Sinh kế của người Chil ở Khu dự trữ sinh quyển Lang Biang, tỉnh Lâm Đồng: Truyền thống và biến đổi.Sinh kế của người Chil ở Khu dự trữ sinh quyển Lang Biang, tỉnh Lâm Đồng: Truyền thống và biến đổi.Sinh kế của người Chil ở Khu dự trữ sinh quyển Lang Biang, tỉnh Lâm Đồng: Truyền thống và biến đổi.Sinh kế của người Chil ở Khu dự trữ sinh quyển Lang Biang, tỉnh Lâm Đồng: Truyền thống và biến đổi.Sinh kế của người Chil ở Khu dự trữ sinh quyển Lang Biang, tỉnh Lâm Đồng: Truyền thống và biến đổi.Sinh kế của người Chil ở Khu dự trữ sinh quyển Lang Biang, tỉnh Lâm Đồng: Truyền thống và biến đổi.Sinh kế của người Chil ở Khu dự trữ sinh quyển Lang Biang, tỉnh Lâm Đồng: Truyền thống và biến đổi.Sinh kế của người Chil ở Khu dự trữ sinh quyển Lang Biang, tỉnh Lâm Đồng: Truyền thống và biến đổi.
VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES NGUYEN THI HUONG THE CHIL PEOPLE’S LIVELIHOODS IN LANG BIANG BIOSPHERE RESERVE OF LAM DONG PROVINCE: TRADITION AND CHANGE Major: Anthropology Major code: 9.31.03.02 SUMMARY OF THE DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IN ANTHROPOLOGY Hanoi - 2022 The dissertation was completed at the Graduate Academy of Social Sciences, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Supervisors: Prof Dr Ngo Van Le Assoc Prof Dr Huynh Ngoc Thu Reviewer 1: Assoc Prof Dr Dinh Hong Hai Reviewer 2: Assoc Prof Dr Ngo Van Doanh Reviewer 3: Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Duy Thieu The dissertation will be defended at Graduate Academy Level Council of dissertation assessment at Graduate Academy of Social Sciences, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, 477 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi Time: ………… date ……… month …… … year 2022 The dissertation may be found at: - Vietnam National Library; - Graduate Academy of Social Sciences Library INTRODUCTION The necessity of the research topic According to the 2009 list of Vietnamese Ethnic groups, the Chil people are one of the six local groups of the K’Ho ethnic group As a local group but the Chil people are a residential community with their own characteristics in Vietnam - a multi-ethnic country The Chil people’s traditional residence is the Lang Biang Plateau in Bidoup Nui Ba National Park of Lam Dong Province Although the Chil people are not large in number, they are the main ethnic group that has survived hundreds of years in the ecological conditions and diversity of species of Biduop mountains They have created a large social community with cultural values that reflect their cultural identity Since the unification of the country, however, the Party and State’s policies of economic development and immigration, especially since Lang Biang was recognized as the world’s Biosphere Reserve, Chil people's lives are heavily influenced by the process of management, conservation, and development in the Biosphere Reserve Therefore, the Chil people are an important object that needs to be paid attention to in the process of management, planning, and sustainable development of Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Therefore, it is necessary to explore the Chil people’s changes and adaptations in livelihood activities to manage, protect and rationally exploit their natural resources, especially in the current context of development and integration So far, there have been many studies on ethnic minorities in Lang Biang but there have not been any intensive and systematic studies on the Chil people’s livelihoods From the above analysis, the author has conducted research titled “The Chil people’s livelihoods in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve of Lang Dong province: Tradition and change” as her doctoral dissertation in Anthropology By examining the change and factors as well as the Chil people’s adaptation in livelihood activities, the dissertation hopes to provide practical materials as a basis for building programs of developing the Chil people’s livelihoods while protecting the natural environment as well as biodiversity in Lang Biang Biosphere Reverse Research purpose and tasks 2.1 Research purpose Identifying traditional livelihoods and clarifying the change of current livelihoods of the Chil people compared with their traditional ones Analyzing factors affecting the change of the Chil people’s livelihoods today compared with their traditional ones Identifying the problems of the current livelihoods of the Chil people about sustainable development, especially the management and conservation of landscape and biodiversity in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Proposing recommendations and solutions to develop sustainably the Chil people’s livelihoods in the process of managing and protecting natural resources in this area 2.2 Research tasks The study aims to systematically and fully collect information to identify traditional livelihoods and explore how the change of the Chil people’s livelihoods in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve today is different from their traditional ones The study points out factors affecting the change of livelihoods of the Chil people today compared to their traditional ones Proposing some recommendations and solutions to ensure sustainable livelihoods for Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve in the current context of the country’s industrialization, modernization, and international integration Research subject and scope The research subject of the dissertation is the tradition and current livelihood activities of the Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve of Lam Dong province The research scope of the dissertation is Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province In Lac Duong district, communes were selected as research sites including Dung K’no, Da Sar, and Lac Duong town Regarding time: The study is divided into two periods: the first one from 1975 to 1986 when Bidoup Nui Ba Nature Reserve was established During this period, the main livelihoods of the Chil people are mountainous cultivation and natural exploitation The second one from 1986 to 2015 In this period, the Chil people’s livelihoods have undergone many changes due to the impact of the State policies Methodology and research methods 4.1 Methodology To clarify aspects related to the current livelihoods of the Chil people, the author uses anthropological, cultural, and systematic approaches For the cultural anthropology approach, the author considers livelihoods as an expression of culture and puts it in relationship with other elements such as cognitive culture, responsive culture to the natural environment For the systematic approach, the author puts traditional and current livelihoods in the formation, existence, and adaptation to certain environments and living conditions of the Chil people in relation to factors such as natural and economic conditions, socio-cultural institutions, and the Party and State’s policies to see the change and development in the future 4.2 Research methods The dissertation mainly utilizes fieldwork, observations, in-depth interviews, and group discussions In addition, the dissertation also uses methods of questionnaire survey In order to ensure science and accuracy, the dissertation also uses interdisciplinary methods such as expert, comparison, analysis New contributions of the dissertation First, making a relatively comprehensive documentation system on traditional and current livelihood activities of the Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Thenceforth, the study contributes to reconstructing the picture of the Chil’s livelihood activities in Lam Dong province in general, and in Lang Biang in particular Second, analyzing comprehensively and systematically the impact of the Chil’s livelihood activities on the management and conservation of landscape and biodiversity in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Since then, it tries to find out inadequacies and solutions for developing the livelihoods of the Chil people in the current period Third, based on materials and research results, the dissertation contributes to enriching material sources for researching, teaching, and planning programs and policies related to land, environment, and sustainable development, as well as conserving effectively landscape and biodiversity in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Scientific and practical significance The dissertation contributes to enriching material sources for researching theoretically and practically livelihoods and livelihood changes of the Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Examining factors affecting the change of Chil people’s livelihood activities nowadays compared with their traditional livelihoods in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Based on research results, the study proposes solutions for developing sustainable livelihoods of the Chil people, as well as conserving effectively landscape and biodiversity in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Structure of the dissertation Besides the introduction and conclusion, references and appendix, the dissertation includes chapters Chapter LITERATURE REVIEW, THEORETICAL BASIS AND RESEARCH SITES 1.1 Literature review 1.1.1 Foreign research works Researchers around the world have examined issues relating to livelihoods very early However, they have mainly mentioned the appearance of agriculture and described farming techniques, varieties, rituals, and so on rather than intensive analysis and comparison to see the development and changes of agricultural production of ethnic groups in each development stage Recently, the issue of livelihood is increasingly concerned in sustainable development projects Researcher Koos Neefies is particularly interested in the relationship between poverty and environmental change He argues that if there are good strategies and policies on livelihoods, it can solve the causes of environmental degradation and poverty Therefore, he focuses on analyzing strategies and policies and offers feasible ways to solve problems related to the environment and poverty Unlike Koos Neefies, in his research, Kasi Eswarappa is mainly interested in how people use capital resources in their livelihood activities 1.1.2 Domestic research works 1.1.2.1 Research works on livelihood by domestic scholars In Vietnam, studies on livelihood activities also appeared very early but these studies were mainly conducted by foreign scholars These studies were originally intended to serve the work of foreign scholars only After 1975, together with the socio-economic development policies of the Party and State, domestic scholars have comprehensively examined the issues in the life of ethnic minorities in general, and ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands in particular Especially, since Vietnam has conducted industrialization and modernization, researchers are interested in the livelihoods of ethnic minorities Later studies agreed that due to the impact of policies, cultural exchanges between ethnic groups, religious factors, changes in the living environment are the main causes leading to the changes of livelihoods nowadays 1.1.2.2 Research works on the Chil people’s livelihood Ever since the country introduced “Doi Moi” in 1986, scholars have been more interested in studying ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands in general and Lam Dong in particular By analyzing and evaluating the effects of socio-economic policies under the FrenchAmerica era, for the livelihoods of ethnic groups in Lam Dong, researchers argue that the policy of gathering people to establish strategic hamlets, seize land, and setting up plantations, has changed the lives and livelihoods of the local ethnic groups In recent years, scholars have intensively studied each specific ethnic group including the Chil people Thus, there have been articles and studies on the Chil people so far Currently, there are not studies on the livelihood changes of the Chil people nowadays compared to their traditional ones Therefore, it is necessary to examine this issue to enrich material sources about such issues 1.1.3 General comments In the dissertation, the author is not able to fully review and evaluate previous studies on livelihoods By reviewing literature, however, we have some comments as follows: Advantages: Most of the research works have mentioned the importance of livelihood activities for the lives of ethnic groups in general and ethnic minorities in particular Previous research works have clarified a number of issues such as the concept of livelihood, the importance of livelihoods for human life, socio-cultural development, and sustainable development This is an important material source for the author to have an overall, comprehensive view and better understand the theoretical issues on livelihoods such as the concept, role, importance, analytical framework as well as giving the criteria for researching and assessing the Chil people’s livelihood changes nowadays compared to their traditional ones While studying livelihoods, the author learns and inherits the concept and role of livelihood of authors such as Tran Binh, Pham Quang Hoan, Nguyen Thi Tam, Nguyen Van Suu, Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, Bui Minh Dao To learn more about the changes in the Chil people’s livelihood, the dissertation uses methods of anthropological/ethnographic fieldwork to enrich material sources for the study Limitations: Although the research works related to livelihoods are very diverse and have many different approaches, there are not intensive studies on the Chil people’s livelihoods Thus, this is also the new point of the dissertation 1.2 Some basic concepts, theoretical bases, and approaches 1.2.1 The basic concepts - Livelihood: Livelihood is the way people earns the money to pay for food, a place to live over the world Therefore, there are many research works on this issue under many different perspectives and names such as livelihood activities, livelihood methods, survival methods, livelihoods, economic activities - Traditional livelihood The word “tradition” in the original Latin, written as “tradio”, including the verb “tradere (traditus) has its original meaning as “retransmission”, “assignation”, “recommission”, “distribution” According to Vietnamese dictionary, the word “tradition” means age-old nature, the process of passing on from generation to generation Therefore, in the simplest sense, tradition is the long-standing habits, customs, and experiences that are passed on from generation to generation for a long time to make the unique identity of a family, a clan, a community, a nation Tradition manifests itself in many aspects of life such as economics, culture, society - Change Change means the process of movement, development, and change of phenomena and things From a historical perspective, every society and every field was undergoing a process of changing and interweaving continuity and change - The world Biosphere Reserve According to UNESCO, the world Biosphere Reserves are places that include terrestrial or coastal ecosystems to promote solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with the sustainable development of the outstanding region recognized by international The world Biosphere people, the Chil people play an important role in the process of exploring and developing the South of Central Highlands, especially in Lang Biang biosphere reserve of Lam Dong province Chapter TRADITIONAL LIVELIHOODS OF THE CHIL PEOPLE 2.1 Forest exploitation Traditionally, the Chil people entirely depended on forests They set a forest on fire, logging to build houses and other things, hunting wild animals for food, and picking vegetables, fruits and tubers in the forest The forest is the Chil people’s living space, living environment, and as working environment, conditions, production and harvesting For the Chil people, not every forest can be exploited, not every season has the right to exploit Traditionally, the Chil people divide forests into categories: old-growth forests, ghost forests, watershed forests and exploited forests Corresponding to each type of forest, the Chil people have behavior to effectively and rationally exploit natural resources in their way to preserve the living environment Such behavior is handed down from generation to generation to make local knowledge of the ethnic group Traditionally, all forest land and forest products were owned by the community All people in the community are also conscious of protecting and exploiting forests in accordance with rules and customary laws of the community, especially for forbidden forests such as old-growth forests, ghost forests, and watershed forests 2.2 Agricultural production 2.2.1 Shifting cultivation Due to living in the deep forest, the Chil people usually slash-andburn They mainly grow short-term crops and food crops such as squash, rice, corn, etc in the mountain field However, unlike other ethnic groups, the Chil people’s main crop is corn The Chil people’s cultivation technique in this period is very rudimentary and mainly using human power Because the Chil completely depend on nature, they have many rituals related to production 2.2.2 In regards to breeding Breeding is a regular and almost mandatory activity of every Chil family Traditionally, the Chil people’s common animals are usually buffalo, pig, chicken, and dog Their livestock breeds have many biological characteristics similar to species in the forest, so they not much care and have good health The Chil people not discriminate breeding animals from another and they usually use breeding animals that were born by their mother Breeding techniques in this period were quite simple Most of the livestock, in tradition, is raised by the free-range The purpose of livestock breeding of the Chil people in this period is to serve offerings, festivals, weddings, and provide a part of food for daily life rather than commodity products although they sometimes use it to exchange other items 2.2.3 Handicraft Knitting is a popular job in the Chil community Men are in charge of doing this job and this is a mandatory criterion for young people when they become adults Knitting is usually done in the leisurely months Popular products are panniers, baskets, closely-woven baskets, fishing tools, mats, hunting tools Women are in charge of weaving If knitting is the norm for young men, weaving is a mandatory criterion for girls Weaving is carried out in the whole year but the busiest time is the leisurely months Blacksmithing takes place in almost every village and is performed by men However, each village has only one or two people doing this work The main job of a blacksmith is to repair farm tools and household equipment such as knives, axes, hoes, sickles, plows, harrows, etc Due to the limitation of repairing, blacksmithing is not professional 2.3 Commodity Exchange Because the Chil people have been living in the deep forest and on the slopes, they seldom interact with other ethnic groups Therefore, trading does not happen often, only when there is an urgent need, they conduct exchanges The scale of exchanges is also relatively narrow and they usually exchange with other ethnic groups in the same area During this period, the Chil people usually exchange objects such as woven sheets, buffalo to get products for daily life such as salt, fish sauce In this period, measurement unit was usually in pieces, amounts Chapter LIVELIHOODS OF THE CHIL PEOPLE NOWADAYS 3.1 Changes in forest exploitation After the reunification of the country, the land law was revised, the land and forests were managed by State and forestry enterprises, so the Chil people are no longer exploiting forests for free In the past, the Chil made slash and burn, logging to build houses and hunting wild animals, they currently listen to authority’s propaganda to protect forests and reforestation Due to the change of managing land and forests, the traditional classification of forests no longer exists and is not important to the Chil people Like forest classification, the rules of deforestation of the Chil in the past are not almost existed Hunting wild animals and forest products are also prohibited 3.2 Changes in agricultural production 3.2.1 Changes in shifting cultivation Currently, the Chil people live sedentarily and produce on certain areas of land On the fields in the mountains, the Chil people also intercrop between perennial and short-term plants However, in many fields, they cultivate a certain species of tree only In the past, the coin was the main crop in their life, but nowadays coffee is the main crop of the Chil people Currently, the Chil people apply science and technology to production, so crop productivity is quite high Their rituals related to agricultural production are almost non-existent Agricultural products have become goods to be exchanged in the market 3.2.2 Changes in breeding Like tradition, breeding is still maintained and developed Currently, in addition to local breeds, they also raise new imported breeds Breeding techniques are transferring from free-range to the cared captivity The current purpose of breeding, in addition to serving the needs of life, is gradually becoming commodity products that bring the Chil to income 3.2.3 Changes in craft Due to the changes in the living environment and natural conditions, materials of handicrafts are no longer freely exploited from forests, raw materials are scarce On the other hand, due to the impact of the market mechanism, the Chil people’s traditional crafts are gradually disappeared Most of young people today no longer know how to knit Weaving is still kept by a few families only Most of the villages no longer have blacksmiths Traditional handmade products are replaced by industrial products of fabrics, clothing, plastic products, metal products 3.3 Changes in the commodity exchange After 1975, especially since the country’s Doi Moi (1986), the commodity exchange has had a drastic change Exchanging something for something else in tradition is increasingly replaced by Vietnamese money Currently, the market economy has strongly penetrated into the economic life of the Chil people Monetary relations have replaced the exchange of something for something else Trading at the market is common, especially in towns and communes that are close to the center Villages are far from the center, buying and selling mainly take place in grocery stores Some Chil households have also participated in commercial and service activities such as opening cafes, refreshment bars, small restaurants, and grocery stores 3.4 Some new forms of livelihoods In order to adapt to the new conditions, in addition to some traditional livelihoods, currently, the Chil community in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve has several new livelihood forms such as community tourism, hired labor, participate in state management and civil servants Chapter CHANGING TRENDS AND SOLUTIONS FOR DEVELOPING LIVELIHOODS OF THE CHIL PEOPLE 4.1 Factors affecting the livelihood change of the Chil people 4.1.1 Land policy After liberation in 1975, the land law was fixed over stages including the 2013 land law The State stipulates that land is owned by the entire people Giving up the right of possession, the Chil people as well as other ethnic groups in the whole country were only occupied a very small area according to the quantitative framework Three areas of land for living, farming, and religious practice are separated The Land Law only recognizes the residential land tenure, the right to possess over excavated material is gradually narrowed The core forests, old forests, and sacred forests associated with the practice of beliefs belong entirely to “planning”, local people have lost their traditional ownership rights The people cannot continue their nomadic lifestyle The practice of earth dumping and restoring natural forests cannot be carried out because the production land is no longer enough to meet the needs of cultivation for providing food The exploitation of natural resources of forests that are not part of production land is strictly prohibited Accordingly, the Chil people's animist and polytheistic beliefs have also gradually disappeared due to not maintaining cultural – belief ecosystem It can be said that the policy of ownership and land tenure has changed livelihood structure and mode 4.1.2 Migration situation Migration has caused production land to be eroded and narrowed, causing Chil people not have production land To survive, therefore, the Chil must adapt to and change their livelihoods leading to several new livelihoods 4.1.3 Commodity economy and integration process The commodity economy and integration process create favorable conditions for exchanges and trade but also create challenges for the Chil people in the process of sustainable development, especially when Lang Biang became a World Biosphere Reserve 4.2 Trends in livelihood changes and sustainable development in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve 4.2.1 Trends in livelihood changes and sustainable economic development In addition to the agricultural livelihood, there are several new livelihood activities such as hired labor, work in tourist areas, small trade, tourism activities, and so on that have brought the Chil to income and helped them to get jobs in their leisure time However, in the long term, this livelihood activity does not meet individual needs and social goals of sustainable development 4.2.2 Trends in livelihood changes and sustainable social development After liberation, especially after Doi Moi, the Party and State have had many programs and policies to develop infrastructure in ethnic minority areas so as to develop economy and make social justice among people across the country, the Chil people’s living standards have also been improved significantly Objectively, however, the Chil people’s economic development is not really sustainable and its consequences also affect sustainable development of the society Currently, compared to other ethnic groups in the same area, the Chil people’s poverty rate is quite high (Chil: 58.3%; Lach: 41.6%; Sre: 39%; Kinh: 4.2%) In addition, the level of education is also related to understanding scientific and technical advances in production Due to the low level of education, despite being trained and transferred techniques, when applying for production in practice, most of the Chil people are confused leading to low productivity and efficiency As a result, the Chil people still return to rudimentary production methods and techniques such as free-range livestock or combining captivity and free-range style They grow industrial plants that require simple techniques and not take care much such as coffee trees and persimmon trees 4.2.3 Trends in livelihood changes and sustainable cultural development In the process of socio-economic development, people to be in contact with new cultural elements, learning and accessing modern life through mass media such as radio, internet The acculturation of the neighboring ethnic groups has also greatly changed the perception of the community there Most of them have gradually accustomed to a new lifestyle, especially young people who are strange to many traditional cultural values Some cultural values still exist but are not really sustainable in the present life 4.3 Solutions for sustainable livelihood development for Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Through fieldwork, we found that the dramatic socio-economic and cultural changes in the Chil community have posed challenges to the sustainable development of the Chil people in Lang Biang area Those are great challenges to harmoniously resolving conflicts between economic development and maintaining and preserving ethnic customs, culture, and beliefs The main matter is in livelihood solutions Currently, the issue of improving livelihoods of the Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve also has positive premises and possible solutions To effectively protect the environment and biodiversity conservation in this area, however, there should be some specific solutions as follows: 4.3.1 Developing community livelihoods in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve To well community livelihood development, first of all, it is necessary to fulfill the land planning and create favorable conditions for the Chil community to access forest resources in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Second, there should be suitable policies in the economic development and conservation as well as promoting cultural values, beliefs, customs associated with forests and forest ecosystems Third, it is necessary to convert several occupations and diversify livelihoods Fourth, increasing investment in the development of economic infrastructure and social services; Finally, enhancing financial capacity and human potential 4.3.2 Solutions to promote the Chil’s traditional culture Ethnic minority communities in the South of Central Highlands in general, and the Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve in particular, have a life closely associated with forests Therefore, it is necessary to have harmonious policies in economic Development and conservation as well as promoting cultural values, beliefs, Customs associated with forests and forest ecosystems 4.3.4 Conservation of natural resources and forest biodiversity in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Currently, this solution is also being deployed in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve By conducting fieldwork, however, the author found that this solution has not really been effective In the coming years, therefore, it is necessary to strengthen information and propaganda to raise awareness of the Chil people about the Biosphere Reserve and nature conservation In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the coordination between Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve and local and neighboring authorities Additionally, it is necessary to strengthen the voice and role of local people in forming regulations on conservation and management of Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve In Lang Biang, the Chil people participate in forest protection services at a cost of VN$450,000 per hectare per year The people’s responsibility is to protect forests for a long time and ensure that the forest areas are protected and developed in accordance with the signed contract The people thought that with money mentioned above, along with their responsibility to protect and develop the forest year by year, is not commensurate with their efforts Thus, the effectiveness of this policy is not high People are not interested in forest conservation and development under their contracts, although they still receive costs Therefore, in order to keep forests and develop more forest areas, it is necessary to study and build a model of forest contracting for people Therefore, in order to keep forests and develop more forest areas, it is necessary to study and build a model of forest contracting for people CONCLUSION In this study, the author has mentioned basic issues on the Chil people’s livelihoods in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve by contents that meet the research purpose There are some conclusions below The Chil people’s long-standing residence in tradition is in the slope of the mountains of Lam Vien plateau (Lang Biang) in Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, which is the core and buffer zone of Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve nowadays In the process of existence, struggle and adaptation to natural conditions, they have created a unique culture with their own identity, including livelihood activities in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve, the Chil people’s traditional livelihoods have demonstrated their adaptation to the characteristics of natural conditions such as land, climate, and ecological environment By 1986, the Chil’s traditional livelihoods still completely depended on the forest with a closed and self-sufficient economy In which, “slash and burn” play a key role Due to the characteristics of shifting cultivation of wandering hilltribes, their livelihoods still closely depend on forests with rudimentary production tools, simple farming techniques, and an irrigation system that depends on nature After 1975, especially since the country carried out the renovation in 1986, many guidelines and policies of the Party and State have been implemented in the Central Highlands in general and Lam Dong in particular These guidelines and policies have gradually changed the face of the Central Highlands Along with the sedentary policy, especially the policy of closing forests by the Party and State, has strongly impacted the Chil’s traditional livelihoods To adapt to the new situation, the Chil people have gradually changed their livelihood accordingly With the Party and State’s support, the Chil people begin to convert crops and livestock The conversion of crops to industrial ones such as coffee and persimmon has significantly changed people’s lives Industrial crop products help the Chil people to have income in cash Thereby, they can buy necessary items to serve their daily life Due to topographical characteristics, however, the irrigation system does not develop, affecting productivity On the other hand, because they are not active in the consumption market and depend too much on traders, prices of agricultural products usually decline Thus, depending too much on nature and the market, income from industrial crops does not guarantee food security for the Chil people Although the State has support in seeds and techniques, limitations of awareness and practices of breeding, the expansion of livestock production still faces many difficulties Due to the lack of grazing-ground, the Chil people’s livestock is mainly the free-range style which also partly causes environmental pollution Due to the Party and State’s strict forest management policy, the Chil people’s livelihood activities from forests meet many difficulties, especially raw materials for their traditional handicrafts In addition, the policy of economic integration and commodity circulation has greatly affected the role of traditional crafts because the Chil can easily find and buy fabrics, clothes, knives, hoes, etc in markets and grocery stores Commodity exchange between the Chil and other ethnic groups also takc place smoothly, creating many new livelihoods The Chil people’s economic structure has initially had positive changes in the direction of diversifying industries, although it is not really strong and sustainable Currently, the exploitation of forest products is prohibited and no longer holds an important position in the Chil’s livelihoods, instead of, they receive money from forest keeping Changes in their livelihoods, from forest exploitation to forest protection make the Chil feel that they are not really forest owners but just hired workers so they are not satisfied with this work This also affects the conservation of the biodiversity landscape of Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Although the Chil people’s livelihoods today have many changes compared to the traditional ones However, land policies, the immigration situation as well as the commodity economy and integration process have affected the sustainable livelihood development of the Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Due to the land policy, the Chil not have much productive land Land areas are nationalized by the State so the Chil are not free to exploit, they have to produce in certain areas while not guaranteeing their production techniques and financial resources, so land reclamation encounters many difficulties leading to low productivity In addition, sedentary farming and resettlement, fixed production in certain lands has fundamentally changed the cultural characteristics, rituals and beliefs of the Chil people In addition to land policy, migration (free and organized by the state) also creates conflicts in the process of sustainable development in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Mass migration has disrupted the ecology and culture of the Chil, and other ethnic groups in the same area Additionally, the lack of understanding about the land use and possession of the local people is the main reason leading to the land disputes between the local ethnic people and migrants It can be said that the disturbance of population and ethnic structure has created conflicts in the local ethnic groups’ lives, including the Chil people One of the factors affecting the sustainable development of the Chil people in particular, the local ethnic groups in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve is the commodity economy and integration process The commodity economy uses Vietnamese currency and freely trading has created excitement in trade The Chil people and local ethnic groups can easily buy what they need from the Kinh people and sell all the things they produce and exploit from livelihood activities Even the Chil can sell their own land and productive land to other ethnic groups This is also the cause of damaging forests as well as the lack of productive land of some Chil households In addition, the fast integration of society while the Chil people being one of the ethnic groups living in the mountainous area and isolated from the outside world, so they have not yet comprehended the necessary knowledge on integration Therefore, there have been conflicts of perception between the Chil and the outside world, especially young people who are mostly Kinhized (imitating the Kinh people) For the old generation, it is also impossible to integrate because of academic limitations, they cannot get scientific and technical applications and social innovation It can be said that the land policy, immigration situation, commodity economy and integration process have created conflicts affecting the Chil people’s sustainable development in particular and the local ethnic groups in general in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Currently, the Chil’s livelihoods are not really sustainable In particular, since Lang Biang was recognized as the World Biosphere Reserve, stricter forest management policies have partly affected the Chil people’s inherently unsustainable livelihoods Therefore, to preserve the biodiversity landscape in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve and develop sustainably the Chil people’s livelihoods, it is necessary to have appropriate solutions such as the development of community livelihoods, conservation of natural resources, and biodiversity In order for these solutions to come into practice, it is necessary to have participation and consensus of the central and local authorities, as well as the changes in the people’s perception in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve, especially The Chil community The author’s published-research works Nguyen Thi Huong, “Changes in agricultural production of the Chil people in Lang Biang biosphere reserve”, Scientific Journal of Thu Dau Mot University, no (47), 2020, pp 69-76 Nguyen Thi Huong, “The basic impacts that change livelihoods and social structure of the Chil people in Lam Dong”, Journal of Political Science, No 07, 2020, pp 67-70 Nguyen Thi Huong, “Forest livelihoods of local ethnic minorities in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve”, Journal of Social Sciences, No 10+11 (242+243), 2018, pp 17-31 ... the Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Thenceforth, the study contributes to reconstructing the picture of the Chil? ??s livelihood activities in Lam Dong province in general, and in Lang. .. of the Chil people in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve Examining factors affecting the change of Chil people’s livelihood activities nowadays compared with their traditional livelihoods in Lang Biang... no data on the Chil people in each commune Traditionally, the Chil people's residence is Lang Biang Plateau in Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, which is the core and buffer zone of Lang Biang Biosphere