Replacing boundary markers and planting native trees to protect forestland of Tai ethnic minority villagers in Hanh Dich commune

• Hanh Dich is a mountainous commune of Que Phong district, Nghe An province located in the border area between Laos and Vietnam, 15 km northwest of Kim Son township. The commune has 748 households with 3,377 peoples, the majority of which is the Tai ethnic group and a number of Kinh (Vietnamese) people living together in 11 villages. In 2012 and 2013, SPERI in collaboration with members of the Livelihood Sovereignty Alliance (LISO) has supported and advised the Que Phong District People’s Committee (DPC) and its relevant agencies to implement forest and forestland allocation for communities in Chieng, Pa Kim, Pa Co, Pom Om and Khom villages of the Hanh Dich commune under the Joint Circular 07/TTLT-BNNPTNT-BTNMT dated Jan 29, 2011 on guiding forest allocation and lease associated with forestland allocation and lease to village communities. As a result, a total of 613.66 ha of forestland has been allocated for villages including protection forestland, agro-forestry production land, cemeteries and grazing areas.
  
  By indigenous practices and experience of the Tai, the allocated forest areas have been managed and protected effectively by the community. It has been clearly reflected in a series of activities carried out in the Pom Om village where community regulations on use and protection of allocated forest land areas have taken effects. Rules on damaging and hunting in watershed forests are not allowed; encouraging villagers to build fences to graze cattle in the community grazing areas; only planting indigenous trees suitable to local conditions in the production forests areas.
  
  However, during the forest and forestland management and protection, the Tai community has faced challenges coming from Que Phong Rubber Company whom has cleared the forest areas bare and planted rubber trees in the allocated community forestland areas. Villager’s leaders, local authorities and agencies at commune and district levels have together asked the Que Phong Rubber Company to stop their encroachment and compensate for damages.
  
  
  
  Planted rubber areas of Que Phong Rubber Company encroaching upon community forest and forestland of Tai ethnic community in Hanh Dich commune (LISO, 2014).
  
  On January 20, 2014, the Hanh Dich Communal People’s Committee (CPC) issued an Official Letter No.04/BC-UBND regarding illegal encroachment of the Que Phong Rubber Company. On August 21, 2013, the Que Phong DPC issued an Official Letter No. 654/UBND.TN requesting the Que Phong Rubber Company to resolve their illegal  encroachment.
  
  On Feb 19, 2014, the Que Phong DPC issued an Official Letter No.71/UBND.TN requesting the Que Phong Rubber Company to stop encroaching community forest and forestland and return land to community in Hanh Dich commune. Recently, the Que Phong DPC has issued an Official Letter No.168/UBND -TN dated February 2, 2014 in response to the report by Nghe An Rubber Enterprise. In this letter, it is clearly stated that the Que Phong Rubber Company has not followed Que Phong DPC’s instructions on resolving the encroachment, and that the company has remained ignorant of their violation.
  
  In the meantime, the villagers have decided to plant Trau (Vernicia montana) and Xoan (Melia azedarach)   -   native trees in the boundary lines with Tien Phong commune land area where the rubber company had cleared bare and planted rubber trees.
  
  
  
  Villagers meeting before planting Trau and Xoan native trees and replacing boundary markers (LANDNET, 2014)
  
  On April 17, 2014, villagers from Pa Co, Pa Kim and Pom Om together with communal cadastral officials and LISO representatives planted 3,000 Trau and Xoan native trees and replaced 23 boundary markers in the area of 3.6 km (from Pa Kim to Pom Om village).  
  
  Regarding the encroached areas, where the rubber trees have not yet been planted, villagers will plant rice and corn for the short term and then indigenous trees suitable to local natural conditions for the long term.
  
  “These two indigenous trees have advantageous characteristics: They are fast-growing; and their seeds can be harvested and sold for oil. Their seedlings are available in the forest. Thus, when these trees are growing, they would quickly form boundary lines between Hanh Dich and Tien Phong communes, and at the same time, their good canopy cover would make the rubber trees difficult to grow underneath”, shared by Mr. Vi Dinh Van, a LandNet member.
  
  “It is urgent and crucial to plant indigenous trees in the area as this is the watershed forest for Pom Om, Pa Co and Pa Kim villages and Hanh Dich commune border army station. Leaving land bare will certainly cause negative impacts to water supplies for livelihoods and agricultural cultivation activities of downstream villages.”, shared by Mr. Lo Cam Xuyen, Pom Om Party Secretary.
  
  Moreover, all these indigenous trees are collected from the village’s natural forests by local people, mainly women. “Women go to the forest everyday for collecting bamboo and banana trees for feeding pigs. Thus, we should know how large the forest is in order to protect it. We are also strong enough to carry the boundary markers.”, the ladies confidently shared.
  
  
  Village women looking for and planting Xoan and Trau native trees in community boundary lines (LANDNET, 2014)
  
  To date, indigenous trees fences have been gradually forming around the village’s community forest areas in Hanh Dich commune. These fences reflect not only the community aspiration but also a close relationship between the Hanh Dich’s Tai ethnic group and their forests/nature. This relationship serves as a foundation for continuity of strengthening the “human-nature/forests markers” in the local people’s mind and will further strengthen community spirits to protect community common property.
  
  LANDNET