The door opens up a sustainable source of income for people in Western Nghe An

Exploiting the potential of local resources

The Western Nghe An Biosphere Reserve (WBR) covers 9 districts, including: Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, Anh Son, Thanh Chuong, Que Phong, Quy Chau, Quy Hop, Tan Ky. This place is considered a green corridor connecting 3 core areas (Pu Mat National Park, Pu Huong Nature Reserve and Pu Hoat Nature Reserve), creating continuity in habitats and landscapes, maintaining effective biodiversity conservation.

Met tree model in Dong Van commune, Que Phong district

The Biosphere Reserve is home to six ethnic minority groups (Kinh, Thai, Tho, Kho Mu, H'Mong and O Du) with a tradition of close association with the forest. However, the pressure from over-exploitation of resources has caused many consequences for the ecosystem. Realizing this situation, the Project "Integrating natural resource management and biodiversity conservation goals into socio -economic development planning and management of Vietnam's Biosphere Reserves" (BR project) has implemented a series of activities and livelihood models to encourage communities to exploit natural resources in a sustainable manner, ensuring both livelihoods and biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.

Up to now, the BR project has supported the construction of 2 medicinal plant nurseries in Xieng Lip village (Yen Hoa commune) and Dang village (Nga My commune) with 20 Thai ethnic households directly working in the nurseries. Currently, 5,000 purple Ba Kich trees, 2,000 Hoai Son seedlings, 1,000 Giao Co Lam seedlings, and 3,000 Khoi Tia trees have been successfully grown. Thanks to this model, local people not only reduce the cost of buying seeds but also have the opportunity to generate income from selling seedlings to serve the need to grow medicinal plants under the forest canopy in and outside the province.

Golden Camellia Tree in Que Phong District

Nurseries also play an important role in reducing pressure on forest exploitation. Providing high-quality NTFP seedlings enables people to grow and exploit them sustainably, instead of relying on natural exploitation. This is a smart way to ensure long-term income while preserving valuable resources for future generations.

Economic development and resource conservation

In addition to providing seedlings, the BR Project also implements models of growing medicinal herbs under the forest canopy with high economic value such as Golden Flower Tea, Bon bo, Lung tree, Seven-leaf 1-flower tree, Taro tree, Huong bai tree and Met tree in the buffer zone communes of Dong Van, Thong Thu (Que Phong district); Tam Quang, Tam Hop, Luu Kien communes (Tuong Duong district); Chau Khe commune (Con Cuong district) and livelihood models in Pu Hoat Nature Reserve, Que Phong district.

Typically, there are up to 421 households participating. Enclosing, protecting, supplementing and sustainably exploiting 1,489.0 hectares of Lung forest. Preserving, developing and sustainably exploiting the Que Phong Yellow Flower Tea tree associated with forest protection on an area of ​​135.3 hectares. Preserving and developing the Bon bo tree associated with forest protection, enriching poor natural forests, on an area of ​​92.6 hectares...

The livelihood model of the BR project still faces some challenges such as the small scale of implementation, not meeting the great needs of the people, the commercialization of products from models such as Chè hoa vang or Cay Met is still limited, not fully exploiting the market potential... To solve these challenges, stronger support from relevant authorities and organizations is needed.

In the coming time, local authorities and stakeholders need to build brands for typical products of Western Nghe An, and link with consumer markets as necessary steps to optimize the effectiveness of livelihood models. Continue to raise community awareness of the role of conservation in economic development. The livelihood models of the BR Project in the Biosphere Reserve have demonstrated that nature conservation is not only a responsibility but also an opportunity for socio-economic development in the area.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/canh-cua-mo-ra-nguon-thu-nhap-ben-vung-cho-nguoi-dan-mien-tay-nghe-an.html