SIFI postLETTER No 11 – Experiences from Vietnam
The interest in rehabilitating degraded forests has increased radically
One reason for this is the growing interest in furthering the role of forests as a sink for CO2. Just now reduced deforestation is the hottest topic but the interest to rehabilitate degraded forests is increasing fast. Successful worldwide rehabilitation, potentially affecting 1 – 2 billion ha degraded forests/vegetation, would be good for mankind, but it could prove to be a challenge for millions of poor people utilizing these areas. This concerns both intensive industrial plantations and small-scale farm forestry.
Learn from failures as well as successes
If programmes for restoration are to succeed on a large scale we must try to learn from failures as well as successes. This is the reason why SIFI started a project to learn from the Bai Bang project in Vietnam, initiated by a large Swedish group of senior advisers. This work has been carried out through round table discussions in collaboration with the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) and the Institute of Policy and Strategy in Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) in Vietnam. It is clear that one of the world’s highest rural population densities causes major land use challenges. Trainee Marcus Hallenberg has compiled a report on the history of Bai Bang and its importance for rural development, including a summary of key reports.
Swedish experiences in Bai Bang
The 11th issue of SIFI’s postletter presents forestry in Vietnam and specifically lessons learnt from Swedish experiences in Bai Bang. This postletter is prepared as a background for the culmination of the project, the seminar on 3 June at KSLA entitled Experiences from Bai Bang with global reflections.
Content. SIFI:s 11th postletter – Experiences from Vietnam
Editorial p 2
Vietnam forestry sector p 2
Land conflict in Vietnam’s rural economy p 3
Background to the seminar in June 3 at KSLA_p 4
The historical background in Bai Bang p 5
From aid Fiasco to success story p 6
Landscaping – from natural forest to farm based plantation forestry in 30 years p 7
Swedish influence behind the gigantic landscape transition_p 8
Large forest industry ventures require public acceptance p 9
Bai Bang Paved the way for further co-operation_p 9
Current experiences and policy perspectives p 10
Institutional partnership for improving forecast capacity p 10
Lessons from Bai Bang p 11
Calendar & Spring activities p 12
Fredrik Ingemarson, Editor
The Secretariat for International Forestry Issues, SIFI
Picture: Bo Ohlsson
