Livelihood is mode of subsistence. Ecosystem functions as a home in which all living things co-exist, including human beings. Ecological livelihood constitutes a fundamental foundation that reflects the cultural behavioral norms of humans in equal and harmonious relationship with other living things in an ecosystem. 

The stories and findings recorded in these case studies made by organizational members of LISO will expose the status of the forest land rights of indigenous ethnic minority families and communities in the Vietnam highlands caused by the inappropriate policies and market challenges. This issue also provides analysis and recommendations on policies regarding livelihoods, rights and access of indigenous ethnic minorities to their forest land resources.

The contents of this volume are some of the key findings from studies conducted by the Livelihood Sovereignty Alliance (LISO) on customary laws of some indigenous minority communities in highland areas in Vietnam regarding natural resources governance. The articles of this series will primarly present customary law and spirit forestland governance: perspective and practice.

In order to better empower traditional civil society for achieving Livelihood Sovereignty, an Alliance, namely LISO has been formed between three organizations, CODE, CIRUM and SPERI, to move them in one direction, sharing their methods and maximizing their efforts and achievements by the initiative on development of the Update on Community Spirit Forestland Rights.

By ‘livelihood’ we mean the processes whereby people obtain the necessities of life. Anthropology is the comparative study of human societies. Anthropologists are generally interested in understanding other peoples’ ways of life and this involves them crossing some socio-cultural frontier into a world quite different from their own.

TEW’s work requires a close understanding of the the link between gender and culture, and how it relates to development. TEW staff have discussed on many occasions how to overcome the potential contradictions that threaten work to promote both culture and gender, at the same time. The diagram (below) is a useful summary of the problem.