Shaping a sustainable future in the forests of the A Luoi Valley

Forests of primary evergreen trees are important for a balanced climate, and they help preventing erosion and floods in the lowland areas of Vietnam. How do people in the A Luoi Valley in Vietnam manage their forestland in times of accelerated climate change, and what are their livelihood needs?

The r4d projectAssessing the ‘Nature’ of a ‘Forest Transition’ in Vietnam: Ecosystem Services and Social-Ecological Resilience in Locally Managed Forest Landscapes (FTViet)set out to analyse the specific challenges of local communities. The A Luoi Valley bears the scars of war and suffered the tactical use of herbicides. Today it also faces the challenges of deforestation, reforestation and struggles for resources between diverse stakeholder groups. Acacia and rubber plantations are rapidly replacing former, self-sufficient livelihoods. The FTViet project arranges as part of the research process dialogues between different stakeholders to combine scientific evidence and local expertise.

This video-clip was produced as part of the r4d Digital Storytellers synthesis project. ts contents were filmed and selected by Nguyen Thi Hai Van, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Le Thi Diem Kieu, Consultative and Research Center on Natural Resource Management (CORENARM), Vietnam, and Ngo Tri Dung. The digital storytelling process was accompanied and supported by Paititi Lab.Watch on YouTube.