Thai ethnic community in Đồng Văn commune confirm their land rights

•  In order to complete a procedures for land allocation to community and to meet requirement of respect toward ethnic minority peoples’ customary law, members of the district and communal Land Allocation teams, communal authorities of Tien Phong and Dong Van communes, the Pu Hoat natural reserve, the adjacent land users and 160 villagers (45% are women) have involved in the on-site land allocation during 15^th to 17^th February 2017. While the land borders are identified according to traditional arrangement and recognition of the local people, which involve streams, rocks, old trees for hundreds of years, the 80 new additional concrete landmarks have been fixed at the critical borderline. Making clear border for the community land will help local communities to manage their forestland in a more effective and advantageous way. This is the final step of the forestland allocation process, to make it ready for the grant of land certificates to the related communities.
  
              With an eager to confirm legal right on forest land and clarification of borderline between community land and that of other adjacent land users, many villagers, including women and men, youths and elders have involved in the activity. Mrs. Ha Thi Viet, 70 years old from Na Chảo village, Đồng Văn commune, said: "I have entered village collective forests many times, but I had not been aware of the exact border in the past. Today I know the borderline clearly because it is basically identified according to traditional settings. Moreover, new landmarks are fixed, so all of our villagers know community borderline very well. Checking and protecting forest will be easier in the future, while outsiders will be able to identify landmarks and avoid cutting our community forest trees". Mr. Lữ Viết Tiệp, land managing officer of Tiền Phong commune, the adjacent locality, states "I am very impressed by the solidarity shown by the local communities in Đồng Văn commune. Most of villagers have participated in the on-site land allocation, for instance, 79 out of 98 households in Na Chảo village and 60 of the 90 households in Pang village sent representatives. Despite remote distance and hard road, villagers are happily participating because they want to know their community forestland and borderline. If people continue such a participation after granting land certificates, I am sure forests will be protected well, allowing more big trees to grow and water source to be more abundant". 
  
  The followings are some pictures describing on-site land allocation and fixation of landmarks.
  
  
  Picture 1: Na Chảo villagers preparing landmark poles.
  
  
  Picture 2: Mrs. Hà Thị Việt, 70 years old from Na Chảo village painting land mark.
  
  
  Picture 3: Women of Tục village carrying landmark poles
  
  
  Picture 4: Tục villagers participating in on-site land allocation and fixing landmark poles
  
  
  Picture 5:  Marking borderline of the community forestland in Tục villag