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THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 Mid-Term Evaluation Report Project on Piloting an Approach to Multiple-Use Forest Management Lam Dong Province May 2009 Project Management Unit 5E Tran Hung Dao Street Ward 10, Da Lat city Lam Dong province Tel.: 063 3577246 Björn Wode Forestry Consultant Wode.bjoern@gmail.com THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 TABLE OF CONTENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION SCALE, OBJECTIVE AND METHOD OF EVALUATION 3.1 Objective 3.2 Method and Organisation 10 MAIN FINDINGS 11 4.1 Project Design 11 4.1.1 Technical Aspects of Design 11 4.1.2 Project Beneficiaries 11 Project Implementation Results 12 4.2.1 Project Output 12 4.2.2 Project Output 14 4.2.3 Project Output 18 4.2.4 Project Output 23 4.2.5 Cross-cutting issues 24 4.3 Budget, Expenditure and Timeframe 25 4.4 Project Reporting and Monitoring 26 CONCLUSION 27 RECOMMENDATIONS 31 4.2 List of Annexes Annex 1: Terms of Reference Annex 2: Mission Itinerary Annex 3: Documents Reviewed Annex 4: Proposed format for Training material Annex 5: General Operational plan for the whole Period of the Project THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 Glossary of Acronyms TFF Trust Fund For Forest GIS Global Information System RCF Revolving Credit Fund SUF Special-use forest WPF Watershed Protection Forest DARD Department for Agriculture and Rural Development FMU Forest Management Unit NTFP Non-Timber Forest Products CTA Chief technical Advisor PES Payment for Ecosystem Services ODA Overseas Development Aid REDD Reduced Emission through Avoided Deforestation and Forest Degradation Explanation of technical terms Multiple-use Forest Management The attempt to manage a forested area in a way that reconciles biodiversity conservation, environmental protection, and production objectives with poverty reduction for poor, forest-dependent communities Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programmes, alternatively named Payment for Environmental Services programmes, promote the conservation of natural resources in the marketplace PES programs provide incentives for the private sector to incorporate sustainable practices into production and resource management PES programs are voluntary and mutually beneficial contracts between consumers of ecosystem services and the suppliers of these services The party supplying the environmental services holds the property rights over an environmental good that provides a flow of benefits to the demanding party in return for compensation Cover photo: Stakeholder meeting at Ta Nung commune with participation from FMG member and Protection Forest Management Board Lam Vien THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Acknowledgement The mission would like to express their gratitude to all project members for their kind support and fruitful discussions which contributed and substantially shaped the outcome of this assignment Special thanks for all visited project beneficiaries from various administrative levels for their warm welcome, active participation and open discussions Mission activities The review mission was fielded for a period of 10 days in Lam Dong province to assess project implementation results after a period of nearly two years of project implementation The review team visited all project beneficiary groups including i) Forest Management Groups at village level, ii) six Forest Management Units representing organisational bodies of all three forest use types in Vietnam, and iii) representatives of the provincial working group under DARD Lam Dong within a period of six days During field visits intensive interviews with project beneficiaries and reviews of developed project materials were conducted Preliminary mission findings were presented at provincial level on the 11th of May and during a final workshop in Hanoi with participation of a wider audience from TFF and donor representatives on the 29th of May Received comments have been incorporated into the final mission report at hand Project design The project on Piloting an Approach to Multiple-Use Forest Management in Lam Dong Province has been approved by Decision 780/QN-BNN-HTQT, dated 22nd of March 2007 by MARD Subsequently, a Grant Agreement has been signed between The Forest Sector Support Partnership Coordination Office and The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Lam Dong province for implementation of the project from the 22nd of March 2007 until 2010, with a total project budget of 926,092 EURO The Overall Objective of the project is to maximize the contribution of Vietnam’s three forest management categories to reducing poverty, providing environmental services, sustaining biodiversity values, and supporting national economic development The Purpose of the project is to pilot and define necessary parameters for the establishment and replication of a multiple-use approach to forest management that reconciles biodiversity conservation, environmental protection, and production objectives with poverty reduction for poor, forest-dependent communities Project interventions are intended to put in place a basis for planning and regulations consistent with the multiple forest sector objectives of SUFs, WPFs, and production forests The project furthermore pilots collaborative management schemes to involve forest dependent population into sustainable forest utilisation and protection as contribution to one main objective of the national forestry strategy of Vietnam THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 Project impact Overall project impact is evaluated consistent towards the achievement of the project purpose and directly contributing to provincial forest policy development and strategic planning with major project concepts already applied by relevant departments Project implementation is making satisfactory progress with major outputs as defined in the logframe expected to be achieved by end of the project period Project reporting procedures on finance and activity level are up to standard and are seen as a crucial precondition to effectively implement a project with such a complex activity schedule Consultant outputs are available in bi-lingual form and are signed by the head of the consultancy package, the Chief Technical Advisor and the Project Management Unit The project has gained the support and trust of provincial decision-makers and the provincial working group is providing an excellent forum to disseminate project activities at a provincial and regional level The project timing in the context of forest development in Lam Dong province is considered excellent with numerous provincial activities coincide with project activities, e.g forest valuation for land allocation/leasing schemes, provincial action plan for biodiversity conservation as well as planning for PES implementation Provincial departments are pro-actively incorporating project outcomes into provincial programs and policies, thus ensuring that project outcomes will become integrated components of provincial forest management planning Thus, institutionalising of project concepts seems feasible for some concepts (e.g forest valuation) given the current demand during new provincial planning and financing schemes New funding options under provincial and national programs/projects are furthermore providing very promising tools to be explored in view of sustaining tangible benefits for local communities as project areas are clearly earmarked in provincial PES schemes The project is embarking on a comprehensive capacity building scheme for FMU and provincial beneficiaries with numerous surveys and training activities conducted by project consultants responsible for a specific consultancy package In general, the level of understanding, interest in, and application of training results widely differs between beneficiary groups at FMU and provincial level Provincial beneficiaries state a clear interest in project activities and already apply training outcomes into strategic planning and policy development while FMU beneficiaries still show a rather passive attitude mainly limited to participation in training exercises only A reason for this might be that some training aspects (forest zonation, forest valuation) are actually not part of the legal mandate nor professional working areas of most FMU members but are conducted by provincial service providers under state funding A widened scope of capacity building should therefore be continued including service providers from outside the current project beneficiaries Six Forest Management Groups (FMG) are operational and effectively using a Revolving Credit Fund established by the project However, FMGs still remain with a solely focus on forest protection and their sustainability rely on external funding form ongoing forest protection contracts under 661 program schemes Further projects efforts are therefore required to promote a shift in their involvement from passive contract receivers to active forest managers by developing sustainable collaborative management regimes In this context it needs to be mentioned that so far no agreement on a concept for collaborative management has been reached This is seen as of major concern as this output forms the basis to generate short-term tangible benefits for the local population and need to be speed-up by the project by all means THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 The revolving credit fund is effectively used by FMG members and interviewed users proposed only minor adjustments for further improvement It has to be noted that despite being described in the project design, the fund volume is not sufficient to provide substantial impacts to improve livelihood of local people but is understood as a contribution to achieve a synergistic effect with other socio-economic development schemes only It is further understood that income opportunities from unregulated forest utilisation are by far exceeding the finance provided through the RCF At present, eligibility for funding is restricted to FMG members whereas villagers with highest levels of forest dependency, lowest forest protection awareness and most likely unsustainable forest utilization patterns are currently not eligible, limiting a major objective of the RCF namely to reduce pressure on forest resources through alternative income sources During the second and subsequent funding cycles priority will therefore be given to community members with highest levels of forest dependency, poverty rate, unavailability of arable land and limited sources of alternative income The project has conducted detailed surveys and obtained large databases which however have not yet been fully utilised during analysis, planning and field implementation A strong focus for the remaining project period is therefore defined by analysing and integrating developed data into project interventions and ultimately into legal planning documents Strongest focus should be given to simple and feasible benefit sharing regulations for NTFP utilisation by local people with minimised reporting, approval and monitoring procedures which can otherwise not be sustained after project termination Forest management plans for six FMUs have been completed as outcome under consultancy package no.1, however are evaluated as not satisfactory to be utilised as legal planning basis by a FMU FMU plans are currently developed parallel to existing legal planning documents of the respective FMUs and have therefore no legal status based on which activities could be planned, funded and finally implemented This is seen as a major concern as FMU plans are the main tool to ensure an integration of project outcomes into administrative procedures and subsequently the institutionalisation of the approach itself Further improvement of forest management plans is therefore requested and the project is going to engage in the development of five-year forest management plans for six selected FMUs for the planning period 2010-2015 to be approved at provincial level Remaining project period For the coming project period, a clear focus should be given on detailed reflection of implementation results and achieved impacts for a continuous improvement of newly tested concepts At present project implementation revealed to be rather mechanical and target oriented which is to some extend understandable due to enormous amount of activities described in the logframe The mission therefore emphasises main expected outcomes of the project under the i) establishment of well-implemented and documented models in the field, ii) the development of comprehensive, standardised material with distinct formats for training and technical guidelines and iii) continuous contribution to provincial policy development by piloting new funding mechanisms Furthermore did interviews reveal that the holistic concept of multiple-use forest approach with all involved and interlinked activities is not yet understood by all project beneficiaries Interviews revealed that project interventions remain as fragmented outputs and have not yet been aggregated into a sustainable product Due to the current minimalist project structure with only four positions, a comprehensive coaching of project beneficiaries is however not considered feasible and it is therefore proposed to seek for THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 additional funding from TFF for an additional full-time technical advisor at the project management unit to ensure continuous coaching of FMUs and FMGs after and between training courses and to encourage and guide FMUs to apply project concepts in their daily work Due to an extended inception phase of the project with prolonged time requirements for tendering, project implementation could not yet initiate all proposed models in the fields Furthermore recent policy changes, new financing mechanisms and provincial projects provide further options for sustainable funding mechanisms that were not considered in the original project design, however are considered as crucial options to be tested in view of sustainability of project models It is therefore proposed to seek for a six months extension, until September 2009 to guarantee a sound and sustainable development of project models under new financing schemes and to embark on the preparation of five-year management plans for Six FMUs representing management of three different types of forests to be approved by PPC Lam Dong THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 INTRODUCTION The project on Piloting an Approach to Multiple-Use Forest Management in Lam Dong Province has been approved by Decision 780/QÐ-BNN-HTQT, dated 22nd March 2007 by MARD A Grant Agreement has been signed between The Forest Sector Support Partnership Coordination Office and The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Lam Dong province for an implementation period of 36 months, from 22nd March 2007 to 22nd March 2010, with a total project budget of 926,092 EURO The Overall Objective of the project is defined as to maximize the contribution of Vietnam’s three forest management categories towards poverty reduction, provision of environmental services, sustaining biodiversity values, and supporting national economic development The project is structured along four main outputs: Capacity of Lam Dong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Forest Department, and selected FMUs, Districts and Communes in multiple-use forest planning and management, forest valuation, and collaborative forest management increased; Multiple-use management piloted at selected Forest Management Units (FMUs) in Lam Dong Province; Mechanisms for enhanced community participation in planning, development, management and benefit sharing established at selected Special-use Forests (SUFs), Watershed Protection Forests (WPFs) and Production forests; Best practice models of multiple-use forest management documented and disseminated, to encourage replication of the approach The Project Purpose is to pilot and define necessary parameters for the establishment and replication of a multiple-use approach to forest management that reconciles biodiversity conservation, environmental protection, and production objectives with poverty reduction for poor, forest-dependent communities Project interventions are intended to put in place a basis for planning and regulations consistent with the multiple forest sector objectives of SUFs, WPFs, and production forests The new legislative framework for the forest sector provided by the 2004 Forest Protection and Development Law, presents an opportunity to pilot innovative, community-based approaches to forest stewardship to be piloted by the project Implementing and executing agencies are Lam Dong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and Bi-Doup-Nui Ba National Park, respectively This mission was designed to embark on a mid-term evaluation of the project implementation status and project impacts and to derive at recommendations for the remaining project period The mission was fielded for a period of 10 days during which stakeholder meetings at village, commune and provincial level have been conducted For detailed information about the Terms of Reference please refer to Annex The mission itinerary is provided in Annex For a list of documents reviewed during the period of the assignment kindly refer to Annex THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 SCALE, OBJECTIVE AND METHOD OF EVALUATION 3.1 Objective The purpose of the project mid-term monitoring and evaluation is to (1) review systematically and objectively management and operation of the project from the start of the project to the time of evaluation; (2) to provide findings, conclusions, proposals and recommendations of changes relating to the project design and activity plans for remaining time of the project The conclusions of evaluation will help the project to carry out effectively objectives and outputs of the projects The mid-term evaluation will focus on following activities: • Monitoring the progress of implementing of the project compared with plans approved; evaluating the implementation of the overall objective, purpose and results of implementing activities of the project through indices presented in logframe of the project • Evaluating the results of the project implementation The project mid-term evaluation will be carried out based on five following criteria: • Evaluating the impact of the project: Evaluating influences of the project on changes in economy, society and environment of localities and the FMUs in project area This evaluation will be based on indices achieved in logframe for overall objective of the project.; • Evaluating effectiveness of the project: Effectiveness of the project will be evaluated based on analysis and assessment of purpose and outputs of the project Through collecting data for indices of implementing purpose and outputs of the project presented in the project logframe, effectiveness of implementation of the project will be evaluated objectively and precisely; • Evaluating efficiency of the project implementation: Efficiency of the project will be evaluated through achievement of outputs and activities of the project The sources of capital invested for activities of the project to obtain desiring outputs will be analysed to examine effectiveness of the project; • Evaluating relevance of the project: Assessment of relevance of the project is to answer the question: to what extend does the project overall object and purpose meet the demands and priorities of target groups of the project? These groups are expected to be beneficiaries from the project • Evaluating sustainability of the project: So as to assess sustainability of the project, it is necessary to evaluate and estimate ability of maintenance and replication of outputs and purpose and overall objective of the project after the project has completed • Recommend measures, added activities and extending time of project (if necessary) for achievement of purpose and outputs proposed of the project THE PROJECT OF PILOTTING AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE-USE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LAM DONG PROVINCE FUNDED BY TRUST FUND FOR FORESTS (TFF) - GA 019/07 3.2 Method and Organisation The group of experts of the mid-term evaluation will collect needed information by following activities: • Review related project documents (Grant Agreement, logframe, Project Implementation Manual); • Review technical and financial reports carried out by the PMU; • Interview (directly or by questionnaires) beneficiaries of the project, including staff of Lam Dong DARD and the FMUs in the project area, authorities of districts, communes and local communities in the project area; • Organise workshops with six Forest Management Groups to collect information on implementing the Revolved Credit Fund of the project, the roles of the fund in improving the livelihood for local people and contributing to increasing the effectiveness of forest protection and management in relative hamlets; • Examine resulting documents of the project and evaluating the outputs of the project through these documents; • Analyse the reports on socio-economic implementation and implementation of tasks in the year 2008 of relative districts, communes, the FMUs and Lam Dong DARD; • Analyse satellite images to assess the changes in forest resources in the project area; Comparing data in forest resources of the project area after one year of implementing the project; • Carry out field surveys in two relative FMUs to evaluate impacts and effectiveness of implementing the activities of the project 10 Based on these criteria, the project will facilitate surveys in each of the selected FMUs to define forest with high conservation value These are forests that need special protection due to one or several features related to the attributes of the ecosystems, their environmental services, their scientific and social values  These activities will then be taken to their conclusion by the provision of operational guidelines to manage forests of high conservation value Through this activity, FMUs will define options for multiple-use management of forests, by applying a zoning system to the forest landscape under their control This activity will also include the definition of management prescriptions to govern the use of resources within each of the forest zones Once a zonation system has been produced for each of the FMUs, individual zones will be fitted with a set of management prescriptions Prescriptions will define the sort and level of utilization that is allowed, and the criteria that will be used to measure changes in forest values and resources, and compliance to set prescriptions Zoning prescriptions will mostly follow those already in place in relevant government regulations, such as Decision 186 Forest areas within WPFs and SFEs holding local cultural or socioeconomic significance will be identified for multiple-use and sustainable extractions In WPFs sustainable harvest of minor forest products by local communities will be promoted, while protecting and maintaining the ecological functions of the forest SFEs will prioritize on the sustainable harvest of timber, but supporting the collection of Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs), and protection of forests with high conservation value Operational guidelines will be produced for all conservation and utilization parameters within the FMUs Although utilization is not allowed inside the core zone of SUFs, collaborative management options between the local communities and the SUF Management Board will be explored in ecological restoration zones under the provisions in Article 20 of Decision 186 A list of all forest areas with high conservation value will be produced by each of the FMUs Main tasks: o Facilitate the conduction of a self-assessment exercise in each of the six FMUs, Lam Dong DARD, and Forest Department, to determine their technical capacity Competence will be compared with a list of capacities deemed necessary to implement multiple-use management of forests; o Facilitate preparation of individual training workplans, tailored to training needs for Lam Dong DARD, Forest Department, and individual FMUs, and consolidate these plans into a single workplan matrix for the project, showing training activities, seminars, workshops and study tours In as much as possible, training activities will include a ‘training of trainers’ component, to ensure continuous capacity-building beyond the project lifetime; o Conduct a program of training tailored to the individual government agencies Some of the training activities will be conducted for all of the stakeholders, such as those to assess the location and status of forests of high conservation value, monitoring of forest changes, forest valuation, and collaborative management Other training may relate to single FMUs, such as sustainable timber harvest measures There will be a minimum of two training sessions on forest planning and management subjects; o Conduct training on monitoring and interpretation of data to aid multiple-use forest planning and management, with particular reference to monitoring indicators listed above (see Background): o Conduct ‘before and after’ surveys for all training to test knowledge and uptake on the training subject matter; o Facilitate definition of criteria for selecting priority areas within FMUs by the provincial working group, with the participation of the FMUs, District and Commune authorities, and local community representatives; o Carry out surveys to identify areas of high conservation value in each of the selected FMUs, in terms of forest areas that11:  Contain globally, regionally, or nationally significant concentrations of biodiversity (including those with concentrations of endemism or threatened species, or constituting a biodiversity or species refugium)  Are in or contain rare or threatened ecosystems or significant landscape level forests (including forest landscapes containing a protected area management unit where viable populations of most, if not all naturally occurring species exist in natural patterns of distribution and abundance)  Provide basic services in critical situations, such as watershed protection (including areas significant for watershed protection or to control soil erosion, protecting existing and future reservoirs and dams) 11 Adapted from Pollard E H B., A Gouyon and S A Stanley (2003) How to Manage High Conservation Value Forest in East Kalimantan: A Guide for Practitioners The Nature Conservancy, Samarinda, Indonesia Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 49 o o o  Are fundamental to meet local people’s needs for subsistence, health, or to maintain cultural traditions (including areas holding sources of food, medicine, water, and other basic subsistence needs to local forestdependent communities)  Critical to local communities’ traditional cultural identity (e.g sacred forests – including areas of cultural, ecological, economic or religious significance identified in cooperation with those communities) Grade each of the defined values above in accordance to a criterion, which will in itself form a layer in a cumulative analysis of the forest landscape Then, superimpose all of the resulting layers in a spatial map to show significant areas of forests with high conservation value, and therefore the basis for multiple-use zonation of the forest; Facilitate definition of a zonation system for each of the FMUs, based on priority areas for conservation and sustainable utilization, and the matrix and spatial map resulting from analysis of field surveys The zonation exercise will follow prescriptions in place under current government regulations, specifically; Prime Ministerial Decision 186/2006/QD-TTg of August 14, 2006, promulgating regulations on forest management Local communities will participate in defining the FMU zonation, in an effort to: (a) avoid conflict of land-use boundaries; (b) ensure that all community values have been included; and, (c) secure community involvement and support in management options to follow Participatory resource use planning will take place in villages within areas of WPFs and SFEs designated for sustainable harvest of non-timber forest products The approach includes four steps, as follows:  Compilation and reconciliation of information on conservation needs, resource use practices, socioeconomic conditions, biodiversity, and human use trends  Assessment of local resource use practices in view of: (i) threats to biodiversity conservation, (ii) socioeconomic development issues and potentials; (iii) economic, social, political, and institutional factors that determine resource use; and, (iv) identification of conflicts between conservation and economic development  Identification of (groups of) households directly or indirectly involved in conservation and development activities, and their capacities and priorities to carry out such activities  A negotiation process between stakeholders leading to: (i) the identification of practical measures to support socioeconomic development, mitigate threats to biodiversity, and resolve land use conflicts; and, (ii) documented stakeholder agreements on how the forest landscape will be sustainably managed Define operational guidelines to maintain the function of identified areas Guidelines will include:  prescriptions for zoning according to the values encountered  defined levels of protection for each of the zone types  sustainable levels of forest resources extraction  permitted extraction activities, timing, and location  monitoring parameters to evaluate changes in forest physical condition and values other management prescriptions deemed necessary to maintain the forest value Outputs: (i) (ii) (iii) Training needs assessment; A training workplan matrix endorsed by the provincial working group; Training conducted to fill gaps identified by the above assessment, specifically including training on monitoring and data interpretation; (iv) Test results assessing effectiveness of training; (v) Criteria for selecting priority areas within FMUs; (vi) A report, in English and Vietnamese, giving a picture of conservation values in the entire forest landscape built by a thorough analysis of new and prior survey information; (vii) FMUs have knowledge on how to assess the value of the forests that are under their management, based on which they can develop various options for sustainable use; (viii) FMUs have identified forests of high conservation value and a detailed map is available, showing proposed zonation; (ix) Operational guidelines definited for different FMU zonations Consultant profile: (i) Team includes experts familiar with international standards in identifying, prioritising, and managing, forests of high conservation value; (ii) Team includes experts familiar with international standards in monitoring and data interpretation; Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 50 (iii) (iv) (v) Team includes experts with a proven track record of publishing reports from high quality biodiversity surveys in Vietnam; Each individual consultant has at least five years’ experience, or specific qualifications, in one or other of the three areas identified above; Team includes consultants proficient in both English and Vietnamese, or sufficient budget to accurately translate reports Establishing collaborative management with communities (138 days national consultant[s]) Overall description: This consultancy will: conduct training on collaborative management approaches in forest management for relevant Lam Dong DARD, Forest Dept., District, Commune, and FMU staff; assess opportunities and constraints for participation of local communities in planning and management of FMUs; define possible co-management schemes; establish community based forest management groups at relevant villages; define and develop mechanisms for enhanced community management of forests, where applicable; and facilitate the signing and implementation of collaborative management agreements Background: A core aim of this project is to facilitate establishment of collaborative management approaches between local communities and FMUs Collaborative management is one of the cornerstones of multiple-use forest management It supports local community involvement in planning and management of FMUs Collaborative management approaches should be able to provide benefits to both local people and FMUs Co-management approaches are not easily defined, as all of the collaborating parties must perceive and secure benefits from collaborating in the management of the proposed resources Participation of local communities is a major aspect of the proposed multiple-use forest management approach However, community involvement in planning and management of forests is rare in Vietnam The project will help assess possible forms of community involvement in each of the three FMU types With distinct primary functions with respect to forest management, the level of community participation in each of the FMUs will differ Implementation of the multiple-use forest management approach will require participation of local community Forest Management Groups (FMGs) in some aspects of the approach These groups will comprise households sharing a common interest in management of forest resources for sustainable harvest and conservation Village FMGs will comprise, for example, groups of households who are forest-dependent and who are willing to participate in management of forests holding minor forest products of their interest Community management of forest resources will be sought in all FMUs In WPFs the focus will be on sustainable harvest of minor forest products, with enrichment planting of NTFPs such as rattan In SFEs, the focus will be on promoting management of forests by village FMGs Womens groups in target villages will be encouraged to participate, particularly for the management of forests holding harvestable NTFPs To ensure the long-term participation of local communities in sustainable forest and natural resources management, the project will establish small-scale sustainable financing, likely through revolving credit funds (but the most appropriate mechanism will be decided during the project), to (1) contribute to improved livelihoods of forest-dependent local communities, and (2) support the operation and maintenance of FMGs The target beneficiaries of this sustainable financing will be poor, ethnic minority households in the project areas, who depend most heavily on forest and forest resources for their livelihood, and households who participate actively in forest management and conservation activities Positive discrimination measures may be applied to ensure that these target beneficiaries will benefit most from this credit funds, such as at least 50% of borrowers must be poor, ethnic minority households The Project Management Board (PMB) will be responsible for monitoring the operation of sustainable financing during the project to ensure the principals of openness, transparency, effectiveness and accordance with financial management regulations of Vietnam Detailed design of sustainable financing will be based on a participatory needs assessment, sound socio-economic and cultural foundations, and technical recommendations by consultants on sustainable harvest possibilities A Fund Management Board (FMB) will be established in each of the selected communes to manage and monitor credit revolving funds activities in their communes The FMB will comprise representatives of the local communities, local mass organization and commune authorities In administrating sustainable financing, particularly any revolving credit funds, the project will coordinate and learn from the previous ADB PEP project and on-going ADB-funded FLITCH project to ensure harmonization, effectiveness, and avoid possible overlaps Main tasks: (i) Conduct a a seminar on co-management, with participants from all field stakeholders, and building from Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 51 experience in Vietnam and other ASEAN countries; (ii) Provide training on co-management approaches This will be conducted on a workshop format, where participants will have the opportunity to present situations that may be suitable for collaborative management agreements These will be treated as case studies to ensure that several co-management options will be drafted as a result of the workshop; (iii) Conduct a study tour to a location or locations in Vietnam where successful and relevant collaborative management activities are under implementation; (iv) Help the individual WPFs,SUFs and production forests to independently define possible forms of community involvement that are permitted within their territories on the basis of current forest management regulations; (v) Produce a matrix of possibilities from (iv), above, and run through a SWOT analysis to determine a set of priorities, and a strategy to follow Participation possibilities common to two or three FMU types will be reassessed for possible synergy results from joined interactions; (vi) Conduct workshops bringing together the concerned FMUs and village communities to define measures and prescriptions needed to implement community involvement; (vii) Facilitate establishment of FMGs in all villages inside FMUs, and in relevant villages located immediately adjacent to these FMG establishment will be guided by villagers themselves, though the involvement of village representatives including: Village Head, Head of Farmers Union, Head of Women’s Union, Head of Youth Union, representatives of local mass organizations, and other as seen necessary FMGs with special interest on minor forest products such as mushrooms and bamboo shoots will be likely comprised of mostly women, as they are known to be regular collectors of NTFPs Although both men and women will be encouraged to participate in FMG, this consultancy should specifically target poor forest-dependent communities, and within this category priority will be given to the involvement of women (viii) Facilitate signing and initial implementation of co-management agreements between the FMGs and FMUs Agreements will include roles and responsibilities of each party, and regulations governing the nature of comanagement activities These will include: FMU type and management zone; kind and nature of collaboration; resource use limitations; management responsibilities; and protocols to monitor compliance to the agreed measures Once agreements have been signed and endorsed by the stakeholders implementation of comanagement prescriptions will begin; (ix) Facilitate establishment of small-scale sustainable financing, likely through revolving credit funds, but with detailed design based on a participatory needs assessment, sound socio-economic and cultural foundations, and technical recommendations by consultants on sustainable harvest possibilities Outputs: (i) Participants understand co-management concepts and how they could apply in various types of FMUs in the project area; (ii) Clear statements in place defining the level and types of community involvement, and the FMU operations where community involvement is foreseen and encouraged; (iii) Study tours completed, and lessons learned incorporated into co-management protocols; (iv) FMGs established in all FMUs, with co-management agreements endorsed by the District and Commune, and the Provincial Working Group; (v) Sustainable financing mechanisms established and operating; (vi) A report on the consultancy produced in English and Vietnamese, and disseminated to all relevant stakeholders Consultant profile: (i) Team includes experts familiar with international standards in co-management approaches; (ii) Team includes experts familiar with international standards in establishment and operation of small-scale sustainable financing mechanisms; (iii) Each individual consultant has at least five years’ experience, or specific qualifications, in co-management approaches; (iv) Team includes consultants proficient in both English and Vietnamese, or sufficient budget to accurately translate reports Provision of equipment for fire control, survey, and monitoring (12 days national consultant[s]) Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 52 Overall description: This consultancy will assess needs for basic equipment for forest fire control to each of the FMUs, and for surveying and monitoring to Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park, and provide training in use of this equipment Background: The project area is one of the national focus areas of highest forest-fire risk In an effort to control the incidence of fire in the target FMUs, the project will provide basic equipment to help with fire control efforts Equipment will be provided on the basis of priorities to combat fire in sensitive and valuable areas These will prioritize areas holding forests of high conservation value, and areas holding forest of high economic value To encourage continuous monitoring on the condition of forests with high conservation value, the project will facilitate basic surveying, inventorying and monitoring equipment These equipment purchases will prioritize Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park, given that the SUF has been selected as the precursor for multiple-use forest management activities in Lam Dong Province Survey equipment may include field surveying tools such as clinometers, camera traps, compasses, geographic positioning systems, and binoculars Monitoring equipment may include computers equipped with geographic information systems and database monitoring systems These will include peripherals needed for reporting, printing and interpretation Main tasks: (i) Facilitate an FMU self assessment of equipment needs, including needs for training in fire prevention and management; (ii) Should there be a need for training on the use of fire prevention equipment, couple this with a training session on fire prevention and control, targeted to FMUs and local stakeholder communities Any training of this sort should avoid overlapping with ongoing training activities in place at the FMUs and already funded by the government; (iii) Provide short training sessions on the use and maintenance of survey and monitoring equipment provided Outputs: (i) An assessment of equipment needs, as described above; (ii) Training conducted in equipment provided wherever necessary; (iii) A report on the consultancy produced in English and Vietnamese, and disseminated to all relevant stakeholders Consultant profile: (i) Team includes experts familiar with international standards in fire prevention, surveys, and monitoring; (ii) Each individual consultant has at least five years’ experience, or specific qualifications, in fire prevention, surveys, or monitoring; (iii) Team includes consultants proficient in both English and Vietnamese, or sufficient budget to accurately translate reports Assessment and enhancement of FMU plans and management documents (10 days international consultant[s], 100 days national consultant[s]) Overall description: This consultancy will assess present FMU plans and management documents, produce a SWOT analysis of these and their status for implementation, agree with stakeholder FMUs on defined multiple-use forest zoning plans for their own territories, and incorporate agreed plans into FMU planning and management documents Background: As part of a self-evaluation exercise, FMUs will assess their forest planning and management documents, which include management plans, operational plans, site plans A tool to be used in the self-evaluation will be the SWOT Analysis Through it, FMUs will be able to assess their forest planning and management skills and status for ‘Strengths’, ‘Weaknesses’, ‘Opportunities’, and ‘Threats’ The resulting strategy will help define how current FMUs can further their strengths, reduce their weaknesses, harness the opportunities, and stop or mitigate threats in reference to three aspects of forest planning and management: (a) sustainability of forest resources; (b) protection and maintenance of ecosystem services; and, (c) participation of local communities in planning, management, and benefit sharing The SWOT analysis and follow-up strategy will be used to define measures needed to pilot the multiple-use forest management approach at each of the selected FMUs Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 53 Once FMUs have defined a preferred forest zonation, the project will facilitate discussion amongst stakeholders to reach consensus on the proposed multiple-use forest management zones Once consensus has been reached on the proposed zonation system for each of the FMUs, and on the management prescriptions to be applied in each zone, the project will facilitate incorporating prescribed multiple-use forest management measures into the FMUs planning and management documents Results from the assessment of current FMUs plans will be used as a starting point to make revisions for accommodate the prescribed zonation system to support multiple-use management of forests Main tasks: (i) Facilitate a self-evaluation exercise, including SWOT analysis, by FMUs of their forest planning and management documents, including management plans, operational plans, and site plans These documents will be assessed according to the: suitability of their management prescriptions; availability of prescriptions for protection of forests of high conservation value; present status of implementation of the prescribed actions; prevalence of problems and constraints that hinder their implementation; existence of prescriptions that encourage or discourage participation of local communities in forest management; potential for accommodating proposed multiple-use forest management prescriptions; and presence of monitoring systems to assess the effectiveness of management activities; (ii) Facilitate discussion amongst stakeholders to reach consensus on the proposed multiple-use forest management zones Discussions will take place through individual workshops, to be conducted in each of the six FMUs, with representatives from the FMUs, Lam Dong DARD and Forest Department, Forest Protection Department and District, Commune, and the relevant local communities; (iii) Facilitate incorporation of prescribed multiple-use forest management measures into FMU planning and management documents Outputs: (i) Self-evaluation report of FMU forest planning and management documents; (ii) Agreement reached by FMUs on the: forest zoning system; location and extent of individual zones; boundaries of each zone category, and methods of demarcation; prescriptions for use, conservation, and management in each zone; levels and type of participation by local communities in each of the zones; and other management measures to be applied within the FMU zonation system; (iii) Zonation maps produced by the individual FMUs, as a result of discussions and consensus, endorsed by Lam Dong DARD and District authorities, and provided to each of the stakeholder communities These maps will contain the following features:  boundaries of the FMU concerned  location of stakeholder villages, with relevant boundaries (i.e., if villages are within the FMU, all village boundaries must be included, but if adjacent to the FMU only common boundaries included)  district and commune boundaries, with corresponding names  zoning categories and boundaries, with corresponding definition  topographic and hydrological information  present vegetation cover types (relevant to the particular management purpose)  maps of scale 1:100,000 for endorsement signatures (one per stakeholder)  maps of scale 1:10,000 for planning and management purposes (two per stakeholder) (iii) Revised FMU management plans with prescriptions for use, conservation, and community participation for each FMU zone; (iv) Management instructions for the protection of forests with high conservation provided to all of the FMUs, with prescriptions for resource use activities, and participation of local communities in planning and management, tailored to the conditions and standing government regulations in each of the FMUs Consultant profile: (i) Team includes experts familiar with international standards in forest management planning and zoning; (ii) Each individual consultant has at least five years’ experience, or specific qualifications, in forest management planning; (iii) Team includes consultants proficient in both English and Vietnamese, or sufficient budget to accurately translate reports Monitoring success, and extracting and disseminating lessons learned (85 days international consultant[s], 110 Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 54 days national consultant[s]) Overall description: This consultancy will define and establish a system to review multiple-use forest management activities, and to determine and assess the impact of changes in planning and management of FMUs As a result of pilot FMU field activities, it will also document lessons learned and prepare case studies and best practice guidelines for dissemination through policy briefs, workshops, and contribution to national dialogue, including production of a consolidated FMU Multiple-use Forest Management model Background: The project will establish a monitoring and evaluation system The system will be set to: (a) examine the impact of multiple-use forest management activities; and, (b) measure changes in planning and management of FMUs with respect to (i) protection of forests of high conservation value, (ii) sustainable use of forest resources; (iii) community participation in forest management; and, (iv) improvement in the livelihoods of local forest-dependent communities Within this framework, the project will document experience with the multiple-use approach to forest management, and prepare best practice guidelines and policy briefs featuring case studies and lessons learned from the six pilot FMUs, in an effort to promote replication of the approach at provincial and national levels During the project lifetime, various other projects and initiatives, such as the Forestry for Livelihood Improvement in the Central Highlands (FLITCH), Central Highlands Forestry Network, etc will also be implemented In order to disseminate information and lessons learnt, as well as collecting feedbacks and support on our proposed multiple use approach for future replication of the piloted models, this project plans to host two annual seminars (for 2007 and 2008) of the Central Highlands Forestry Network Main tasks: (i) Determine what needs to be monitored, through a workshop with the participation of Lam Dong DARD, Forest Department, forest management boards and community representatives; (ii) Review any existing survey and monitoring data, including examination of all surveys on biophysical and socioeconomic aspects in an effort to consolidate existing information as a baseline for comparisons, and to assess parameters for monitoring; (iii) Define the location and feature to be monitored (monitoring parameters will measure change in selected sites of the FMUs, and villages within their territories); (iv) Determine monitoring frequencies in liaison with local communities, ensuring efforts are made to involve local women in monitoring and evaluation activities; (v) Select measurement methods and time of measuring, depending on the feature to be measured and on methods used to measure the base line; (vi) Devise a simple sampling scheme and recording forms to encourage and sustain the participation of local people; (vii) Carry out remotely sensed change detection of the project area; (viii) Produce a publication, to be disseminated at provincial and national levels, about implementation of the multipleuse forest management approach in general, and as it relates to the pilot activities in the six Lam Dong FMUs This will provide general information on the approach, in terms of best practice models for implementation, and individual case studies featuring lessons learned from pilot activities at FMUs in Lam Dong Province The publication will ultimately consolidate experiences and results from pilot project activities in FMUs into a multipleuse forest management model, with detailed guidelines for replicating the approach at other SUFs, WPFs and SFEs in Lam Dong Province and elsewhere in Vietnam The document will also outline the general benefits of the approach to the objectives of these forest management categories This model will reconcile improved management of forests with high conservation value, environmental protection, and production objectives with poverty reduction among forest dependent communities; (ix) Produce another publication to guide the replication of the multiple-use forest management approach at specific SUFs, WPFs, or production forests/SFEs This will outline the strategy in detail, and provide a comprehensive summary of best practice models for implementation in each of the three forest management categories, and lessons learned from the pilots in Lam Dong This publication will include detailed implementation guidelines for each of the approach's features, including prescriptions for protection of high conservation value forests, forest valuation, sustainable utilization of forest products, local community participation in forest management, and Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 55 (x) collaborative forest management approaches; In liaison with the provincial working group, produce a policy brief, outlining the various policy-related aspects of the multiple-use forest management approach This brief will analyze the approach in terms of its contributions to national economic development from forest revenues, local socio-economic development, community participation in forest management, environmental protection and biodiversity conservation In particular, this will address the contribution of the approach to attaining prescriptions outlined in the Vietnam National Forest Strategy to 2020, as well as relevant revisions to current regulations on forest management, such as Prime Ministerial Decision 186/2006/QD-TTg of August 14, 2006, promulgating regulations on forest management This brief will be targeted at policy-makers, and will be disseminated at the national level through a workshop; Organise two annual seminars (for 2007 and 2008) of the Central Highlands Forestry Network (xi) Outputs: (i) A detailed and simple monitoring scheme and forms, as described above; (ii) Two publications and a policy brief, in English and Vietnamese, as described above; (iii) Detailed report on results of change detection analysis, in English and Vietnamese; (iv) National-level workshop and two seminars organised to disseminate information from the project Consultant profile: (i) Team includes experts familiar with international standards in monitoring and evaluation, and dissemination of lessons learned; (ii) Team includes expert with experience in application of international techniques for remote sensing; (iii) Each individual consultant has at least five years’ experience, or specific qualifications, in monitoring and evaluation, and dissemination of lessons learned; (iv) Team includes consultants proficient in both English and Vietnamese, or sufficient budget to accurately translate reports Establishing sustainable harvests of NTFPs (430 days national consultant[s]) Overall description: This consultancy will conduct surveys and feasibility studies inside FMUs on specific NTFPs to estimate sustainable harvests, enrichment planting possibilities, and to establish protocols for sustainable use It will then conduct training to local communities to ensure sustainable harvests of NTFPs in agreed locations Background: While NTFP collection plays a key role in the subsistence economy of many poor or ethnic minority households in Vietnam, a scientific basis for sustainable harvest of minor forest products is needed before such harvests are actually prescribed inside FMUs Some NTFPs may be threatened with extinction, and such conditions should be taken into consideration when making harvesting prescriptions Main tasks: (i) Conduct surveys within FMUs to determine the status of NTFPs, and to estimate the possibility of sustainable harvest of products such as mushrooms, orchids, and ornamental plants; (ii) Develop a matrix to assess what minor forest products can be harvested on a sustainable basis, from which FMUs and from what FMU zone Criteria measured for NTFP harvests will include, for the minor forest product: (a) type of NTFP; (b) legal status and threat category12; (c) population status inside the target FMU; (d) present levels of collection; (f) present levels of demand; (g) replacement cycle of the NTFP; (f) NTFP carrying capacity for harvest Criteria to assess the location of harvest will include: (a) type of FMU; (b) FMU zone; and, (c) regulations on resource use within the given zone; (iii) Estimate sustainable harvests for specific NTFPs in each of the target locations, on the basis of the matrix produced above; (iv) Assess the possibility for enrichment planting activities inside of FMUs with local NTFP species, such as rattan and bamboo Such possibility will be based on the second set off criteria in the matrix, above, in addition to an 12 Critical, Endangered, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Data Deficient, or Least Concern (IUCN 2006) Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 56 assessment of marketing possibilities and benefit sharing arrangements between the FMUs and village FMGs; (v) Produce harvesting protocols for each type of NTFP and FMU zone where harvest is permissible; (vi) Once possible NTFP harvests are identified, provide training to village FMG members, particularly womens groups, on sustainable harvesting methods targeting specific NTFPs During training sessions, the use and compliance with protocols for sustainable NTFP harvests should be discussed; (vii) Organize study tours, for village FMG members, to selected locations in Vietnam that hold similar socioeconomic and environmental conditions as those of Lam Dong The purpose of these will be to learn from experiences in other sites, adopt successful measures, and adapt these to the conditions in Lam Dong Outputs: (i) Participants understand what sustainable levels of NTFP harvests may be, and the scientific reasoning that underpins these levels; (ii) Harvesting levels and protocols exist and are understood by people in areas where harvest may be allowed; (iii) Study tours completed, and lessons learned incorporated into harvesting protocols; (iv) A report on the consultancy produced in English and Vietnamese, and disseminated to all relevant stakeholders Consultant profile: (i) Team includes experts familiar with international standards in sustainable harvest of NTFPs; (ii) Each individual consultant has at least five years’ experience, or specific qualifications, in sustainable harvest of NTFPs; (iii) Team includes consultants proficient in both English and Vietnamese, or sufficient budget to accurately translate reports Forest valuation training and demonstration exercise (40 days international consultant[s], 90 days national consultant[s]) Overall description: This consultancy will carry out training on forest valuation for relevant Lam Dong DARD, Forest Department, Forest Protection Department, FMUs personnel and some other provincial institutions directly involved in forest management and planning, and then conduct a demonstrative and comprehensive forest valuation exercise within the project area Background: This project is designed based on the recognition that the value of forests is above and beyond monetary revenues from the sale of timber, and that present economic incentives for forest exploitation are not representative of the forest worth in terms of biological resources, ecosystem services, and other fundamental values The main purpose of forest valuation is therefore to acquire reliable and objective information on the benefits and costs of conserving a forest ecosystem, from which to base decisions on conservation or development alternatives This valuation exercise will help forest managers and policy makers assess the full benefit of forests, thus promoting their wise use, facilitating benefit-sharing dialogues, and defining sources for sustainable funding of conservation forests under various management categories Such experience could prove very valuable given current draft legislation on Payments for Environmental Services under review by the government In essence, provision of environmental services can become just one of a suite of uses in a multiple-use forest Recently, a draft Decree on Principles and Methodologies for Forest Valuation was submitted by MARD to the Government for their approval This Decree defines the principles and methods to set a price for the use of natural forest in SFUs, WPFs and production forests, as well as the price for the ownership of plantation forests The subjects of regulation of this Decree are government bodies, domestic entities, organizations, households and individuals, overseas Vietnamese, foreign organizations and individuals directly involved in defining and application of forest prices This draft Decree was developed by the Vietnam Forest Institute in collaboration with the Science and Technology Department, the Legal Department of MARD, a group of national consultants and one international (German) expert on forest valuation Facilitation of Payments for Environmental Services is also a major focus of the Winrock-led ARBCP project, and training in the key methods for DARD Lam Dong and FMU managers will be essential preparation for this project and thus, in turn, harnessing of sustainable financing for forest conservation in Lam Dong Throughout this consultancy, forest valuation will be taken to mean calculating quantitative values not solely of timber, but also of non-timber environmental services such as non-timber forest products, tourism, or ecosystem services (such as watershed protection or pollination) Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 57 Main tasks: (i) Provide a short seminar on forest valuation, to which District and Commune authorities will also be invited This seminar will include a presentation of the concept of Forest valuation, with reference to the draft Government’s Decree on Forest Valuation (which is now being proposed by MARD), as well as experiences in the application of the approach in Vietnam (by the Forest Institute) and other ASEAN countries, particularly Indonesia; (ii) Conduct forest valuation training via theoretical training and a subsequent hands-on exercise with the selected participants Given technical skills and background knowledge required for forest valuation, criteria for selection of training participants will be discussed and defined during the seminar; (iii) Conduct a demonstration on how to carry out a comprehensive forest valuation exercise (but not implement forest valuation throughout the project area - forest valuation throughout the project area will be done later on when Lam Dong Province is requested to so by the Government) The forest valuation activity will be conducted at Bidoup – Nui Ba National Park due to the fact that the park has diverse forest types This exercise will be conducted with participants from the six FMUs and project stakeholders, in an effort to consolidate knowledge on methods for forest valuation previously provided through the theoretical training session Outputs: (i) Participants know how to define and decide the value of the forests and, based on this, can develop multiple-use and benefit sharing options; (ii) A comprehensive report on forest valuation purposes and methodologies produced in English and Vietnamese, and disseminated nation-wide through a dedicated publication Consultant profile: (i) Team includes international experts familiar with international standards in forest and ecosystem service valuation; (ii) Each individual consultant has at least five years’ experience, or specific qualifications, in valuing forests and environmental services; (iii) Team includes consultants proficient in both English and Vietnamese, or sufficient budget to accurately translate reports Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 58 Annex 3F: Justification for proposing BirdLife International–Vietnam Programme to provide technical assistance on biodiversity surveys, conservation planning and prioritization Summary Among the international non-governmental conservation organizations in Vietnam, BirdLife International has a very strong, proven track-record in identifying conservation priorities and conducting biological surveys The organization also has a long history of association with the project area, dating back to the early 1990s As such, BirdLife has already provided significant technical assistance in working with Lam Dong DARD and Bi Dup-Nui Ba NP to develop the current project proposal and to respond to TFF queries Lam Dong DARD and Bi Dup-Nui Ba NP staff have found this support very useful and strongly desire a continuation of this effective partnership with BirdLife Moreover, in neighboring Dak Lak Province, BirdLife and Dak Lak DARD are currently implementing a mediumsized World Bank/GEF project at Chu Yang Sin National Park, which is contiguous with the forest landscape targeted by this proposed project Due to all these factors, BirdLife is the preferred nominated provider of technical assistance for the first of the seven consultancy packages in this proposal (Identification, planning and management of high value forests) Background to BirdLife International and its Vietnam Programme BirdLife International is a global partnership of over 100 membership-based, non-governmental organizations that strive to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity In 1988, BirdLife International became one of the first international conservation NGOs to work in Vietnam In 1997, the BirdLife International Vietnam Programme was granted a representative office license by the Government of Vietnam The BirdLife International Vietnam Programme seeks to promote the conservation of habitats, sites and species by working with government and nongovernment partners to: 1) provide support for improved planning and management of important habitats, sites and species; 2) introduce and advocate new ideas for integrating biodiversity conservation into planning and policy; 3) stimulate greater public interest in birds and biodiversity, and awareness of the need for biodiversity conservation; 4) develop capacity for improved management of habitat, sites and species; and 5) provide information on biodiversity and protected areas to planners, policy-makers and other interest groups The BirdLife International Vietnam Programme has 11 permanent members of staff, based at its office in Hanoi These comprise two international staff with qualifications from leading UK universities and a combined total of nearly 20 years work experience in Vietnam, and nine national staff with relevant academic qualifications (Masters and/or Bachelors Degrees), and work experience from conservation projects throughout Vietnam The project portfolio of the BirdLife International Vietnam Programme closely reflects and supports the environmental policy goals set by the Government of Vietnam BirdLife is a leading conservation organization in Vietnam, and has extensive experience in conservation planning and in setting priorities for biodiversity conservation in Vietnam, backed up by experience both regionally and globally In the last three years, the organization has pioneered community-based conservation approaches at various sites of international conservation importance in Vietnam Selected projects to date include: • Conservation of Key Wetland Sites in the Red River Delta (c USD 75,000 over year, 1995) Working with the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute and funded by the Royal Danish Embassy, Hanoi, BirdLife and partners conducted a comprehensive survey and evaluation of key wetland sites in the Red River Delta and made proposals for their conservation • Expanding the Protected Areas Network for the 21st Century (Euro 1,188,712 over years, from 1997 to 2001) In support of the Government of Vietnam's commitment to expand the national protected areas network from to million ha, BirdLife International worked in collaboration with the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, with funding from the European Union, to support the expansion of the SUF network in Vietnam • Conservation of Key Wetland Sites in the Mekong Delta (USD 173,500 over 1.5 years, from 1999 to 2000) In collaboration with the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources and with funding from the Royal Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 59 Netherlands Embassy, BirdLife conducted a comprehensive evaluation of key wetland sites in the Mekong Delta and identified 10 priority sites for conservation One output of the project was a strategy for sustainable wetland resource management, which was promoted among key decision makers in provincial and central government • Improved Conservation Planning through Institutional Strengthening in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (USD 345,600 over 2.5 years, from 2001 to 2003) This Danida-funded project was implemented in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam in cooperation with relevant Government and NGO partners, including the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources The project's objectives were to strengthen the capacity of project partners to plan conservation action at the national level, and to produce directories of Important Bird Areas for the three countries In Vietnam, a local-stakeholder-based approach to site conservation was piloted, which has since been replicated elsewhere in the country • Conservation of Important Bird Areas in Indochina: Strengthening Site Support Groups to Conserve Critical Biodiversity (USD 410,000 over years, from 2003 to 2006) This project is funded by the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, with the aim of establishing a network of well managed and protected Important Bird Areas in Indochina, thereby enabling the long-term conservation of the unique biological attributes of the Annamese Lowlands of central Vietnam and the Dry Forests of Cambodia In Vietnam, the project is being implemented in collaboration with Quang Binh and Quang Tri Provincial Forest Protection Departments • Integrated Watershed Management and Biodiversity Conservation at Chu Yang Sin National Park, Dak Lak Province (USD 978,000 over years, from 2005 to 2009) This World Bank/GEF medium-sized project is being executed by BirdLife International and Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee The project aims to build a foundation of support and management for Chu Yang Sin National Park, and has a strong emphasis on capacity building for SUF Management BirdLife International-Vietnam Programme involvement in the project area BirdLife has undertaken research in the project area (i.e Lam Dong Province) since 1989 and recently wrote the Operational Management Plan for Bidoup – Nui Ba National Park (under a contract with WWF) Currently, BirdLife, together with Dak Lak DARD, are implementing a medium-sized GEF project (from 2005 to 2010) in Chu Yang Sin National Park in the same forest landscape as this proposed project’s area The operational management planning approach used at Bidoup-Nui Ba identified issues and threats at the SUF, and prescribed management objectives, actions, and an implementation plan The multiple-use forest management project proposed in this current document will harness the planning capacities built though BirdLife at the national park, to help support the selection and provision of management prescriptions to forests of high conservation value within the adjacent WPFs and production forests In neighboring Dak Lak Province, as noted above, BirdLife and Dak Lak DARD are currently implementing a medium-sized World Bank/GEF project at Chu Yang Sin National Park, which is contiguous with the forest landscape targeted by this proposed project More generally, the Da Lat Plateau was identified as a global priority biodiversity conservation region (Endemic Bird Area) by BirdLife, and several sites within the proposed project area have been identified as global site conservation priorities (Important Bird Areas) by BirdLife BirdLife International-Vietnam Programme involvement with the proposed project The BirdLife International–Vietnam Program has worked closely with Lam Dong DARD and Bidoup–Nui Ba National Park from the very start of formulation of this project, to provide technical assistance in project design, area selection, and support to DARD and NP staff in developing and submitting a project proposal for funding More recently, BirdLife has extensively supported DARD and NP staff in replying to TFF queries, and amending the proposal and budget as necessary Based on its proven technical capacity, Lam Dong DARD and BirdLife International-Vietnam Programme have signed an Memo of Understanding to jointly develop this project and engage BirdLife in providing technical inputs if the project is approved for funding However, Lam Dong DARD commits to follow all TFF principles in selecting consultants for this project Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 60 BirdLife has a strong scientific reputation and an excellent track record in producing international-standard technical reports and other publications, in both English and Vietnamese, and would thus offer a competitive advantage over most other consultants available for the first consultancy package: Identification, planning and management of high value forests Lam Dong DARD and Bi Dup-Nui Ba NP staff have found technical assistance from BirdLife to date very useful and strongly desire a continuation of this effective partnership with BirdLife BirdLife is the best qualified, committed, and proven organisation to provide much of the technical assistance necessary in the project, and it is thus strongly hoped that they will provide technical assistance for the first of the seven consultancy packages (totalling under 100,000 Euros) during project implementation BirdLife may also tender for other packages under the competitive bidding process but they are the best suited for the package focusing on biodiversity surveys, conservation planning and prioritisation, and technical capacity building By nominating BirdLife as the preferred consultant for this one package, the project will save time and resources in conducting a competitive bidding process involving other less suitable candidates Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 61 Annex Definition of terms as used in this proposal Benefit sharing: a concept in which all stakeholders receive benefits from forest management units These may be direct benefits such as resource use or more indirect benefits such as employment (e.g., under the 661 programme) Co-management/Collaborative management: a process in which stakeholders (particularly local communities living in and around a forest management unit and its management authorities) negotiate shared management roles and benefits to achieve a common interest Forest valuation: a process for calculating quantitative values not solely of timber, but also of nontimber environmental services such as non-timber forest products, tourism, or ecosystem services (such as watershed protection or pollination) Multiple-use: in this document, this term refers to management of forests for a more diverse range of uses than previously Thus, this will include management of important parts of production forests in a way compatible with biodiversity conservation and, conversely, management of noncore zones of special-use forest and watershed protection forest for more productive uses, such as sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products, tourism, or even to produce payments for environmental services Sector-wide approach: an approach that is sector wide In this document, usually referring to an approach that can address the varied objectives of special-use forest, watershed protection forest, and production forest within the forest sector Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 62 Annex Organisational chart MARD TFF BirdLife DARD Lam Dong IMPLEMENTING AGENCY consultants PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE Don Duong PC Don Duong Police Forest Forest Department Don Duong SFE Lac Duong PC FPD Bidoup Nui Ba NP Lam Vien Da Lat PC TECHNICAL SUPPORT CH Seedling Enterprise PMU Da Nhim WPF IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: responsible for the implementation of this project PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT (PMU): responsible for day-to-day management of the project PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE: a set of key provincial stakeholder institutions, who will steer the project in carrying out pilot activities, and lead in assessing, endorsing, and promoting the project objectives TECHNICAL SUPPORT: organisations and individuals contracted by the PMU to support particular project activities Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest Management, Page 63 ... involvement of women and FMGs members in active forest management The project should therefore speed up the testing and implementation of NTFP management models to ensure that sufficient experiences... total project area Consequently, involvement of local people in the project context is only feasible in form of management agreements and benefit sharing arrangements between the land use certificate... for implementation As part of consultancy package no the assessment of six FMU plans and management documents has been conducted and documented in Nov 2008 The analysis is providing a general overview