Forest and forestland are vital space associated with the social and cultural traditions and important natural resources to maintain the livelihoods of upland ethnic communities. However, over the years the protection of forest resources is not really attracted to the power of the community including ethnic minorities.
As of 2010, Vietnam has been exploited more than 10.1 million hectares of natural forestland and 2.6 million hectares of unused hilly land bareland) which have potential for forestry development. Forestland and forest resources are distributed mainly in mountainous watersheds of many river systems, remote and border areas and are the home of nearly 25 million peoples, of which about 13 million are ethnic minorities, accounting for about 14% of the national population. It can be said that forest and forestland play a particularly important position in the socio-economic development, ecological environmental protection and security and defense of Vietnam. Upland ethnic communities play an important role in contributing to the management and protection of forests.
Recognizing the importance of community of ethnic minorities, insofar, many big policies of the government particularly land policies have been issued to support socio-economic development, many poverty reduction programs to improve living conditions for ethnic minorities. The fact is that, despite the great potential of the land, especially forestland but the mountainous area is currently is facing with a lot of pressure on lack of land allocated to households and ethnic minority minorities. What matters now is the implementation of the socio-economic development policy for ethnic minorities has been revealed many pressing issues in resource management, and use of land and forest resources, especially the lack of production land of ethnic minorities. The fact also shows that the community especially the ethnic minorities is not really interested in the use of forest resources. This actually becomes a barrier in the process of ensuring livelihood and social stability in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in our country.
Current statistics, a number of communes in mountainous areas in our country, people are lack of land for production. According to Deputy Chairman of Truong Son commune, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province, Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung, at present, in the commune 519 households have been not allocated forestland and production land. This situation is popular. Due to the lack of productive land, people's lives are facing with many difficulties. From the fact that, in the meetings of parliamentaries, Provincial/district/communal People’s Councils, the vast majority of people had recommendations to competent government agencies to issue soon a policy to withdraw the forest and forestland from State Forestry Enterprises (SFEs) and Management Board of Protection Fores to reallocate to local people to gradually stablize their life...
In Minh Son commune, Huu Lung district, Lang Son province, the current average rate of production forestland per household is around 0.01 ha. While the area where a household with 4 peoples living in mountainous areas and depends on forestland and forest, and to ensure the escape of poverty in the government 's new standards, it is necessary to have a minimum of 2 hectares of forestland for production.
According to the evaluation of several parliamentaries in the monitoring of the implementation of laws and policies on residential and productive land for ethnic minorities, the existing situation is that people do not have enough land for production especially forestland. Current forestland is in the hands of some state forestry enterprises and forest comapanies. These forest owners are not really interested in forest protection, so forest resources have not been valued and properly cared. From this fact shows that forest area to ensure that people have land for produciton does not meet the requirements. This significantly impacts on people's lives. If this is not resolved, it is very difficult to implement the objectives towards poverty reduction in sustainable ways.
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Land and forest allocation for the people, especially local communities / villages is an important strategy of the government to manage and protect effectively the forest and land resources, contributing to support the community of mountainous ethnic minorities to stablize their life, promote economic growth and create incentives for sustainable development. Accordingly, the village / community is one of forest and forestland uers have full legal status or incomplete depending on the specific conditions of each region and whom are allocated or contracted the forest and land. Communities / villages are allocated forest and forestland, and long-term forest contracts forests, then they are entitled during the process of management, protection and use of forest and forestland.
To ensure that the people have sufficient land, particularly forestland for production as well as to promote the role of the community in the protection and use of forest resources, the State should have proper policies in forest and land allocation which prioritize ethnic communities in the area of forestland. Accordingly, local governments in forestland areas need to have policies to expand, review the forestland boundaries, check the status of forests, resettle disputes arising amongst forest users as a basis to grant land use right certificates to ensure that local people especially ethnic minority households and communities are eligible to access the policies on benefits of forests and forestland. Besides, there should be guidelines to prepare forestland and implement forest allocation associated with production and protected forestland allotment for families, communities to manage and benefit.
It should be noted that it needs to carefully research, djust the current Land Law to create a legal framework for the community, especially highland ethnic minorities to involve in the process of management and use of forest resources. The current Land Law regulates that the State allocates special-use forest for organizations for management and protection under the planning and land use plans approved by competent state agencies. Special-use forest management organizations make short-term contracts the special-use forestland in strictly protected zones for households and individuals who are not able to move from those areas. But in reality, most of the watershed forests, forests for protection of water sources of the community are all the area of protection or special use forests. Therefore, it should have a specific policy or guidance on the recognition of the sacred forests of the community to take position on a par with small scale special-use forest...
It is time to have a legal framework more fully, more open as well as prioritized policies for people in mountainous areas, particularly ethnic minorities in order to attract their participation in management and protection of forest while improving their live by the forest contracdting policy.
Source: Daibieunhandan
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Cao Quang Agro-Forestry and Ecological Service Cooperative 
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