Two-thirds of Vietnam’s land area consists of mountains, which are home to more than 24 million people, mostly of ethnic minority groups The country’s dense upland forests provide important ecosystem services to these communities, including watershed protection, erosion control and non-timber forest products To maintain these ecosystem services and avoid deforestation and forest degradation, the upland forests need to be carefully managed The Government of Vietnam has set up Protection Forest Management Boards (PFMBs) to protect forest areas Since the implementation of the Law on Forest Protection and Development in 2004, PFMBs may delegate some of their monitoring and protection tasks to local households, who in exchange receive a small payment and the right to harvest non timber forest products However, there is a lack of clear guidance and proven models on how communities and government can work together effectively, often leading to suboptimal outcomes The USAID Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) project collaborated with the provincial government of Nghe An to develop a set of guidelines for sustainable community based forest management (CBFM) Two pilot models have been implemented which demonstrate enhanced forest protection and bring greater benefits to local people Local forest-dependent people can play an important role in the sustainable management of forest resources They possess valuable knowledge on traditional forest management and use, which can help PFMBs to carry out forest protection and development plans more effectively Moreover, including local communities in forest management schemes and establishing clear and secure rights and responsibilities can contribute to a more equitable distribution of the benefits that forests provide The North-Central province of Nghe An has a forest coverage of more than 53% In recent years, various PFMBs throughout the province have contracted local households to monitor and protect forest areas Although the contracts were signed with individuals, in practice small informal groups were often formed to facilitate forest management There were some problems however The groups were not always well organized, and poor forest management issues persisted including illegal logging, slash and burn practices, agricultural encroachment To overcome these issues, USAID LEAF developed a set of guidelines for designing and implementing improved CBFM models in Nghe An The guidelines detail the steps to take to facilitate village meetings, conduct forest assessments, build operational regulations, and design planning, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms Contrary to the existing model, a strong emphasis is placed on group collaboration and inclusive decision-making Each community is encouraged to collectively design their own forest management plan, reflecting local values, cultures and traditions A threat analysis of Nghe Anh Province revealed that the forests in Con Cuong district have a high deforestation and degradation potential USAID LEAF selected villages as pilot models in this area, Lang Yen and Lang Son Khe, to test the guidelines on sustainable CBFM To enhance ownership of the project and promote gender inclusion, USAID LEAF provided capacity building trainings to the local women union to support the design and implementation of the models at village level Some of the key characteristics of the CBFM pilot models include: In each community a village management board has been elected Community members have been organized into small forest management missions and task divisions groups, with clear Schedules have been set up for forest patrolling Sustainable harvesting regulations have been developed for non-timber forest products, such as honey, bamboo shoots, medicinal plants, fruits and vegetables and rattan Benefit sharing mechanism have been designed to ensure an equitable distribution of payments and non-timber forest products Effective monitoring and reporting systems have been put in place All key decisions are made through collaborative and inclusive processes An assessment in the two villages revealed that, after three months of piloting, all forest protection groups had fulfilled their tasks, notably regular forest patrolling and reporting to the village management board Since the implementation of the CBFM models, there have been no recordings of illegal logging, slash and burn practices or other violations of forest law As deforestation and forest degradation are effectively mitigated, it is expected that the villagers will receive higher forest protection payments from the government In addition, increases have been reported in the quality and quantity of the nontimber forest products as the result of better management Equitable distribution mechanisms will ensure that these benefits are shared by all In total, 1,214 hectares of forests have been protected and 94 households have received benefits under the CBFM models The government of Nghe An has recognized the project as a successful example of sustainable and inclusive forest management, and aims to implement the CBFM guidelines at provincial level Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation requires strong commitment and investments from governments and other involved stakeholders Effective measures need to be designed and implemented to divert business as usual pathways into low emission trajectories To compensate developing countries for their efforts, REDD+ offers performance-based payments based on the tons of CO2 equivalent reduced In order to receive such payments, countries will have to demonstrate that they are reducing emissions from forest related sources or enhancing or conserving forests carbon stocks Vietnam has made public commitments to reduce emissions through its National REDD+ Action Plan However, the country initially lacked the capacity to effectively measure and monitor emissions and carbon stocks, limiting its potential to tap into REDD+ funding To address this gap, the USAID-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) project developed a set of tools and provided trainings to enable consistent longterm data collection and analysis for REDD+ purposes These trainings are part of LEAF’s commitment to build and institutionalize technical capacity across the region for forest and carbon monitoring In order to demonstrate emission reductions, reliable data is required on past, present and future emission levels and carbon stocks In addition, insight is needed in how much different interventions will reduce emission, in order to develop ambitious yet feasible emission reduction plans and targets USAID LEAF developed three innovative tools for this purpose A tool and methodology has been developed for measuring and monitoring forest carbon stocks Data collection is done in a sample plot in the field through a variety of methods for all carbon pools, including counting trees, measuring their height and diameter, weighing dead wood, saplings and forest litter and taking soil samples All the data is entered into a computer system, which automatically calculates the carbon stocks in the area This method can be applied at regular intervals to monitor changes in carbon stocks over time To determine the amount of avoided or reduced emissions, a reference level needs to be created USAID LEAF has developed a tool and a suite of analytical steps to model historical emissions using GIS techniques and spatial data In Lam Dong Province, this was used to estimate historical emissions from 1990 and 2010 The third tool developed under the USAID LEAF project uses output from the other two tools to develop different scenarios The tool helps to set feasible emission reduction targets and select suitable interventions, taking into account their emission reduction potential and the government’s capacity and human and financial resources When integrated with GIS maps, the tool enables the visualization of priority areas for the different interventions, such as areas with high poverty or biodiversity levels Over integrated trainings, 187 national and subnational government officials, scientists, consultants, university staff and foresters from all over Vietnam completed an intensive technical training course on how to use the tools The trainings were carefully designed through a combined effort of the USAID LEAF team and improved over time based on feedback from the participants Experienced trainers from Winrock International and SNV provided a balanced mix of classroom sessions and hands -on practical fieldwork sessions Interactive teaching methods were applied to encourage engagement The knowledge acquired through the trainings has directly been applied to develop baseline data, reference levels, scenarios and targets for the Lam Dong Provincial REDD+ Action Plan (PRAP) Some groups that received training are now applying their skills in the development of PRAPs for other provinces, notably Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Quang Binh Through providing effective trainings and tools, the USAID LEAF project has helped to enhance national capacity to improve forest and land use management and access potential REDD+ financing Lam Dong Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, is known for its high forest cover and rich biodiversity Over the past two decades, agricultural expansion, logging and infrastructure development have led to significant reductions in Lam Dong’s forest areas To reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation while continuing to improve the livelihoods of local communities, ways need to be found to balance the objectives of the forestry, agriculture and energy sectors In an effort to shift economic development onto a lower emissions pathway, the Lam Dong provincial government developed and launched a Provincial REDD+ Action Plan (PRAP) The PRAP outlines the province's long term strategy to achieve meaningful emission reductions through sustainable land use planning and climate change action It is one of the first subnational models for integrated REDD+ planning in the region This major milestone is the result of a three-year collaborative planning and capacity building process led by the USAIDfunded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) project, and will support the overall implementation of Vietnam’s National REDD+ Action Plan Traditional land use planning in Vietnam is characterized by top-down procedures, where decision-making takes place at higher governmental scales For the development of the Lam Dong PRAP, USAID LEAF aimed to demonstrate an inclusive bottom-up planning process, involving all relevant stakeholder groups, from the international to the community level To ensure full stakeholder engagement the USAID LEAF team introduced a variety of participatory methods and developed a highly transparent and consultative process More than 30 multi-stakeholder meetings were held at district and provincial level to identify common goals and objectives, analyze issues, discuss different development scenarios, and design interventions In parallel, focus group discussions and interviews were conducted at community level to determine the suitability of the proposed plans on the ground The outcomes of these consultations fed back into the planning process, enabling the design of adequate interventions tailored to the specific local context In one of the critical deforestation zones, smallholder coffee farmers had been clearing forest to expand their plantations This led to conflicts with the local ranger who repeatedly cut down the coffee plants to reforest the area, often with little success The USAID LEAF team visited the communities to discuss a solution to stop encroachment, which would also suit the local people After analyzing different options an agreement was made to focus on agroforestry Existing coffee plantations would be allowed to remain in operation, on the condition that the farmers incorporate shade trees into their production systems and halt all conversion Welldesigned agroforestry systems help to increase coffee productivity, allow for income diversification, and offer the potential to receive payments for forest ecosystem services at a later stage, once the trees have reached a height of meter The PRAP details the mechanisms for providing the farmers with seedlings and technical assistance and strengthening law enforcement to ensure compliance As a pioneer in inclusive land use planning in Vietnam, the USAID LEAF team had to learn by doing No guidelines were at hand To ensure that the lessons learned would be widely disseminated and institutionalized, capacity building trainings, workshops and seminars on PRAP development were organized for governments and local partners on a regular basis The result of the collaborative planning and capacity building process is an integrated low emission development plan for Lam Dong, which embodies the development visions of all relevant stakeholders and meets the requirements of international standards The PRAP aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the forestry sector by 27% by 2020 and provides a roadmap how to achieve this Further objectives of the PRAP include enhancing biodiversity conservation, contributing to the successful implementation of the National REDD+ Action Programme, responding to climate change, enhancing local livelihoods, and contributing to the sustainable development Lam Dong’s forests The plan was approved in January 2015, as one of the first of its kind in Vietnam and Asia The first PRAP implementation activities are underway, supported by the state budget The hope is to secure additional financing through private sector investment and REDD+ funds to ensure that all objectives can be met Lessons from Lam Dong are already being brought to other Provinces, and feed into national guidelines for PRAP development The Lam Dong experience is expected to serve as a leading regional example of the development of a land use plan that balances economic growth, environmental protection, social equity and climate change mitigation ... foresters from all over Vietnam completed an intensive technical training course on how to use the tools The trainings were carefully designed through a combined effort of the USAID LEAF team and improved... Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) project, and will support the overall implementation of Vietnam s National REDD+ Action Plan Traditional land use planning in Vietnam is characterized by top-down... USAID LEAF project has helped to enhance national capacity to improve forest and land use management and access potential REDD+ financing Lam Dong Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam,