Study on the impacts of local communities on nontimber forest product resources in xuan son commune tan son district phu tho province

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY STUDENT THESIS STUDY ON THE IMPACTS OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES ON NONTIMBER FOREST PRODUCT RESOURCES IN XUAN SON COMMUNE, TAN SON DISTRICT, PHU THO PROVINCE Major: Advanced Curriculum in Natural Resources Management Code: D850101 Faculty: Forest Resources & Environmental Management Student: Trinh Thi Ngoc Mai Student ID: 1453091533 Class: K59A - Natural Resources Management Course: 2014 - 2018 Advanced Education Program Developed in Collaboration with Colorado State University, USA Supervisor: Dr Tran Viet Ha Hanoi, September, 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It is my proud privilege to release the feeling of my gratitude to several persons who helped me directly or indirectly to conduct this final thesis I express my heart full indebtedness and owe a deep sense of gratitude to my supervisor Dr Tran Viet Ha for his helpful guidance, support and contribution Thanks to cooperating between Vietnam National University of Forestry and Colorado State University, I have a chance to approach a reservoir of international knowledge and experience I would like to send my deepest and most sincere thanks to the leaders, the forest protection team and all staff of Xuan Son National Park Thanks to the herb doctors of Muong and Dao ethnic groups for providing information on the medicinal uses of medicinal plants And finally, I would like to thank all my friend and my family You have all encouraged and believed in me You have all helped me to focus on what has been a hugely rewarding and enriching process Because my knowledge is limited, this thesis may have some mistakes; I would like to receive the comments from the teachers to help my thesis becoming more complete Hanoi, 30 September, 2018 Student Trinh Thi Ngoc Mai i TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i TABLE OF CONTENTS ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iii LIST OF TABLES iv LIST OF FIGURES v ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION 2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 3 METHODS NATURAL, ECONOMIC - SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF RESEARCH AREA 4.1 Geographic location and natural conditions 4.2 Socio-economic characteristics 4.3 General assessment of natural features in Xuan Son commune 10 RESULTS 11 5.1 Situation of exploitation and use of NTFP resources in Xuan Son commune 11 5.2 Negative impacts of local communities on NTFP resources in Xuan Son commune 16 5.2.1 The causes of negative impacts of local communities on NTFP resources in Xuan Son commune 17 5.3 Positive impacts of local communities on NTFP resource in Xuan Son commune 22 5.3.1 Conservation and cultivation activities of local community in Xuan Son commune 23 5.3.2 Experience in using NTFPs 24 CONCLUSION 25 REFERENCES APPENDIX 7.1 QUESTIONNAIRE 7.2 FIELD TRIP PHOTOS ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS NTFPs Non-timber forest products IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature iii LIST OF TABLES Table 5.1: NTFP species are being exploited and used by local people in the study area 11 Table 5.2: List of threatened medicinal plants used by ethnic minorities in Xuan Son commune 13 Table 5.3: NTFPs collected by local people from natural forest 15 Table 5.4: Status of land type in Xuan Son Commune (2013) 17 Table 5.5: Market price statistics and status of some medicinal plants available in Xuan Son National Park (January 2016 survey) 20 Table 5.6: Priority medicinal plant needs for the conservation in Xuan Son national park 23 Table 5.7: Some medicinal plants that local people want to cultivate 24 Table 5.8: Some useful remedies of local community in Xuan Son 25 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Xuan Son commune geographic map Figure 2: Percentage of the income of the surveyed households 18 Figure 3: Income structure of 30 households interviewed 19 v ABSTRACT Scientific surveys have demonstrated the richness in non-timber forest product of Xuan Son national park with a variety of species Non-timber forest product resource plays an important role and generates services to the socio-economy and the environment of the core zone of Xuan Son national park Located at the end of the Hoang Lien Mountains, Xuan Son commune is the core zone of Xuan Son National park, is one of the highest biodiversity areas in Vietnam Currently, most of the people living in the core zone of Xuan Son National Park are ethnic minorities (98.6%), mainly of the Muong and Dao ethnic groups [1] For many years, through the activities of forest resources exploitation of ethnic minorities, forests have become their only important source of life, especially is the NTFP resources Therefore, the issue is how to deal with harmony between different interest groups, one is the livelihood of the community and the other is the urgency of conservation in Xuan Son National Park This research will show the critical issues on impacts of communities on NTFP resources and find out the cause of the negative impacts 1 INTRODUCTION NTFPs are an important resource in socio-economic life, especially for forestdependent communities In addition to wood, firewood, people can exploit a variety of NTFPs to serve their lives and access to NTFPs helps rural households diversify their livelihoods and reduce their vulnerability Income from NTFPs is very important as it complements other income Many households earn extra income from the sale of NTFPs, often when agricultural production is not sufficient for their livelihood Income from non-timber forest products is often used to buy seeds, or to generate capital for other trading activities For poor households, NTFP can play a very important role both as a source of food and as a source of income Xuan Son commune covers an area of 6.560 in Tan Son district, Phu Tho province Located at the end of the Hoang Lien Mountains, Xuan Son commune is the core zone of Xuan Son National park, is one of the highest biodiversity areas in Vietnam [12] In Vietnam, the status of people living in the core zone of the natural reserves and national park is quite popular Currently, there are 299 houssehold with about 1,219 people living in the core zone of Xuan Son National Park Most of the people here are ethnic minorities (98.6%), with the poverty rate of 45.8%, mainly of the Muong and Dao ethnic groups [11] For ethnic minorities, forests have become their only important source of life, especially is the NTFP resources Most of local people in Xuan Son commune find it difficult to abandon the available resources from the forest, this means that the pressure on the forest does not decrease, but it tends to increase Therefore, the issue is how to deal with harmony between different interest groups, one is the livelihood of the community and the other is the urgency of conservation in Xuan Son National Park Basing on the practical significant above, I proceed to carry out the research: “Study on the impacts of local communities on non-timber forest product resources in Xuan Son commune, Tan Son district, Phu Tho province” This research will show the critical issues on impacts of communities on NTFP resources and find out the cause of the negative impacts 2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 2.1 Goals Assessing the impacts of local communities on non-timber forest product resources (NTFPs), especially plants in Xuan Son commune, Tan Son district, Phu Tho province 2.2 Objectives The objectives of this thesis are as follows:  Assessing the current status of NTFPs and their roles in local communities  Study on the positive and negative impacts of local communities on NTFP resources METHODS 3.1 Site selection The research was conducted on Xuan Son commune has the total area of natural land is 6.560 in Tan Son district, Phu Tho province, which is located at the end of the Hoang Lien mountains, Xuan Son commune is the core zone of Xuan Son National park.[13] The study site is in the core zone of Xuan Son National park, they are Du, Coi and Lap hamlets, and there have a lot of NTFPs Most of the local people are ethnic minorities, mainly of the Muong and Dao ethnic groups and they are exploiting and using NTFPs for living Figure 1: Xuan Son commune geographic map 3.2 Collect existing data This method use to assess the the livelihood of local communities and their impacts on NTFP resoure in Xuan Son commune Data collection conducted at the district functional departments, the People's Committees of the communes, information from books, reports, and published materials Data collected include:  Documents on the status of forest products, especially the use of NTFPs by local communities  Legal documents, policies and regulations related to the involvement of local communities in the conservation of NTFP resource in the buffer zone 3.3 Collect primary data 3.3.1 Using the PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) method The following PRA tools have been implemented to collect information and data: 3.3.1.1 Semi- structured interview At the Commune People's Committee, I will interview the commune officials (chairman, personnel of agroforestry, forest managers) on the following issues:  The general situation of agricultural and forestry development in the commune  The role of NTFPs and the potential of forests  The situation of forest land use, status of management and use of NTFP resources  Interviewing and collecting general information such as area, population, number of households, living standards of local people, some characteristics of commune forest management, use of NTFP resources in communes 3.3.1.2 Structured interviews This method mainly conducted the survey by using pre-prepared questionnaires Interview is the best survey method because it applied to a large number of people in the + Households with income from 1.5 million to million VND/month are 11 households (36.67%) + Households with income from million to million VND/month are households, accounting for 20% (mainly from selling NTFPs) + Households with income over million VND/month are households (6.67%), of households doing business, services and workers From the survey results, and based on the data of the figure 2, the results of the income structure of the people are shown in the following table and figure: 100% 90% 80% 70% 68,50% 60% 71,36% 74,35% 50% Agriculture, worker, trade, breeding, other 40% NTFPs 30% 20% 31,05% 25,65% 28,37% Coi hamlet Lap hamlet Du hamlet 10% 0% Figure 3: Income structure of 30 households interviewed In Figure 3, we can see that the income of local communities in Xuan Son commune is largely based on NTFP resources in natural forest Thus, local community's pressure on NTFP resources is quite large Without adequate measures to create sustainable income generation and economic support for the population, NTFP resources in the natural forest will be depleted 5.2.1.3 Market demand Market demand is decisive for the type of production and commodity of the society According to the survey results, local people in the study area not only exploit the medicinal 19 plants for community use but also exploit them for sale within the province or can be sold to other provinces Based on the statistics on the market price of medicinal plants in the market and the status of some herbs available in Xuan Son National Park at the January 2016 survey of Master Tran Dang Hung, the current market demand is very high for some kinds of products (only sources of medicinal plants) such as Curcuma zedoaria (Nghệ đen , Apocynum juventas (H thủ ô tr ng , Phyllanthus urinaria (Diệp hạ châu , Passiflora foetida (Lạc ti n , Pandanus tonkinensis (D a dại b c , Caulis Dendrobii (Thạch hộc , Fibraurea recisa (Ho ng đằng ,etc [3] The details are as follows: Table 5.5: Market price statistics and status of some medicinal plants available in Xuan Son National Park (January 2016 survey) Vietnamese Unit proce Market Frequency of Scientific name name (VND/kg dried) demand appearance Apocynum juventas Hà thủ ô tr ng 40.000 Normal Rare Curcuma zedoaria Nghệ đen 20.000 High Easy to find Phyllanthus urinaria Diệp hạ châu 30.000 Normal Scarce Passiflora foetida Lạc tiên 45.000 High Scarce Pandanus tonkinensis D a dại b c 40.000 Normal Rare Caulis Dendrobii Thạch hộc 120.000/kg fresh High Rare Stephania glabra Bình vôi 5.000/kg fresh Normal Scarce No (Roxb.) Miers Fibraurea recisa Ho ng đằng 80.000 High Rare Pyrrosia lingua Thạch v 50.000 Normal Rare (Thunb.) Source: Tran Dang Hung, 2016 "Research on Conservation and Development of Medicinal Plant Resources in Xuan Son National Park, Phu Tho Province" 20 5.2.1.4 Experience in NTFP exploitation - Experience in NTFP exploitation: In each household, especially Dao and Muong people, they know how to use the species available in the forest for treatment Through the interview, I realized that the exploitation is a matter of concern The parts of the plant which collected are mainly tubers, roots and stems making the number of species more and more declining, scarce and even needing a long time to regenerate or even extinct - Frequency of NTFP exploitation: For species that can be traded (see tables 5.1 and 5.5), the direct impact on these species is the people who collect the medicinal plants in the hamlets However, profound impact is the traders in neighboring communes and districts Although medicinal plants are heavily exploited from Xuan Son national park, the management board does not yet have a plan to manage and monitor medicinal plant populations in the area This frequency has reduced and depleted some medicinal plants such as Anoectochilus seraceus ( im tuyến , Fibraurea tinctoria (Ho ng đằng , Morinda officinalis (Ba kích), etc 5.2.1.5 Habit of local people in using NTFPs In the core zone of Xuan Son National Park, ethnic communities are predominantly Muong and Dao ethnic groups Previously, the Dao people often live in the high mountain, livelihoods mainly rely on products from the forest With such habit, when implementing the program of sedentary cultivation of the government, they still keep the habit of collecting forest products In particular, the Dao and Muong have a lot of experience in using medicinal plants These are the main causes of the impacts on NTFP resources - Grazing habits: Cattle grazing was a habit of many local communities in mountainous areas Most cattle are freely grazed in the forest, which also affects the growth and development of young trees in the forest, including NTFP species However, currently the number of cattle and buffalo in the study area is no longer raised, some households grazing cattle in the field so the number of cattle grazing in the forest is decreasing 21 5.3 Positive impacts of local communities on NTFP resource in Xuan Son commune Previously, forest products were exploited by people from the forests such as wood and animals Since the establishment of nature reserves until now, hunting and logging activities are no longer taking place Vegetables, mushrooms, medicinal plants are mainly collected from forest In addition, the people of Xuan Son commune also participate in forest protection and afforestation projects with native trees developed by the national park management board At present, each commune, including the core zone and buffer zone, has a forest protection force in association with the management board to monitor and manage the forest Since its founding, the National Park Management Board has done a good job of propagandizing the local people to participate in forest management and protection Local communities have signed commitments with the management board to participate in many fields such as forest protection, coordinate with forest rangers to control forest, forest plantation, forest fire prevention Therefore, these are upland fields or bare land with scattered trees, now restored to forests.[1] [2] Currently in Xuan Son commune, more than one thousand people are mainly Muong and Dao people living long time, they have habits that affect the forest Over the past years, the staffs of the National Park and Tan Son District People's Committee have to move some of the people living in the core zone out of the forest, improving the lives of the local people More than 40 households migrated from the core zone to the Dong Tao village of Xuan Dai commune over a dozen years ago From 2013 up to now, violations of illegal forest exploitation, forest fires and deforestation have been almost eliminated Through the project "Improving livelihoods of people" funded by the Embassy of Denmark, management board has focused on improving knowledge of planting a number of species, intensive production techniques to create products for Xuan Son commune and buffer zone 22 In addition, the management board has proposed some priority species for conservation and development in Xuan Son National Park They are endangered species and often exploited, with priority being herbaceous plants with short growing times, as follows: Table 5.6: Priority medicinal plant needs for the conservation in Xuan Son national park No Scientific name Vietnamese name Family Note Asarum caudigerum Biến hóa Aristolochiaceae Only a few individuals in Hance Cibotium barometz Ben Than hamlet Lông cu li Dicksoniaceae Jack Fibraurea tinctoria Lap and Coi hamlets Ho ng đằng Menispermaceae Lour Stephania rotunda Stephania dielsiana Bình vơi Menispermaceae Anoectochilus Củ dịm Menispermaceae Distributed evenly, small number of individuals Kim tuyến đ vôi Orchidaceae calcareus Aver Distributed evenly, small number of individuals Y.C.Wu Only a few individuals in Du, Lap and Coi hamlets Lour Only a few individuals in Distributed evenly, small number of individuals Dendrobium nobile Thạch hộc, Hoàng Lindl thảo Drynaria bonii (Mett.) Cốt toái b Orchidaceae Distributed evenly, small number of individuals Polypodiaceae J Smith Distributed evenly, small number of individuals Source: People's Committee of Xuan Son Commune 5.3.1 Conservation and cultivation activities of local community in Xuan Son commune At present, the conservation of rare plants in Xuan Son National Park is still carry out In addition, some plants are also planted in the garden but the number is not much The 23 cultivation of medicinal plants is only due to the demand of people for specific plant species In addition, people also want to plant some other medicinal plants to meet the market demand (Table 5.5), but there are many difficulties such as knowledge of science and technology is limited, there is no good seed for planting, the exploitation of species from natural forests is very difficult Table 5.7: Some medicinal plants that local people want to cultivate No Scientific name Vietnamese name Family Ho ng đằng Menispermaceae Xuân Hoa Menispermaceae Fibraurea tinctoria Lour Pseuderanthemum latifolium B Stephania dielsiana Y.C.Wu Củ dòm Menispermaceae Sanchezia speciosa Xăng x Acanthaceae Streptocaulon juventas (Lour.) Merr Hà thủ ô tr ng Asclepiadaceae Passiflora foetida L Lạc ti n Passifloraceae Homalonema occulta (Lour.) Schott Thi n ni n iện Araceae Source: Tran Dang Hung, 2016 "Research on Conservation and Development of Medicinal Plant Resources in Xuan Son National Park, Phu Tho Province" t present, there are some models of NT P cultivation in Xuan Son commune such as: usa sapientum L (chuối phấn v ng , momum spp (Sa nhân bringing economic benefits to households [4] [9] 5.3.2 Experience in using NTFPs In recent years, the life quality of people is getting better and better, so people tends to cure with modern medical methods However, the Dao and Muong ethnic groups still maintain the habit of using medicinal plants harvested from natural forests According to the documents inherited from previous research, I synthesized a number of useful remedies that local community in Xuan Son used are as follows: 24 Table 5.8: Some useful remedies of local community in Xuan Son Medicinal plants are being used Uses Passiflora foetida (Lạc ti n , Berchemia lineata Malaria treatment ( h a sốt r t ( ung r c , Schleichera oleosa (Dấu dầu , Verbenaceae ( ỏ roi ng a ng tang , Drynaria bonii Christ Litsea cubeba ( (T c nsomnia and headache treatment ( h a è đ , Dacrycarpus imbricatus (Thông đau đầu, ngủ, an thần) n ng , Zingiber purpureum oscoe ( ừng t a Duchesnea indica ( ndr oc e (Dâu n i , Capselia bursa pastoris L (Tề th i , Zehneria indica (Lour Stomach ache treatment ( h a đau d y) eraudren (Dây pọp , Codonopsis Celebiaca (Ngân đằng , Chua nga Oroxylum indicum (N c n c , Tagetes patuIa L ( Sore throat treatment c c cuống , Oxalis corniculata ( hua me đất hoa v ng , Clausena lansium (Hồng bì Sources: [2] , [8] CONCLUSION Through surveys and studies on the impacts of local communities on NTFP resources in Xuan Son commune, I have the following conclusions: Xuan Son National Park is a potential forest, where natural conditions are favorable for the development of many species of trees, creating an ecosystem with many species of NTFPs According to statistics, Xuan Son National Park has about 1179 species of plants, about 35 species in Vietnam’s ed Data oo and species in U N But now, many NTFP species are being exploited and used by people for medicine, there are about 70 species are being exploited and used by local communities for food and household article to serve their needs Since the establishment of Xuan Son National Park, the 25 management and protection of forests has been more strict than before Activities on logging and hunting of mammals have been restricted However, people are still depend heavily on NTFPs resource, especially plant species Management agencies have made great efforts in forest protection and management, but have not paid much attention to the protection of NTFPs, but rather in the management of timber species and rare animals The management board has not taken any specific measures to protect NTFP resources in Xuan Son national park On the impact of local communities on NTFP resources: I have investigated these negative impacts: - The local community is exploiting medicinal plants (including rare species), exploiting NTFPs for food, making home appliances and decorating The reasons for this effect are: due to the habit of using the ancient herbs of the Muong and Dao ethnic groups; - Since the land used for agriculture is too small, income from agricultural products is not enough to serve the people's livelihood, so they have to rely on NTFP resources to make a living The main reason is that the income from other jobs is too low, so NTFPs are the main source of income for local people Beside the negative impacts, the management of the national park and local people also have some positive impacts such as: - Management board has focused on improving knowledge of planting a number of species, intensive production techniques to create products for Xuan Son commune and buffer zone - In addition, people also want to plant some other medicinal plants to meet the market demand, but there are many difficulties such as knowledge of science and technology is limited, there is no good seed for planting, the exploitation of species from natural forests is very difficult - Furthermore, the Dao and Muong ethnic groups still maintain the habit of using medicinal plants harvested from natural forests and they have some very useful remedies 26 REFERENCES Đinh Thi Ha Giang [2017] Tran Dang Hung [ 2016] " Nghiên c u b o t n phát triển tài nguyên thu c t i V n qu nh Phú Th " IUCN/redlist ể Vu Xuan Kiem [2011] vư n quốc gia Xuân Sơn, tỉnh Ph Thọ” Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Department of Science and Technology [2000] V Agricultural Publishing House, Hanoi V Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam [2007] – Publishing House of Natural Science and Technology, Hanoi Do Xuan Tinh [2014] nh Phú Th u b o t n m t s loài th c v t quý hi m t V n qu c V n qu c Ha Thi Thao [2017] Nguyen Van Tuan [2011] 10 Nguyen Thi Kim Vui [2016] 11 Xuan Son National Park [2013] B - xã h i khu v nh Phú Th 12 Xuan Son National Park [2018] 13 Xuan Son National Park Re e e development of Xuan Son National Park for the period 2013- 0 e APPENDIX 8.1 QUESTIONNAIRE A Household information ull name:………………… Sex: Male / Female Ethnic group: - What is your age? □ Under 25 □ 25 – 35 □ 36 – 45 □ 46 – 55 □ 56 – 65 □ Over 65 - How many people in your family?: persons - Assets in the family: House Vehicles Electronic devices Others: ……………………………………………………………………… B Land use and management General information about the land types of each household Table 1: General information about the land types of each household Land types Area (m2) Certificates of land use rights Residential land Agriculture land Forest land - Production forest +Natural forest Land use status + Planted forest - Protection Forest + Natural forest + Planted forest Other land types C Forest resource use and management Does your family participate in any forest management activities? Forest restoration Protect production and protection forest What agricultural crops are grown on forest land? ………………………………………………………………………………………… Exploitation of NTFPs by households Table 2: Information on the exploitation of NTFPs by households Types Times Mass Demand for Harvesting (per NTFP period week) (per year) Place value Medical plants Vegetable … Table 3: Information on the consumption of NTFPs by households Products Medical plants Vegetable … Mass Use Price Total revenue (VND) (VND) Does your family cultivate on forest land? Yes No - rea:…………… - verage income per year:…………… Does your family grow non-timber forest products? Yes No What are the types of NTFPs your family has planted? Table 4: Non-timber forest products your family has planted Type Quantity Area D Income and expenses of households The main source of income: Agriculture Forestry Breeding Others The income of the family from the crops Table 5: The annual income of the family from the crops Type Mass (kg) Total Food crops Vegetable Fruit trees Unit price For use For sell Total Note 10 The income of the family from harvesting NTFPs Table 6: The annual income of the family from harvesting NTFPs Type Medical Unit ( kg, Mass L, ) For use Unit price Total Note For sell kg plants … 11 The income and production costs in the last year of your family Table 7: The income and production costs in the last year of your family Farming Product Volume obtained Total Invest Total /production revenue ment cost /exploitation (VND) costs (VND) location Total Productive land Garden Production forest land Special-use forest land Total For use For sell E Awareness of communities on NTFPs 12 Do you know how the NTFPs change over time? ………………………………………………………………………………………… Causes (plant more NTFPs, over-exploitation, less fertile land, ) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… ………………………………………………………………………………… 13 Do you know that unreasonable exploitation of forest resources in general and NTFPs in particular affect management and conservation? Yes No 14 How about NTFPs status in the commune? 8.2 FIELD TRIP PHOTOS ... on Dong Son commune, Tan Son district, Phu Tho province; - The south borders on Kim Thuong commune; Tan Son district, Phu Tho province; - The West borders on Phu Yen district (Son La province) ,... Tho province, which is located at the end of the Hoang Lien mountains, Xuan Son commune is the core zone of Xuan Son National park.[13] The study site is in the core zone of Xuan Son National... Son commune 11 5.2 Negative impacts of local communities on NTFP resources in Xuan Son commune 16 5.2.1 The causes of negative impacts of local communities on NTFP resources in Xuan Son commune