Linking rural livelihood and conservation in Hoang Lien National Park, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam

Creation of protected areas for biological conservation often conflicts with sustenance of livelihood of local people living inside or nearby regions. Combination between biological conservation and livelihood development has been much remained to be done in protected areas in developing countries. Hoang Lien national park in Northern Vietnam has become an intensive commercial forest farming area of black cardamom (Amomum aromaticum) recently. As a mean of updating information base for long term management, a study was carried out to explore livelihood strategies, evaluate the importance of cardamom in local people's livelihood and identify potential alternative cash-income generating activities in the region. Household survey, key informant interviews and focus group discussion were conducted in both core zone and buffer zone of the national park. Results indicate that most of local people in both zones depend on sedentary agriculture and forest resource extraction for subsistence. Core zone community is more dependent on cardamom cultivation than buffer zone community. Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis was conducted to identify different types of households which plant cardamom. Seven groups of households were formed based on different characteristics in household size, labor, distance to market, land endowment, livestock system, yearly cash income of households and capita and income diversification. To six groups, cardamom is the most important cash income source with its contribution in total net cash income in range from 39% to 98%. One group remaining is highly dependent on tourism-based livelihood activity with 67.4% share of tourism in total net cash income. If cardamom cultivation is banned in the HLNP by the state power, households belong to Group 4, 5 and 6 which are highly depend on cardamom and Group 2 which is poor and moderately dependent on cardamom will be the most affected. It is impossible to ban cardamom cultivation in the HLNP because it will create shocks and increase poverty. Reducing dependence of rural livelihood on cardamom cultivation through income diversification is required. Several potential cash income generating activities in the region and adjacent areas were identified in which raising livestock and planting vegetables are familiar with local people. Other unfamiliar activities such as planting Atiso (Cynara scolymus Lour) and raising dove will be difficult to adopt. Tourism based activities such as home-stay and selling handicraft has developed in the buffer zone and reduced dependence of local people on forest, however, it is negatively affected due to tragedy of the commons.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Nguyen Thi Thuy, Ha
Format:	thesis biblioteca
Language:	eng
Published:	CIRAD
Subjects:	E80 - Économie familiale et artisanale, P01 - Conservation de la nature et ressources foncières, E50 - Sociologie rurale, F01 - Culture des plantes, K10 - Production forestière,
Online Access:	http://agritrop.cirad.fr/575601/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/575601/1/document_575601.pdf
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