2340

Request for FY2001 Financial Assistance Awards
to the East Asia and Pacific Environment Initiative
(EAPEI)
for the proposed project:

Community Participation for
Conservation Success –
Promoting community participation
towards effective conservation of
Vietnam’s natural heritage through
Community-Based Environmental
Education

Submitted by
Xuan Mai Forestry University, Hanoi, Vietnam
World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indochina
Program

Principal Contacts:
In Vietnam: Mike Matarasso, Environmental Education Coordinator,
WWF Indochina Program, PO BOX 151, 53 Tran Phu, Hanoi,
Vietnam


In USA:

Jenny Springer, Director, Asia-Pacific, WWFUS, 1250 24 th Street,
Washington DC 20037

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A

Project Summary

The rapid and profound economic and social changes presently occurring in Vietnam
are threatening the integrity of this country’s globally important biodiversity,
particularly the unique and rare forest biodiversity of the Greater Annamites
ecoregion. As much of the country’s economic development is currently based on
unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, development is often accompanied
by severe environmental degradation.
In recognition of these issues, the Government of Vietnam (GOV) is supporting
innovative initiatives that seek to balance development with the conservation and
sustainable use of natural resources. Two such programs are the Five Million Hectare
Reforestation Program (5MHRP) and an ecoregional conservation initiative in the
Greater Annamites Ecoregion. The GOV recognizes that community participation in
these initiatives is crucial for their success.
This project has been designed to increase the effectiveness of conservation
programs in Vietnam by promoting community participation through CommunityBased Environmental Education (CBEE). The project will work to promote the longterm institutional capacity of the GOV to foster community participation in
conservation management, as well as contribute to immediate conservation action in
priority protected areas.
Community participation is an essential component of conservation and sustainable
use strategies because local people are important and direct managers and users of
the resources to be conserved. As new initiatives for forest conservation and
sustainable use are implemented in Vietnam, it will be critical for local communities
to develop the knowledge, skills and commitment they will need to participate in
these programs. Community-based environmental education (CBEE) is an approach
designed to build this knowledge and capacity at the local level, so that people can
play an active role in conservation.
At present, there are few institutional mechanisms for training government forest

resource managers in the skills necessary to foster local participation, and no core
capacity to train staff in CBEE as a tool for promoting participation. Therefore, one
key objective of this project is to build this capacity by developing a training program
at Xuan Mai University (Vietnam’s premier forest university) for pre-service and inservice students who work in forest protected area management. At the same time,
the project will contribute to concrete conservation results by integrating CBEE
activities into priority field implementation sites under major GoV conservation
initiatives.
To summarize, the overarching goal of this project is: To enhance the effectiveness of
conservation action in Vietnam by promoting community participation through
Community-Based Environmental Education. The project’s two main objectives are:
1. To increase the immediate and long-term capacity of government protected
area managers to foster community participation in conservation and
sustainable development initiatives by incorporating CBEE training into
mainstream training institutions.
2. To contribute directly to successful conservation action in two priority sites in
the Central Annamites by integrating community-based EE activities into the
implementation of protected area conservation projects.

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WWF, Xuan Mai Forestry University and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development will work in collaboration to accomplish these objectives by developing
curricula for pre-service and in-service training in Community-Based Environmental
Education at Xuan Mai Forestry University, training a team of University trainers and
piloting the EE training courses. The second objective will be accomplished by
developing and implementing innovative EE projects in cooperation with two
Protected Areas (PAs) in the Central Annamites as part of the wider conservation
strategy for the Central Annamites.
Outputs of the project will include:

 Collaboratively designed and tested CBEE curricula established within preservice and in-service training programs for PA managers at Xian Mai Forest
University.
 Handbook on CBEE produced that can be used by PA managers in forest PA’s
throughout Vietnam and adapted for use in other countries
 A core group of University staff trained as trainers in CBEE and providing ongoing training to all PA staff
 Twenty staff members within MARD with practical training in all stages of
developing EE as a critical tool for achieving effective conservation results
 All new protected area managers graduating from Xian Mai receiving CBEE as
part of their regular training
 CBEE activities developed and implemented at two key sites, and
demonstrated to have increased the effectiveness of conservation initiatives
at those sites
 EE demonstrated as a critical component of Protected Area management to
influence government budgetary priorities
 Demonstration activities and materials that can be used to magnify the results
from the project to other priority conservation areas in the region undertaken
Evaluation of the training course and materials and monitoring of the progress of
trainees will be a critical element of the project. The trainees will also evaluate the
impact of EE towards direct conservation success within the field-based projects in
the second year. Evaluation and results will be disseminated to magnify the impact of
the project.
This project represents the first major step in Vietnam towards institutional support
for community-based participation in forest management and biodiversity
conservation. Direct results of the project and the various conservation actions that it
will support will have a significant cumulative effect throughout Vietnam immediately
and in the long-term future.
This project directly supports EAP-EI’s objectives in promoting rational use of forest
resources in the Asia-Pacific region, increasing the capacity of both government and
resource-dependent communities to manage their natural resource base now and in
the future, and sharing conservation experience across the Asia-Pacific region.

B

Project Rationale

The biodiversity importance of the Greater Annamites
Vietnam is a beautiful country with rich cultural and ecological diversity. Vietnam’s
considerable range in latitude and altitude, high rainfall, and wide variety of
landforms have created a great diversity of habitats such as rainforest, deltaic
mangroves, sandy coast, and high sub-alpine scrub. These habitats support a rich

4


diversity of species, of which a disproportionately high number are unique and
threatened.
The most significant area for biodiversity in Vietnam is the Greater Annamites
ecoregion, comprising the biogeographical phenomena of the Annamite Mountains
which run almost the entire length of central Vietnam. The Annamites have been
recognized as a G200 ecoregion, based on WWF’s global assessment of areas of
highest biodiversity importance. Rare and endangered species found in the Greater
Annamites include three large endemic mammal species, which were until recently
unknown to science: the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), the Giant Muntjac
(Megamuntiacus vuquangensis) and the Truong Son Muntjac (Muntiacus
truongsonenis). These species were described in 1992, 1994 and 1997 respectively.
Additionally, seven pheasant species have been recorded recently including the
endemic Edwards Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi) which was thought to be extinct, and
the Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata) which is also endemic to the region. The
ecoregion is also remarkable in supporting at least six endemic primates such as two
species of gibbon (Hylobates sp.) and three species of Douc Langur (Pygathrix sp.).
Also, numerous other highly threatened fauna are present in Vietnam and the Greater

Annamites including wild cattle such as Gaur (Bos gaurus), Tiger (Panthera tigris),
Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), Loris
(Nycticebus spp.) and Asian Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus). The forests also host rare and
important botanical families such as Dipterocarpaceae, Fabaceae, Sapindaceae,
Meliaceae and Burseraceae.
Problem Statement
Vietnam’s economy is growing rapidly. However, this growth is presently coming at
the expense of the environment. The country’s economy and growth is closely tied
to its natural resources with agriculture, forestry and fisheries accounting for almost
26% of total GDP and 70% of total employment in the country. Vietnam also has one
of the highest population densities in the world (about 220 persons per km2 mean
density) and a rapidly-growing population (2.3% per year). As large areas of the
country have become resource-degraded, another prominent trend has been
migration into higher elevations in the Annamites where natural resources are
relatively abundant. These trends have decreased the sustainability of traditional
resource use practices in the highlands and contributed to pressures on the
environment. In general, over-exploitation of Vietnam’s heritage of natural wealth is
leading to an increase in environmental problems -- such as soil erosion, catastrophic
flooding and the loss of the country’s rich and unique biodiversity.
In response to these urgent issues, the Government of Vietnam (GOV) is presently
embarked on a number of ambitious initiatives to ensure that the natural resources of
the country are sustainably managed and its rich biodiversity is conserved over the
long term. Among these are initiatives intended to provide legal, policy and
institutional frameworks, as well as economic incentives, for reforestation, creation of
new protected areas and other major changes in the management of forest
resources. It is becoming increasingly apparent, however, that a key missing piece of
these conservation efforts is capacity-building for protected area managers in
practical tools for engaging local communities, as well as educational work with
communities to help them to acquire the necessary knowledge, motivation and skills
to participate in conservation.

Community participation is an essential component of conservation and sustainable
use strategies because local people are important and direct managers and users of
the resources to be conserved. In the Greater Annamites, communities living in and
around high-biodiversity sites such as protected areas depend for their livelihoods

5


primarily on use of natural resources. As new initiatives for forest conservation and
sustainable use are implemented in these areas, it will be critical to ensure that local
communities have the knowledge and skills they need both to influence the
implementation of these programs and to successfully undertake conservationoriented changes. However, community participation in conservation management is
a relatively new concept in Vietnam. In particular, there is very limited capacity
among government forest resource managers to design and carry out communitybased environmental education (CBEE) activities which would enable them to
facilitate understanding of conservation dynamics, exchange of perspectives and
decision-making regarding conservation action with local communities.
The GoV, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as
the lead agency in forest conservation and management, is highly supportive of CBEE
as a tool for community participation in conservation. The government also
recognizes that capacity to foster local participation through environmental education
is presently lacking and is concerned that major conservation initiatives will be less
effective and may even fail without this critical component. At present, there is little
if any capacity in existing institutions to carry out CBEE training for government staff
or activities with local communities. While EE activities have been initiated in
association with some local protected area projects, these activities have always
relied on external funding and support. In order to ensure that the skills and capacity
to undertake EE are accessible over the long term, the Ministry and Forest Protection
Department are strongly supportive of developing capacity within existing institutions
to integrate EE into basic conservation training.
Integration with other Conservation Strategies

This project has been specifically designed to complement and contribute to a
number of wider GoV biodiversity conservation strategies. The project is a vital
component of each of these strategies and therefore is likely to have a significant
cumulative impact. Current GoV several initiatives aimed at establishing strong
legal, policy and institutional frameworks, as well as economic incentives for forest
conservation and sustainable use, include:
 a major initiative involving a partnership of government institutions, NGOs
and international donors to establish Five Million Hectares of additional forest
land both under strict protection and for production (The Five Million Hectare
Program, Decree 661)
 a review of the protected area system involving the design of a
representative network of protected areas and the establishment of the
institutional mechanisms necessary to effectively manage these protected
areas.
 an initiative to promote forest certification as the mechanism for sustainable
forestry practices throughout Vietnam
Each of these programs has identified environmental education as a fundamental tool
for enhancing participation and achieving conservation success. The case of the
5MHRP provides a particularly striking example. This program (issued as decree 661
in 1998) seeks to reforest and rehabilitate 5 million hectares of forestland such that
by 2010 total forest cover will reach 14.3 million hectares (equivalent to 43% of total
land area). The program will guide forest policy in Vietnam over the next decade and
is intended to contribute to environmental security, reduce natural calamities,
increase water resources capacity and protect biodiversity. Decree 661 clearly states
that local people will be allocated land and paid both to protect existing primary
forest and to plant trees in degraded areas.

6

The identification of key areas for nature reserves as well as for forest protection and
enrichment planting contracts will be more accurate, acceptable and – ultimately –
effective if local knowledge of forest use can be integrated into the land use planning
process. A participatory approach will have the greatest potential for improving the
management and protection of natural resources, while giving local people better
access to resources and economic opportunities. Indeed, a key to the failings of an
earlier reforestation program was an ineffective land allocation process that did not
involve local people. It is the declared intention of Vietnam’s current policy to
improve forest management and protection through a sense of ownership and
responsibility, in order to benefit local farmers and the state.
In addition to these programs, the government is supporting a conservation initiative
for the Greater Annamites ecoregion (part of the Forests of the Lower Mekong),
managed by WWF and funded in part by USAID’s Global Bureau. At present, this
program is focusing on developing a comprehensive conservation strategy for one
priority area in the ecoregion – the Central Annamites – including setting
conservation priorities, identifying key opportunities and constraints and developing
critical partnerships. This pilot program has only recently been launched but is
receiving a great deal of support and attention from all levels of government. During
the planning meetings for the Central Annamite Conservation initiative it was
recognized that an important aim of the initiative should be to help realize the goals
of the 5MHRP in key high-biodiversity sites identified through the strategy. The
critical importance of community-based EE for achieving conservation goals in
Vietnam has also been highlighted during the on-going planning process, and this
project would be implemented as a component of the Greater Annamites ecoregional
program.

C

Activity Description
Goal: To enhance the effectiveness of conservation action in Vietnam by

promoting community participation through Community-Based
Environmental Education

This project is based on the principle that conservation programs will only be
successful with the active participation of people who understand the purpose of
conservation-oriented actions, appreciate their importance and feel competent to
undertake them successfully. These understandings, values and capacities can all be
enhanced through education. Education cannot achieve conservation goals on its
own: conservation results also depend upon effective legislation, sound policy and a
well-designed and functional infrastructure. However education, and the
participation it fosters, remains critical for effective conservation -- and is too often
neglected. This project is therefore designed to ensure that conservation programs in
Vietnam are well supported by effective community-based EE initiatives through the
development of long-term training facilities and by direct support to EE activities in
priority field sites in the Central Annamites.
Community-based environmental education (CBEE) is the term used here to describe
the approach of building knowledge and capacity at the local level, so that people
can play an active role in conservation. Training in CBEE for protected area managers
is designed to increase their awareness and commitment to the importance of
community participation, while imparting practical tools to strengthen their work with
communities. Environmental education work with communities is intended to
contribute to concrete, on-the-ground conservation results by increasing the
understanding, commitment and skills of people who are directly affecting resources.

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Environmental education in Vietnam is in an early stage of development. Attitudes,
however, are changing positively from an EE approach focused on information
dissemination to one that is interactive. Accompanying this change in attitude is a

growing appreciation and recognition among government agencies and NGO’s of
environmental education as an essential tool for furthering conservation goals
through public participation. Opportunities for community participation in
conservation and natural resource management are presently severely constrained
by the lack of training mechanisms. Very fundamental steps are necessary to
establish these mechanisms. This project, as the first project to develop institutional
capacity within Vietnam for community-based environmental education, would
constitute a significant step forward for conservation in Vietnam.
Objective 1: To increase the immediate and long-term capacity of
government protected area managers to foster community participation in
conservation though CBEE.

Result 1.1: Participatory approach to CBEE institutionalized within Vietnam’s premier
training facility for forest and protected area managers.
 Collaboratively designed and tested CBEE curricula established within preservice and in-service training programs for PA managers at Xian Mai Forest
University.
 Handbook on CBEE produced that can be used by PA managers in forest PA’s
throughout Vietnam and adapted for use in other countries
 A core group of University staff trained as trainers in CBEE and providing ongoing training to all PA staff
The project will institutionalize a permanent CBEE program within Xuan Mai Forestry
University, Vietnam’s principle training facility for Forest Protection Department staff
directly responsible for managing Vietnam’s protected areas. Xuan Mai has been
selected as the key partner both because its graduates take prominent positions in
MARD, and will have the deepest impact on future action, and because WWF has a
long history of successful cooperation with the University.
Xuan Mai currently offers pre-service training leading to a degree in silviculture or
forest resource management and protection (a degree in social forestry is being
developed). At present, the coursework for these degrees does not include training
in Community-Based Environmental Education, though the University has expressed
a strong interest in developing such curricula.

Therefore, the first activity of this project will be to develop curricula in communitybased environmental education that can be integrated into the pre-service training
for all protected area managerial staff, as well as into an annual intensive in-service
training for government staff who will be charged specifically with developing and
implementing CBEE programs for protected areas.
In order for CBEE to be fully integrated into the pre-service training, and for the
specialist in-service training course to be a permanent service offered by the
University, permanent University staff will be trained to run the EE course. These
trainees will be responsible for running the training courses after their initial training
and evaluation.
Specific activities will include:

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Establish a curriculum development working group comprising staff of Xuan Mai
(particularly those staff who will be future CBEE Trainers) WWF EE Unit staff and
the Curriculum Specialist
Conduct a training needs assessment and review of existing CBEE materials in
Vietnam and internationally
Develop course materials including a training manual for use in the courses and
handbook for future reference in the field
Develop comprehensive curricula for pre-service and in-service trainings

Identify trainers from among the staff of Xian Mai University and develop ToR for
EE responsibilities
Design and conduct three-week training course for Trainers
Undertake evaluation of training program

The University will participate by dedicating staff for the development of the curricula
and a handbook, and for conducting the course (once they themselves have been
trained). The project will provide the technical assistance necessary to develop the
course and CBEE handbook as well as the funds necessary to pilot and evaluate the
training course.
Performance Indicators:
 Curriculum development working group comprising staff of Xuan Mai (particularly
those staff who will be future CBEE Trainers) WWF EE Unit staff and the
Curriculum Specialist and counterpart established to advise the development of
the curricula and to take the lead role in monitoring and evaluating progress
 Course materials and field handbook completed
 A comprehensive intensive curriculum developed with associated materials for inservice training for future staff dedicated to CBEE
 A curriculum developed, based on the content and materials developed for the inservice training, to integrate CBEE modules into existing pre-service training
courses at Xuan Mai for all future protected management staff
 On-going review of the curricula development and the handbook developed as
part of the detailed performance measuring plan
 Staff of Xian Mai with full TOR dedicated to CBEE training (full-time and part-time)
assigned by the University
 Active participation in three-week training course for the Trainers and training
highly rated in follow-up evaluation
 Curricula and training material revised following evaluation of the training
 Initiatives for promoting continued practice of CBEE by trainees developed

Result 1.2: Core group of CBEE professionals established and increasing
 Approximately twenty staff members within MARD with intensive and practical

training all stages of developing EE as a critical tool for achieving effective
conservation results
 All new protected area managers graduating from Xian Mai receiving CBEE as
part of their regular training
Materials developed in the first phase will be used to run two curricula. A two-month
in-service training course will be run for staff dedicated to undertake the role as
Environmental Educators in protected areas. Approximately twenty trainees will
undertake this course, selected using carefully defined criteria to encourage trainees
from a wide variety of sources and backgrounds. This course will be completed when
an intensive evaluation of the course and the materials has been conducted. The

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results of this evaluation will be used to refine the course and the materials used.
Following the in-service training, each trainee will be appointed a supervisor from the
Xuan Mai Trainers for one year to support, motivate and advise the implementation of
CBEE in the field.
CBEE modules will also be incorporated into the basic pre-service training curricula in
order that all protected area managers will graduate with a basic understanding of
the role of EE in promoting community participation in conservation and
methodologies for implementing CBEE.
Performance Indicators:
 Twenty staff selected for the intensive in-service training course of which at least
six will be selected specifically to undertake CBEE in the Central Annamites
 Selection criteria developed for the in-service training participants
 A two-month intensive in-service training course in CBEE completed and
evaluated
 In-service trainees successfully complete examination and assessment by the end
of year one

 CBEE modules integrated into pre-service training for all graduates during year
two

Objective 2: To contribute directly to successful conservation action in two
priority sites in the Central Annamites by integrating community-based EE
activities into the implementation of protected area conservation projects.

Result 2.1: Enhanced conservation action through local participation at two priority
field sites
 CBEE activities developed and implemented at key sites, and demonstrated to
have increased the effectiveness of conservation initiatives at those sites
 EE demonstrated as a critical component of Protected Area management to
influence government budgetary priorities
Six graduates of the in-service course will assisted by the project to develop and
implement innovative CBEE projects in cooperation with two Protected Areas (PAs) in
the Central Annamites as part of the wider conservation strategy developed for that
area. These activities will be targeted to support the implementation of Five Million
Hectare Forest Restoration Program goals of improved management of existing
forests and replanting on degraded forest lands. The two most likely implementation
sites are Song Thanh Nature Reserve and Dakrong Nature Reserve (proposed). Other
potential sites are Bach Ma National Park, Saola Nature Reserve (proposed), and Ngoc
Linh Nature Reserve. A team of three trainees will work in each site.
Critical issues to be addressed in Song Thanh reserve are development and
implementation of a management plan for the reserve forests and protection of
endangered species such as elephants, tigers and endemic primates. In Dakrong
Nature Reserve, considerable work with the local communities will be required to
ensure that the creation of a new reserve is accepted and encouraged by the local
people and that local people are able to participate in the demarcation of the reserve
and in its management. (However, the specific location of the CBEE field initiatives
will be determined as part of the conservation strategy for the Central Annamites

over the next several months.)

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The recently graduated technical EE officers, together with the technical staff of the
Pas and with direct support from the project, will refine the selection of urgent
conservation issues that require community participation for success -- such as
sustainable forestry practices in the buffer zone, anti-poaching enforcement and
biodiversity monitoring. The teams within the PA’s will then design and implement a
comprehensive community based field program that supports direct action to
mitigate an urgent conservation issue. The criteria for selecting the projects will be
based on practical and effective actions that will achieve tangible results within the
lifetime of the project.
While specific strategies will be determined by the EE trainees, activities may
include:
 community meetings, led by EE staff, where local people’s perceptions of nature
can be explored, and community resource use documented
 Performance of traditional folklore, stories and music highlighting indigenous
traditions (e.g. beliefs, management practices, ceremonies) that teach
stewardship of nature and relating these to current conservation issues
 meetings to introduce and build relationships between forest guards/other
reserve staff and communities in order to cultivate the personal relationships
necessary for trust and cooperation in conservation
 development and distribution of public awareness materials – including posters,
calendars, a brochure on the reserve, etc., -- explaining forest and wildlife
regulations, how they would affect local activities and how people can become
involved in developing regulations for the reserve
 school-based activities regarding nature reserve and its purposes – for example,
“forestry knowledge” contests among the students led by reserve staff and

teachers
 Performances of theatre, puppet shows, and stories illustrating how people
analyze and adopt conservation-oriented changes in behavior

Effort would also be devoted to encouraging wider attention to the initiative – for
example through media coverage – in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of CBEE
specifically and participation in general, and to magnify the results.
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Performance Indicators:
Six trainees identified to undertake the CBEE activities in the Central Annamites
Identification of two protected areas and two issues related to community
participation and the effective implementation of the 5MHFP
Two CBEE projects identified and designed by the two trainee teams with the
technical staff of the PA under the supervision of the project staff and the Xuan
Mai Trainers to promote community participation in the management of the
selected protected areas
Two CBEE projects designed with clearly indicated objectives and activities
Baseline data on conservation issue documented and evaluation methodology
designed

Two examples of innovative, high profile CBEE activities undertaken
Two written reports and presentations on the design, implementation and impact
evaluation produced from the two CBEE activities produced
Local press and television coverage of the activities conducted in the two
protected areas within the Central Annamites
On-going evaluation of EE projects and final evaluation of the conservation impact
of the CBEE activities in the Central Annamites

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This project will meet the USAID objectives in funding activities under EAPEI by
supporting and creating opportunities to increase the long-term capacity of the GoV
to undertake effective conservation action based on the sustainable use of natural
resources within the Greater Annamites Ecoregion. Not only will the project aim to
increase the long-term capacity to undertake more successful conservation, it will
also strive to undertake direct conservation action as part of a number of interacting
conservation strategies to achieve real conservation results within the lifetime of the
project. The project is based on the principle that long-term sustainable conservation
is best achieved by developing the capacity of existing institutional mechanisms
rather than establishing new unsustainable initiatives. The lessons learnt from this
project will provide valuable information for other similar initiatives in Vietnam and
the Asia-Pacific region.

Performance Measurement Plan
Monitoring and Evaluation of the project will be built into all stages of the project in
order to provide opportunities to adapt the training course and methodologies and to
monitor and evaluate the success of the project. Each activity has been developed
with critical performance indicators that will be used to monitor progress towards
each objective. Furthermore, a detailed performance monitoring plan will be

developed within the first quarter of each year using more specific criteria and
indicators to measure the achievement of detailed aspects of each activity such as
specific chapters of the handbook and—especially -- specific objectives of the CBEE
activities in the Central Annamites. The Terms of Reference for the curriculum design
working group will include directions for this group to act as evaluators throughout
the project. The WWF EE coordinator will have a specific responsibility for ensuring
that the project meets each of the project’s performance indicators and reporting on
progress to the working group, the GOV and the EAP-EI.
While the activities under this project are aimed to establish the institutional capacity
for training in CBEE and to undertake CBEE to promote community participation to
meet actual urgent conservation needs, the project also has an important value as a
pilot and demonstration activity. The lessons learnt from the development of the
curricula and handbook and the Training of Trainers to the implementation of CBEE in
a very real situation will provide added value for future development of related
projects in Vietnam and in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, the final months of the
project will be dedicated to a thorough evaluation of how the project succeeded or
failed to meet the objectives of the project. Particular emphasis will be placed on
evaluating the methods for using CBEE as a tool for promoting community
participation in conservation actions vital to a wider conservation strategy. Final
reports and other communication materials will be prepared by the project team,
based on the evaluations and experiences particularly of the trainers and trainees
that can be used to pass the lessons learned on to other related projects.

C5
Partners and co-financing
Project partners: Xuan Mai Forestry University, Government of Vietnam’s Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and World-Wide Fund for Nature Indochina Program (WWF ICP)
Xuan Mai Forestry University will be the principal partner for executing the project.
The University will cover the costs and managerial responsibilities involved with the

12


provision of the training staff and facilities throughout the project as their
contribution to the project.
As noted above, the project has been designed as part of the conservation strategy
for the Greater Annamites ecoregion program. The project will be implemented to
complement and integrate with other activities under the ecoregion program. Thus,
the field-based EE initiatives in the second year of the project will be closely linked to
a broader range conservation activities undertaken in the two focal protected areas
and across the Central Annamites, which will serve to leverage the EE activities.
Complementary with other USG efforts: USAID’s Global Bureau is presently
providing generous support (matched by WWF) for WWF’s program in the Forests of
the Lower Mekong, including the Greater Annamites ecoregion. This support is
increasing the likelihood of success of this project by helping to develop the
conservation strategy for the Central Annamites, and building the partnerships
necessary to accomplish this and other project components. Indeed, one lesson
learned from earlier EAP-EI support has been the importance of integrating this
project support into a broader overall program, instead of creating stand-alone
projects. With the strong program foundation provided by USAID and other
investments, EAP-EI support can fill critical program gaps and achieve results quickly.
A key feature of this project is also its potential to integrate with other conservation
initiatives by providing a basic foundation of capacity that will contribute to a wide
range of conservation actions. The funds and resources available to each program
therefore will have a cumulative effect and a greater impact than the sum of the
many activities run separately.

C6

Sustainability Plan

The project has been designed to generate immediate conservation results in the two
year time period while providing the sustainable framework to continue achieving
conservation results in the long term by developing a training capacity in
environmental education. By training existing staff of an existing training facility,
presently lacking in the skills and experience in training of EE, the project will
establish a long-term facility rather than one that will end with the cessation of the
project. The project will produce curricula documents to ensure that the knowledge
and resources are immediately available for staff to develop the courses in the
future. In addition, a training manual for the course participants will be produced that
can be used in the field to train other staff and provide a source of inspiration and
methodologies past the lifetime of the project. The aim of the project is to create a
significant array of multipliers that will be able to undertake EE with limited additional
resources in the future.
Community-based EE projects will be initiated in field projects under the program and
these projects are intended to act as both pilots and demonstrations on the
application of EE to conservation action. It is planned that these projects will help to
ignite similar activities throughout the country. The budget has been carefully
designed to ensure that inputs are relevant and not encouraging dependency, which
ensures that the project activities can continue. The project will ensure that the
results and lessons learnt are clearly disseminated and demonstration potential of
the project is maximized to promote on-going and extra activities.

13


14


D

Project Workplan

Activity
Activity 1.1
Project Curriculum Specialist in
post
Working group established
Introduction and input workshop
Review of existing materials
(national and international)
CBEE training needs assessment
Development of a course outline
Training Handbook developed
Course materials produced
Activity 1.2
Trainers identified
Training course for the Trainers
undertaken
ToT Evaluation completed
Activity 1.3
Pre-service training completed
Selection criteria identified for
pilot in-service training
participants
Two-month in-service training
course completed
Curricula and Handbook
Evaluation and Revision
Workshop for Trainees and

Trainers
Activity 2.1
Identification of focal PA’s and
staff from the Central Annamites
Design of EE projects
Implementation of EE projects
Report on the progress of the
pilot EE projects
Activity 3.1
Detailed performance measuring
plan developed
Evaluation meeting following the
Training of the Trainers
End of in-service training course
evaluation (mid term review)
and exams
Evaluation of EE project pilot
sites in the Central Annamites
Final project evaluation
workshop
Final report and presentations
from the project
Final Project presentation
Workshop

Year 1
Q1
Q2
X

Q3

Q4

X
X

X
X

Year 2
Q1
Q2

Q3

Q4

X

X

X

X

X
X

X

X
X

X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X

X
X
X

X
X
X
X

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E

Letters of commitment

Letters of commitment from the two key government partners (Xuan Mai Forestry
University and the Forest Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development are provided in the Appendix.

F

Organizational Capability Statement

WWF – World Wide fund for Nature was officially formed and registered as a
charity on 11 September 1961. (WWF is known as World Wildlife Fund in Canada and
the United States).
WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature is the world’s largest and one of the most
experienced independent conservation organizations. It has a global network of
offices in over 60 countries consisting of programme offices, national organizations,
and associate organizations with 2,700 full time professional staff. The WWF
International secretariat is based in Gland, Switzerland.
Since its founding in 1961, WWF has supported and implemented over 11,000
conservation projects in 130 countries around the world. At present, there are active

WWF projects in 96 countries, and total expenditures for the WWF International
network was US$ 265 million in 1996. Half of the WWF budget for nature
conservation activities are received in the form of donations from 4.7 million
individuals around the world who support conservation and join WWF as voluntary
members. An additional 18% of WWF’s budget is received from governments and aid
agencies.
Globally, WWF concentrates its effort in three main areas to conserve our earth’s
precious biodiversity: forests, oceans, and coastal and fresh water ecosystems.
WWF’s mission is to conserve nature and ecological processes by:




Preserving genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.
Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable now and in
the longer term, for the benefit of all life on Earth.
Promoting actions to reduce to a minimum pollution and the wasteful exploitation
and consumption of resources and energy.

WWF’s ultimate goal is to stop, and eventually reverse, the accelerating degradation
of our planet’s natural environment, and to help build a future in which humans live
in harmony with nature.
In Vietnam, the WWF Indochina Programme has been supporting conservation
activities since 1985, when it worked in association with IUCN to provide technical
assistance in developing the National Conservation Strategy. A few years later, in
1991, a representative office was opened in Hanoi with the twin aims of establishing
ties with the various government institutions involved in conservation, and providing
technical and financial support. Currently, the WWF mission in Vietnam is to assist
the government in developing a network of well-managed protected areas, to
promote the sustainable use of natural resources, to reduce the negative

environmental impacts caused by rapid economic growth, to increase awareness on
conservation and environmental issues, and to build capacity among those working
for the benefit of nature.

16


Two national program officers one with a B.A in education and the other with a BSc in
biology and one international coordinator with an MSc in international forest
conservation and rural development currently staff the environmental education unit.
These staff have a cumulative experience of fourteen years in implementing these
types of projects. Successful ongoing projects include school-based EE programs,
teacher training and material development; community-based material development
and training; and training of rangers. These projects include:





Cat Ba National Park.



Sustainable Use of Marine Resources in Hon Heo, Khanh Hoa
Province





Cat Tien National Park

Vu Quang Nature Reserve
Tiger Conservation Project in Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Kon
Tum

LINC Project at Phong Nha - Ke Bang - Hin Namno
PARC Project at Yok Don National Park

WWF Indochina program will also draw on the considerable Environmental Education
skills and experience of the entire WWF global network for advisory support.
Xuan Mai Forestry University established in 1964 is the primary institute in the
country for training of park staff and managers. Training is conducted in forest
resource protection, silviculture, forest economics and a social forestry major is being
introduced. There are facilities including 400 ha of forestland to undertake research
and training. Currently there are 2500 students trained per year of which the majority
go to work in the technical and managerial fields of protected area management of
PA’s. There are 220 lecturers at the University, 40 of whom are professors and Master
lecturers. The University has trained over 10,000 students throughout the country
since 1964. Every student is required to pass a national entrance exam according to
the Ministry of Education and Training standards.

G

Budget

See Appendix

H

Budget Explanation
1.1 Personnel Salaries and Benefits

WWF EE Coordinator
The WWF EE coordinator, based in the WWF Indochina office, will be responsible for
the overall management of the project. The budget ($3,500/month for 12
months=$42,000) covers all employment costs for the coordinator for an estimated
50% of the Coordinators time which is anticipated will be required to coordinate this
project.
UNV Curriculum Development Project Officer
A United Nations Volunteer will be hired to provide the key technical assistance to the
project. A volunteer will act as part of the EE Unit and Xuan Mai Faculty team to
develop the curricula and handbook, train the Faculty, and implement the

17


community-based EE program. $3,400 per month for 24 months has been budgeted
to cover all the employment costs of the volunteer
Project Officer
A project officer to support the management of the project and act as immediate
assistant to the technical staff of the project will be based in the WWF Indochina
office. The project officer has been budgeted at $600/month for 24 months.
Allowance for Xuan Mai Faculty (5 staff) Five key faculty members will work
together with the WWF EE unit on the development of the curricula and handbook.
The trainers will be trained to be the key trainers on the course. An small additional
allowance to compensate for their time and efforts working on this project will be
provided fixed at $50/month for five staff for 24months=$6000
Allowances for EE field staff (6 persons) Ten staff will be chosen to study in the
in-service training course from protected areas in the Central Annamites. These

same staff after the course will be responsible for starting community based EE
programs in the field and managing the programs as well. To implement this
program the salaries for these staff will be supplemented by the project in its first
year =6 people at $50/month for 12 months=$3,600
Subtotal $147,000
1.2 Sub-Contract
Artist An artist will be hired to develop the graphic design for the community-based
EE handbook =$800/month for 6 months=$4,800
Subtotal $4,800
1.3 Equipment
Several pieces of equipment will be purchased to facilitate the work of faculty at
Xuan Mai to develop the curricula and handbook and for course implementation. Two
desktop PC’s will be bought for the use of staff at Xuan Mai University and one laptop
for the use of the WWF EE unit. One color printer will be purchased for printing of
materials to develop the handbook and one black ink printer will be purchased for
regular use of Xuan Mai staff.
Desktop PC =$1,500*2=$3,000
Laptop=$2,750
Printer=$400
Color Printer=$800
A slide projector, overhead projector, and screen will be purchased for use in the
classroom at Xuan Mai to implement the pre-service and in-service regular training
courses for students as well as the three month training for faculty.
Slide Projector=$800
Overhead Projector=$600
Screen=$300
A camera, books, videos, journal orders, art materials will be used to assist in the
development of the field handbook in its research and design.

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Camera=$600
Video, Books, and Journal Orders=$300*2 orders/year for 2 years=$1,200
Art Materials=$400
Other Equipment=$500
Subtotal $11,350
1.4 Travel
Program staff (national trips) The Program Coordinator and two program staff
from the EE Unit will travel to the field in the second year to supervise community
based EE project activities being implemented in the protected areas and for
monitoring purposes. =$290 * 3 people * 3 trips =$2,610
WWF Supervision and Monitoring trips This budget has been included to cover
the travel costs of WWF Indochina senior management for project supervision and
monitoring
2 people * 2 trips =$1,160
Subtotal

$3,770

1.5 Training and Meetings
Introduction and input workshop A workshop will be held before the main project
activities begin to develop in a participatory process the plan for designing the
curricula and handbook. The costs cover rental of the hall, refreshments, and other
materials used to properly carry out a workshop such as paper, white boards, and
pens. =$2,150
Task force and workgroup meetings A task force and workgroup will be
established to participate in the process of curricula and handbook development.
Several National and International professionals in community-based education will
be asked to participate in the workgroups. Workgroup meetings will be held bimonthly. =$300 per meeting * 6 meetings/year=$3,600

Teacher's Training A training will be held for the key faculty and staff to lead the
pre-service and in-service training course. This course will be intensive during school
break and will last 1.5 months. =$6,000
Community Based Activity Testing The handbook for community-based education
will be tested in 5 protected areas with local communities. The costs will cover travel
to and from the commune sites, food and lodging costs in the field, as well as
materials needed to train the communities with. =$1000/site * 2 sites=$2,000
Special EE Events (plays, puppet shows, contests) In the five pilot sites
different fun activities will be carried out with the communities with an environmental
message. These activities are directly tied to the community based activity testing
and contribute to its successful implementation. These activities will be carried out
directly by the community for the community. Funds will cover costs associated with
organizing the event and to design materials such as puppets or costumes. =$1,000
* 5 sites=$5,000
Curricula and Handbook Evaluation and Revision Workshop A workshop will be
held to evaluate and revise the curricula and the handbook based on the surveys and

19


tests given to the students and staff and review by the workgroup and other
stakeholders. =$2,150
Final Workshop A final workshop will be held to officially present the results to
different institutions and other parties involved in conservation. Lessons learned will
also be presented to participants. =$6,000
Subtotal

$31,900

1.6 Project Running Costs

Different costs will accrue to the project to pay for office use and other office logistics
Office Equipment Maintenance =$300/month for 24 months =7,200
Office Supplies, Stationery and other Utilities =$250/month for 24 months
=6,000
Photocopies, Printing, Postage =$200/month for 24 months =4,800
Bank Charges =$100/month for 24 months =2,400
Phone, Email, Fax =$300/month for 24 months =7,200
Subtotal

$27,600

1.7 Media Costs
In order to produce the handbook there will be costs associated with printing and
translation into Vietnamese
Draft of handbook=$10*25 copies=$250
Translation to Vietnamese=$8/page *200 pages=$1600
Final Publish=$10*1000 copies=$10,000
Subtotal

$11,850

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY STATEMENT
Overview
World Wildlife Fund, Inc., (WWF) uses generally accepted standard budgeting and
accounting procedures and abides by the standards set forth in OMB Circulars A-122
and A-110. Since 1985, WWF has been awarded over $268 million in U.S.
Government contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, with individual projects
ranging from $5,000 to over $6,000,000 annually.
WWF's fiscal year is July 1 to June 30. Annual budgets are presented to and reviewed
and approved by the WWF Board of Directors. Government grants and contracts are

signed and accepted by the Chief Financial Officer in accordance with established
WWF program and budget priorities and guidelines. WWF is audited annually under
OMB Circular A-133.

20


Indirect Costs
The indirect cost rate for WWF is calculated at 15.12% as based on WWF's last
approved rate. The indirect cost rate has two components. WWF uses a Modified
Total Direct Cost (MTDC) methodology for the allocation of Facilities indirect pool
expenses, and of General and Administrative indirect pool expenses. MTDC consists
of all direct salaries, allocated fringe benefits, direct materials supplies, staff travel,
workshops, grants and consultancies, etc. The only modifications to the base are the
exclusion of in-kind contributions, equipment and vehicle purchases.
Facilities -- rent; janitorial and utility services; depreciation and use allowances on
furniture and equipment; repairs and ordinary alterations of buildings, furniture and
equipment; maintenance and operation of buildings, liability and other insurance
related to property, and facility, planning, and
management ................................................7.14%
General and Administration -- expenses that are incurred for the overall general
executive and administrative offices of the organization and other expenses of a
general nature which do not relate solely to any major function of the
organization.........................7.98%
Matching Contributions
WWF provides matching contributions from non-USAID sources on government
projects when required, as the activities funded by the project provide an opportunity
for WWF to further its commitment to conservation and the environment. The
matching share is documented and reported quarterly at the required rate of costsharing. Documentation for these funds is subject to the same internal financial
procedures and government requirements as the project expenses.

Travel
All WWF staff travel is authorized prior to travel. All travel funded under USG grants
and contracts is subject to federal travel regulations, with documentation provided
for exceptions as necessary. Costs for travel and the reasonable cost of subsistence
and other allowances are reimbursed in accordance with WWF's established policies
and practices, which are uniformly applied to all activities of WWF.
Procurement
WWF's procurement policies abide by OMB Circular A-110 for purchasing, use,
determination of ownership, and disposition of property obtained with USG funds.
WWF submits an Annual Certificate of Compliance to USAID, confirming the
awareness of and compliance to the requirements placed on the organization by OMB
Circulars, and Federal and USAID regulations with respect to the management of,
among other things, personnel policies (including salaries), travel and procurement..
Letter of Credit
WWF has an established letter of credit with USAID (LOC No. 72001464) administered
through the Department of Health and Human Services. LOC transactions are
reported monthly through the Federal Cash Transactions Report (SF-272). This report
is supported and reconciled quarterly with the Financial Status Reports (SF-269)
which are prepared and submitted by contract or cooperative agreement.

21


Audits
WWF has an annual external audit performed by Arthur Andersen & Company in July
and presented to the WWF Board at its fall meeting. In addition to the regular
audited financial statements, the CPA prepares a supplementary financial report to
assure compliance with OMB Circulars A-110, A-122, and A-133 in accordance with
the terms of government grants and contracts. This report includes the basis for
indirect rate computations. Audits are submitted to USAID, the cognizant

government agency for WWF.
Field Representatives and Offices
WWF has twenty field and project offices and over fifty representatives in the field.
Systems are in place for the transfer of funds, accounting at the field level,
management of personnel, procurement, and reporting.
Subcontracting and Subrecipient Agreements
WWF enters into subrecipient agreements, either as subgrants, subcontracts, or
consultant
agreements, when it is deemed technically and/or financially beneficial to the project.
The subrecipient services are performed by either U.S. or in-country NGOs,
universities, or private consultant groups or individuals. Selection of the
subrecipients is based on their qualifications and past experience related to the
scope of work of the project.
All subrecipient agreements are processed according to WWF internal procedures,
which are subject to applicable IRS and in-country regulations and require
management approval and concurrence. Subrecipient agreements are approved
after having a detailed budget analyzed by WWF program officers with rates
compared to market value for similar services. For in-country agreements, field
representatives and WWF program officers compare proposed costs and consultant
rates to current market values in that region.
Subrecipient agreements are monitored through the submission and review of
technical and financial reports, and on-site visits by WWF program officers.
As part of the subrecipient agreements, all US-based subrecipients receiving funds in
excess of $50,000 are required to provide assurance that they are in compliance with
OMB Circular A-133.
Financial Management
Separate fund source numbers are established for each government grant or
contract. Project expenses as authorized by the contract are approved by the project
manager and division vice president and submitted to accounting for payment.
These expenses are tracked by fund source number and compared to the approved

budget. All WWF employees record their time on individual time sheets by project
number on a bi-weekly basis, which are approved by their supervisors.
Financial reports are prepared by the GAA Financial Coordinator and submitted to the
USG funding source in accordance with OMB Circular A-110 or the USG Agreement.
All expenses are processed through WWF's established computerized accounting
system.

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