get any products. On the other hand, over 65 percent of Chau Ma and Stieng households are willing to enter the park if they lack food. When a distinct demarcation line is drawn between forest and livelihoods, approximately 38 percent of Stieng households while 44 percent of Chau Ma households said that they find it difficult to find other income sources not related to forest products. Discussion and interviews with key informants suggest that this is due to the fact that Chau Ma and Stieng people’s level of education does not warrant the qualifications required in non-farm activities such as the case of working in industrial company. Unlike with the Kinh people who have the advantage of acquiring higher education that places them at a better situation. Chau Ma and Stieng people have valuable knowledge of collecting medicinal plants in forest (Nguyen Huynh Thuat, 2005). In the household survey over 40 percent of Chau Ma and Stieng households said that they have the right to enter the park to collect medicinal plants, forest food, and wild animals for family’s consumption. While on this aspect, only 22 percent of the Kinh household said this. Looking at the total population ratios between the three groups in village 4, the total impact on resources seems bias to indigenous people. However, if considering the total population of the park, this research lacks a strong evidence to claim that the total impact of indigenous people on these resources is significant or reflected in that statistics, and even not to mention people’s capacity of extraction will differ between them because of the vary of each village in the buffer zone.

The view of Chau Ma and Stieng households indicates that forest plays an important role in their life particularly during times of dwindling rice harvest or when they can not find fire wood in the village. For them, forest helps to overcome difficulties in the short run. Kinh household on the other hand, have a wider view on the role of the forest, they see it as climate equalizer, water source and bio-diversity protector.

Box 4: How can forest guards manage the park well?

One key informant in village 4 said: “The ways of forest protection and conservation are not reasonable. In Cat Tien National Park, the forest law is very strict but not feasible. People’s houses are close to the Park, just a step away so people can enter into the Park. If the forest guards are in roaving, people need only one jumping to get back to their houses. So, how can forest guards manage the park well?”

Source: In-depth interview, Tran Duc Luan, 2006

From 2000, a project for forest protection and rural development has been implemented in the village and was managed by Cat Tien national park management board. When people were asked about the third statement, approximately half of indigenous households said they did not benefit from the project when in fact this was targeted for the indigenous households. Kinh household had less benefits received.

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Households further explained that while there were many components in the project, only few technology training courses were conducted thus the majority of the participants failed to understand and apply the technology in the field. Moreover, discussion with key informants appears to suggest that the success of the project outcome in terms of maximizing the benefits lies in the challenge that most of the households have low level of education as well as their lack of strong to get out of poverty. Again, this is manifested in their over-dependence to Government support and external help.

One sensitive issue of this study is the case of indirect violators who abet local people to enter the park to collect forest products. Results of household survey reveal that indeed some outsiders are committing this act. Twenty-two percent of the surveyed households support this claim. More interestingly, by looking deeper at the local level realities, the poor has a higher tendency of entering the forest more than the others in the community thus forest protection activities are complex and seems to be difficult.