Why did the forest conservation policy fail in the Vietnamese uplands? Forest conflicts in Ba Vi National Park in Northern Region

Abstract

This paper examines the failure of forest conservation policy in the uplands of Vietnam. A case study conducted in an upland village located in the buffer zone of the Ba Vì National Park shows that conservation policy has failed because it emphasises biodiversity conservation at the expense of local livelihoods. In addition, local officials colluded with National Park authorities to monopolise access to the land which they then used to marginalise villagers. The implementation of forest conservation policy has produced patron–client relationships in the village. Forest land has become an instrument for local officials to derive personal gain and a means to control villagers. Villagers resisted both the local officials’ land grabs and the government’s conservation policy. The Park became a site of conflict between villagers, local officials, and the government. This paper suggests that unless local interests are included in the design and implementation of policy forest conservation is unlikely to succeed.