14078 giz VTN BZDP 2012 missionreport PART i and II draft v1 1

PHONG NHA-KE BANG
BUFFER ZONE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
–
MISSION REPORT AND GUIDELINE
- Mission Report Part I and Part II -

Sandra Sudhof
January, 2013
for
GIZ Quang Binh, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Region, Quang Binh Province

Published by :


Phong Nha Ke Bang Buffer Zone Development Plan – Process and Guidelines

Page |2

PHONG NHA KE BANG BUFFER ZONE DEVELOPMENT PLAN – MISSION
REPORT AND GUIDELINE
CONTENTS

Sandra Sudhoff - Mission Report Part I and II


Acronyms
ADB

Asian Development Bank

AFOLU

Agriculture, Forestry and other Land Use

BCEF

Biomass conversion and expansion factor

BDSG

Bufferzone Support Group

BMZ

Bundesministerium für Zusammenarbeit; German Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development

BZ

Bufferzone

BZDP

Bufferzone Development Plan

CBA

Cost Benefit Analisis

CEM

Committee of Ethnic Minorities

CFM

Community - based forest management

CIFOR

Centre for International Forestry Research

CITES

Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species

CPC

Commune People’s Committee

CPCU

Communal Project Coordinating Unit

CTF

Conservation Trust Fund

DARD

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

DOF

Directorate of Forestry

DOLISA

Department of Labor, Invalid and Social Affairs

DONRE

Department of Natural Resources

DOST

Department of Science and Technology

DPC

District People’s Committee

DPI

Department of Planning and Investment

EIA

Environmental Impact Assessment

FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

FCPF

Forest Carbon Partnership Facility

FES

Forest environmental services

FFI

Fauna Flora International

FIPI

Forest Inventory and Planning Institute

FLEGT

Forest law enforcement, governance and trade

FLITCH

Project for forestry development and livelihood improvement in the Central Highland
funded by ADB

FLMS

Forest Land Management System

FOMIS

Forest management information system

FPD

Forest Protection and Development Center

FPDF

Forest Protection and Development Fund

FPIC

Free prior and informed consent
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FREC

Forest Resources and Environment Center (under FIPI)

GHG

Greenhouse Gas

GHGI

Greenhouse Gas Inventory

GIS

Geographical Information System

GiZ

German International Cooperation

GPS

Global Positioning System

HMC

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

IUCN

World Conservation Union

JICA

Japan International Cooperation Agency

KfW

Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, German Development Bank

LUP

Land –use planning

M&E

Monitoring and evaluation

MARD

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

MOLISA

Ministry of Labor, Invalid and Social Affairs

MONRE

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

MRV

Monitoring, reporting and verification

ND

Decree

ND-CP

Government Decree

NFI

National Forest Inventory

NGO

Non-governmental organization

NQ

Resolution

NQ-TW

Central Resolution

NQ-TW

Central Resolution

NTFP

Non- Timber Forest Products

ODA

Official Development Aid

PC

People’s Committee

PES

Payment for environmental services

PFES

Payment for forest environmental services

PFMB

Protection Forest Management Board

PIA

Participatory Impact Assessment

PM

Prime Minister of Viet Nam

PNKB

Phong Nha Ke Bang

PPC

Provincial People’s Committee

PPMU

Provincial Project Management Unit

QD

Decision

QD-TTg

Prime Minster Decision

RAMSAR

The Convention on Wetlands (named after a town in Iran, where it was signed)
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RBM

Results-based management

REDD

Reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

REL

Reference emission level

RL

Reference level

SEDP

Social and Economic Development Plan

SEI

Socio Economic Impact Assessment

SEIA

Socio-Economic Impact Assessment

SFE

State Forestry Enterprise

SFM

Sustainable forest management

SNV

Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilligers (Netherlands Development Foundation

SRTM

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, Radar data

STDP

Sustainable Tourism Development Plan

SUF

Special use Forests

SUFMB

Special use forest Management Board

TOR

Terms of Reference

TTg

The Prime Minister

TTLT

Interministerial Circular

TWG

Technical working group

UNCCD

United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification

UNDP

United Nations Development Programme

UNEP

United Nations Environmental Programme

UNFCCC

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

UNFF

United Nations Forum on Forests

UNREDD

REDD- Programme of the United Nations

VDP

Village Development Plan

VND

Vietnamese Dong

VNFOREST

Viet Nam administration of forestry, MARD

WFP

World Food Programme of the United Nations

WU

Women Union

WWF

World- wide Fund for Nature

Sandra Sudhoff - Mission Report Part I and II


This mission report covers the documentation on the Buffer Zone Development Plan and the Buffer
Zone Development Guidelines. Part III, all REDD related activities are covered in a separate document.
Original timeframe and TOR’s can be found in the Annex.

PART I: Bufer Zone Development Plan documentation
Background
The Project “Nature Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the Phong

Nha-Ke Bang National Park Region” is a Vietnamese-German Development Cooperation, initiated by
the Vietnamese Government in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Project is implemented jointly by the two German
Development organizations, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and
the German Entwicklungsbank (KfW) in cooperation with the People’s Committee of Quang Binh
province. The project’s overall goal is “Contribution to the conservation of the Northern Annamite
Region, its biodiversity and ecological services in close relation with a sustainable socio-economic
development“ and more specifically for the process described in this report: “Reduction of the
pressure on the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and amelioration of the legal income of the target
groups living the park region.”
The project intervention area consists of the core zone of the PNKB National Park with the area of
85,754 ha and the extension of 31,070 ha and the bufferzone of around 225,000 ha. It is covering 13
communes in the three districts of Bo Trach, Minh Hoa and Quang Ninh situated in the northwest of
Quang Binh province, with a population of around 60,000 people.
Due to its outstanding karst and cave system 1 the National Park is classified as a World heritage site
under Criterion vii: as an outstanding example representing major stages of earth's history, including
the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or
significant geomorphic or physiographic features.
It has recently been proposed that PNKB National Park with its extension should also be nominated for
World Heritage listing under two new Criterion2, as
 an outstanding example representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the
evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities
of plants and animals (Criterion ix); and

 containing the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological
diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of
view of science or conservation (Criterion x).

1 PNKB is believed to host the world’s largest cave: Son Doong Cave. Extending further into Lao PDR, the region contains more
than 100 km of caves and underground rivers, turning it into one of the most outstanding limestone karst ecosystems in the

world. [10].
2 IUCN Technical Evaluation, 2011 (ID. 951bis) to the renomination of PNKB NP to UNESCO WHC for biodiversity values.

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The park is also part of the Greater Annamites Global 200 priority ecoregion 3 and an Endemic Bird
Area4 as well as a global biodiversity hotspot as it is home to over 2,650 vascular plant species and 735
vertebrate species, including 113 mammals, 302 birds, 81 reptiles and amphibians, and 72 fish. Over 70
of these vertebrate species are considered globally threatened, and ten primate species and
subspecies are residing in the Park. Many species are endemic and one of them, the Laotian Rock Rat,
is considered as a living fossil.
Hin Nam No National Biodiversity Conservation Area, situated in Laos PDR, is part of the same
ecoregion with similar biodiversity values and authorities would like to have it nominated as World
Heritage Site. Since PNKB has already been nominated for its outstanding karst system, Hin Nam No,
being part of the same karst system, cannot be given the status under the same criterion. However,
Lao PDR can seek the nomination for biodiversity instead. In fact, the parks could apply together as a
transboundary WHS5. Both countries have professed the will and interest to strengthen their
cooperation. The PNKB project has compiled a concept paper on regional cooperation in the past and
in the future in the light of the common goal; having the parks nominated as WHS and functioning as
an important transboundary ecoregion. [28]. 6
PNKB is also the focus of fast growing domestic and international tourism with up to 300,000 visitors
per annum with only few inhabitants of the buffer zone benefiting from tourism. Livelihood options for
the local population remain limited, depending mainly on agricultural land and forest resources which
are not sufficiently available7. As pointed out in the Feasibility Study for PNKB Region Project by GFA in
2006, these conditions contribute to the pressure of local communities resorting to illegal extraction of
forest resources from the park area and surrounding protection forests. They also place limits and
constraints on the potential to develop alternative livelihoods.
The proportion of ethnic minorities in the buffer zone is high; especially in the mountainous areas
where shifting cultivation is being practiced. While the percentage of the ethnic minorities in the

whole province falls just below 20%, it is higher than 50% in six of the buffer zone communes, reaching
over 90% in Dan Hoa, Trong Hoa, Tan Trach and Thuong Trach. [18].
The fast growing tourism poses an additional threat. Furthermore, commercial activities of State Forest
Companies and State Forest Enterprises have not been adequately considered and might also
contribute to the depletion or degradation of natural resources and biodiversity in PNKB Region. 8 [18].

3 The Global 200 is a list of ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as priorities for conservation. According
to the WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural
communities that share a large majority of their species, dynamics, and environmental condition. More information on
ecoregions can be found here: />4 Endemic Bird Areas are identified by Birdlife International important for conservation because it contains the habitats of
restricted-range bird species (smaller than 50,000 km 2). An EBA is formed where the distributions of two or more such
restricted-range species overlap. />5 Note: Transboundary WHS is not a new criterion; it merely describes Sites which are covering more than one country. The
criterion would still remain ix and x. An example of a transboundary WHS can be found here:
/>6 In fact, this has also been expressed in the Stakeholders meeting November 2010 and the need to link the zones and create
corridors for biodiversity has been stipulated in the minutes. Apart from Him Nam No, also Net and Khe Ve Natural Reserves
were mentioned.
7 In the Gender, Poverty and Ethnicity Study [18], it was mentioned that most households in the buffer zone have areas of 0.5
ha and less assigned for cropping, not necessarily always counting areas for shifting cultivation, since they are often classified
as forest. There is no minimum plot size defined for land allocation to a household, but since 2003 with the introduction of
the red book the ceiling is 30 ha per household.

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The main focus of the second phase of the project/GIZ component is to support the elaboration of the
conservation-oriented socio-economic development master plan for PNKB NP bufferzone until 2020
and with the vision until 2030 (BZDP). More on its objectives as well as the timeline of the elaboration
of this plan can be found in the next chapters.

Figure 1: Overview of the Buffer zone communes, the core zone of the PNKB National Park and its extension area.

More background on the PNKB Region Project and its components can be found in GIZ Programme
documentation and in the TOR in the annex of this report.
Objectives of the Bufer Zone Development Plan
The objectives and the rationale of the Buffer Zone Development are covered in full detail in the BZDP
itself and in the guidelines as well as the TOR. Therefore, only a brief summary is included in this
chapter.

8 The Minutes of November 2010 stakeholder Meeting clearly spell out that external threats to the Buffer Zone need to be
evaluated, since not all threats are coming from the buffer zone communities. However, this has not been attempted.

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First and foremost: the BZDP is a Provincial Planning Document. It has been
T
O
P
D
O
W
N

Policy,
framework,
regional
planning

P
U

BZDP
M
O

Green VDP

TT
O
B

elaborated with continuous input from all line agencies and other stakeholders. All steps have been
authorised by the PPC. Once the BZDP has been approved by the PPC, it becomes a legally binding
document. This is one of the main reasons, why all stakeholders have been involved from the
beginning, to ensure awareness and increase ownership of the process and its product.
Additionally, it ensures a conservation oriented objective whilst including socio-economic
development aspects; therefore linking the Strategic as well as the Operational Management Plan of
PNKB NP with the socio-economic goals laid out in the Province, District,
Figure 2: Bottom-Up and Top-down
Commune and Village development plans. Thus it is in line with current plans
harmonized
and at the same time warrants feasibility and sustainability. The concept has
been agreed on by all stakeholders of the province and is reflected by the full name of this Plan:
“Conservation-oriented socio-economic development plan for the Bufer Zone of the Phong Nha – Ke
Bang National Park Region, Quang Binh province, Viet Nam”.

Socio-economic Planning:

Operational Management and

Province, District Communes

Strategic Management Plan

and Villages

PNKB NP

BZDP

Figure 3: Linking Socio-Economic Planning with Conservation-oriented Planning

In terms of scope BZDP looks at the sectors, e.g. planning of the sectors does need to be taken into
account and will be analysed and incorporated. Not all planning aspects from the socio-economic
development plans on all the sectors will be of relevance to the BZDP and to keep the volume of the
BZDP manageable, it was set to have a focus on the productive sectors (e.g. agriculture, forestry,
processing and marketing skills) which have a direct positive impact on livelihoods, but no negative
impact on conservation.
The time frames the BZDP is to include have been specified in the Minutes of the first Stakeholder
Meeting November 2010: the strategic vision covers 25 years, whereas the development goals are set
for 10 years. Concrete implementation and activities are devised for 5 years.

Sandra Sudhoff - Mission Report Part I and II


Additionally, the BZDP adheres to a spatial scope, e.g.
Spatial
Spatial

Socio-economic

Socio-economic

Sectoral
Sectoral

BZDP
ConservationConservation-

Bottom-Up
Bottom-Up

oriented
oriented

Top-Down
Top-Down

analysis and planning recommendations look at the location and proximity to the park as well as socioeconomic aspects in regards to the location. All villages are ranked individually in terms of threats,
since location and hence access to resources matter and result in different behavioural patterns and
exploitation of natural resources.
Figure 4 gives an overview of all aspects which were integrated in the BZDP. Orange depicts the
approach, blue the scope and green the objectives.

Figure 4: Integrated planning aspects at one glance. Objective, scope, approach.

The BZDP consists of three parts:
 Part 1:
Vision and Strategy
International and Vietnamese Context, legal framework, analysis of situation &
institutions & stakeholders, vision, development goal, objectives, guiding

principles, methodology and approach
 Part 2:
Operational Development Plan
Recommendations, sequence of finally approved measures, spatially explicit
and illustrated by thematic maps on a 5-year basis for all communes; including
annual / village plans.
 Part 3:

Finance and Investment Plan

DPI, as direct counterpart and host of the support project, was assigned to facilitate the process, e.g.
communicating with the PPC and the stakeholders as well as calling the workshops and official
meetings.

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Relevance for other projects and planning processes
As pointed out in the previous chapter, the elaboration of the BZDP consisted of a new approach and
no reference documents were available 9. The process is observed with interest from national
authorities and other projects and is expected to contribute to a Circular 10 on the production of buffer
zone master plans.

Bufer Zone Development Plan Timeline
Originally, the Buffer Zone Development Plan elaboration was supposed to take 9-12 months and was
to be finalised at the end of 2011. However, involving every stakeholder in the process and getng
approval on all milestones from the PPC did take its time. Additionally, since there were no reference
planning documents for this type of process available in country which could have been used for
consultation, it was not possible to avoid delays. Moreover, some studies, including the strategic
management for the national park, were not completed and knowledge gaps identified for which

supplementary surveys needed to be commissioned by either the GIZ or the KfW component of the
PNKB project. More details on these studies can be found here.
The first concept paper was drafted as early as June 2010, originating in brainstorming sessions
between PPMU, GIZ and AHT; however the introduction to the province stakeholders only took place in
November 2010.
The elaboration process can be structured in three different phases, as shown in the graph below:
•
•
•
•
•

Drafting BZDP Outline and submitng for approval
Study relevant documents
Consulting relevant stakeholders on vision, objectives, scope and main contents of the BZDP

Phase I

Drafting BZDP
Integrating, Analyzing collected data and information
input
Conducting pertinent thematic studies; consulting relevant stakeholders at provincial, district and commune level for data and

•

Finalizing BZDP and submitng for approval

•
•

Phase II

Conducting consultation workshop to obtain comments and feedbacks from relevant stakeholders

Phase III

Figure 5: The three phases in the elaboration of the BZDP, adapted from GIZ Stakeholder Consultation workshop presentation,
October 2012.

The actual timeline with Milestones is shown here as well to give a sense when the main activities
started and ended. For more information on the referenced studies, refer to Chapter Other integrated
planning documents and additional studies.
9 As pointed out in the Final Stakeholder Workshop in October 2012, despite the fact that Vietnam hosts around 50 National
Parks, no reference documents for Bufferzone planning have been elaborated yet.
10 A circular is a legal document which function is to assist with interpretation of a legal text and to standardize procedures
and rules civil servants of the relevant sector should adhere to. In principle, circulars exist only to comment on existing law
and to explain its application in concrete terms.

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Note: At the time of writing, the BZDP had not been finalized and submitted to the PPC. This is scheduled to
happen before the end of the year 2012. After having been approved through the PPC, the plan becomes a
binding legal document and needs to be consulted for any planning activities in the region.

•

November

December

2010:

2010

•

Consulting relevant

•

Feb-June 2011:

Conducting Provincial workshop

•

April – August

March 2011

•

Elaborating Conservation-

•

Decision No. 556/QĐ-UBND

The BDSG in cooperating with

on Threats of buferzone

to present and getting

oriented Village Development

dated 17/03/2011 on Formation

International consultants to

(PPC, DPC, relevant

communes towards PNKB NP

comments on BZDP Outline

Plans of 157 villages in 13

of Buferzone Development

finalise BZDP Outline

Revising BZDP Outline (2nd

bufferzone communes

Support Group (BDSG)

•

Ranking villages, communes in

objectives and contents of BZDP

bufferzone based on level of

Conduct first workshop

threats to PNKB NP

•

•

version)

May-July 2011

2011:

stakeholders at diferent levels

departments) on vision,

•
•

Conducting Rapid assessment

January 2011

•

•

Development of 11 thematic
maps to provide inputs for BZDP

•

Conducting study on Integration

Submitng BZDP Outline to DPI

of Climate change proofing into

Elaborating Conservation-

for appraisal and to PPC for

BZDP

oriented Commune

approval

Drafting of preliminary BZDP

Development Plans of 13

Outline

buferzone communes and
approved by CPCs

September

•

Quang Binh PPC issued Decision

January – March

Nov-Dec 2011

2011

•

Conducting study on Gender,

March 2012:

2012

•

BDSG members collected

•

Conducting an assessment on

•

April-June

July-Sept

2012

2012:

Conducting Rapid Assessment

•
•

Drafting BZDP

No.2378/QĐ-UBND dated

Poverty and Ethnicity in order

relevant information, data and

Current forest land use and

on High conservation value

20/09/2011 on approving

to provide inputs for BZDP

documents on sectors for

Ownership by SFEs and other

forest in buferzone

collecting and providing

consultants

land use in bufferzone to serve

Consultation with BDSG

information and data as

members

requested

“Outline of Conservationoriented Socio-economic
Master Plan for the Buferzone
of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang

•

as input for BZDP

•

Review of available data,
fieldwork

National Park to 2020 and

•

October 2012

•

Consultant revise BZDP based
on comments from BDSG

BDSG members continue

members

•
•

Finalise 2

nd

draft of BZDP

Conduct Consultation

First draft of BZDP is sent to

workshop to present the BZDP

BDSG for comments

and collect comments from
relevant stakeholders at

visioning to 2030”

different levels

Figure 6: Timelines of Elaboration of Buffer Zone Development Plan, adapted from GIZ Stakeholder Consultation workshop
presentation, October 2012.

As referenced in the timeline, the Outline for the BZDP had to be revised several times; initially it was
based on a similar planning exercise conducted in South East Asia for lack of national guidance on the
outline. After several consultations with the Line Agencies and the BDSG, it was changed to follow the
structure of a regular provincial planning document. However, a number of concessions were made
where the Plan was allowed to differ from an ordinary socio-economic or development planning:
 Thematic maps: In Vietnamese planning, thematic maps are not envisaged and standardized
maps showing current status and planned status of the thematic (forest, land use,
infrastructure etc) are being produced. For those maps scale as well as font size, classifications,
Sandra Sudhoff - Mission Report Part I and II

legends etc are prescribed in a decision 11. Mapping statistical data and using it for analysis is
usually not included. After several stakeholder workshops where the differences between
maps for visualization purpose (thematic maps) and maps for official planning purposes had
been discussed, the BDSG recommended the use of thematic maps for the BZDP, provided that
provisions for regular planning maps are made, which are showing the recommendations. The
maps submitted with the final draft were actual situation maps and planning maps, following
the Vietnamese prescriptions for this type of maps. Therefore the thematic maps can be seen
as an intermediate step to create situational awareness. The power of thematic maps should
not be underestimated since it allows a new look on things, analysing a situation spatially and
allowing people to better understand a situation.
 Only socio-economic planning which is in line with conservation focusing on the productive
sectors was integrated. Looking at all aspects that generally are considered for socio-economic
planning would have inflated size and content.
More on stakeholder meetings, the involvement of the Bufferzone Support group as well as the
stakeholder interaction can be found in here.

10 consultation workshops and meetings with BDSG

More than 5 stakeholder workshops at different

More than 15 consultation meetings with bufferzone

levels

communes and districts

Bufferzone Development Plan
Elaboration Process

Figure 7: Meetings and types of workshops conducted during the elaboration of the BZDP

Integrated Planning
Integrated planning entails looking at all planning documents which have been produced for the region
at all levels. This chapter also looks at additional reports and studies which have been commissioned to
fill the gaps and to allow giving informed recommendations.
It was found that more than 203 provincial, district, commune and village based planning documents
were of relevance and had to be studied 12. The project team (KfW and GIZ component) commissioned
or procured an additional 23 reports and studies. Around 12 independent or pre-project reports were
also found to be useful. More about the background and the content of these are found in the next
two sub-chapters.

11 For example mapping of land use: Decision 23/2007 QĐ-BTNMT and addition (MONRE)

12 This includes all Green VDPs and CDPs. Since they also contained elements of the regular socio-economic planning
documents, not all of the plans had to be studied cover to cover.

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Legal documents and Provincial Planning
Decrees, decisions and circulars play an important role in planning. They are providing planning as well
as technical guidelines but also resolutions which can be referenced.
Generally speaking, Decrees issued by the Government give detailed guidelines on the implementation
of laws and resolutions. Above all, government’s decrees shall specify tasks, authority and
organizational structures of ministries, ministry-equivalent agencies as well as government’s affiliated
agencies (Article 14 LPLDS 2008).
Decisions of the Prime Minister focus on the state management relating government’s operation,
public administrative system (from central to local levels) as well as working regulations of the
government’s members and Chairmen of People’s Committees of provinces (Article 15 LPLDs 2008).

Circulars of Ministers and Head of Ministry-equivalent Agencies shall provide detailed guidelines on
the implementation of laws and resolutions. Furthermore, circulars of Ministers shall specify
regulations on technical standards and procedures, as well as setng techno-economic standards of
sectors of which they’re in charge (Article 16 LPLDs 2008).
Each planning document which has been authorised and approved by the PPC will have its own
Decision ID which can be used to cite the document. For a full list on all documents and associated
decisions, please refer to the BZDP.
The following decrees and circulars are of importance to the PNKB BZ region:
The buffer zone of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is identified, delineated, managed and financed in
accordance with Decree No. 117/2010/ND-CP, dated 24.12.10, on Special-Use Forest (SUF)
Organization and Management. This decree outlines the functions of buffer zones but also how they
should be managed.
 Article 32, Objectives: Bufferzones play a role in prevention and mitigation of any harmful
impacts or encroachment to SUFs through deployment of management and conservation
measures, in particular livelihood improvements for local populations and sustainable socioeconomic development.
 Article 33, Investment and Ownership: SUF management boards are to set up projects and be
investment owners of buffer zone investment projects in accordance with the regulations of
the State. This is especially of relevance for the implementation of a buffer zone development
plan.
 Article 34, Implementation and Interaction with communities: SUF management boards are
responsible for a) organizing measures to encourage communities in the buffer zone to
participate in management of the SUF and to implement buffer zone investment projects; and
b) co-operating with Commune Planning Committees (CPCs) to establish and organize
implementation of buffer zone investment projects.13
Additionally, the following decrees and decisions are of relevance and form a legal basis for the BZDP 14:
13 Extracted from BZDP Process Progress Report, GIZ, October 2011. [29]
14 Extracted from Minutes of stakeholder workshop on Bufferzone Development Plan, November 2010. Unfortunately, the
minutes do not detail which aspects of these legal documents are of particular relevance.

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 Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP dated 07 September 2006 on Overall Planning, Approval and
Management of Socio-Economic Development Plan
 Circular No. 38/2005/CT-TTG dated 05 December 2005 on Planning and Reclassification of 3
types of forests (SUF, WF and PF)
 Decree No. 05/2008/ND-CP, dated 14 January 2008 on Vietnam Conservation Fund (VCF)
 Decision No. 24/2012/QD-TTg, dated 1 June 2012 on investment policy for development of
special – use forests in 2011 – 2020
On province level the Socio-Economic and Development Master Plan for Quang Binh, 2011 – 2020
(approved by the Prime Minister in 2011) is of direct relevance to the BZDP, however, the respective
planning documents on district (3) as well as commune level (13) also need to be taken into account.
Undoubtedly, the sector plans have to be integrated as best as possible. Around 42 such plans and
supporting reports or documentations were available from sectors like Forest Protection, Agriculture,
Trade, Water and Sanitation, Fisheries, Construction, Health, Tourism and Mining.
Last but not least, the Bufferzone Development Plan is there to support the objectives and the
protection goals of the National Park or nature reserve it surrounds, therefore any planning for the
Bufferzone needs to be closely interlinked with the Master Plan and the Operational Plan of the
National Park.
Village and Commune Planning
In 2012, the government has issued a decision, 24/2012/QD-TTg, related to the above cited Decree
117, in which it set the path to a more participatory approach, making the village the lead unit in
buffer zone development. However, the standard approach for socio-economic development planning
does not take conservation into consideration. Which is why the project piloted a new approach in
Quang Binh, participatory and conservation oriented, labelled Green Village Development Plan (VDP).
Apart from local authorities and the village communities, also the National Park Management board
and staff were involved, explaining the conservation priorities of the park and potential threats
resulting from extracting natural resources. All participants worked together to identify their current
patterns, resulting threats, future needs and livelihood activities which are in line with socio-economic
development and conservation15. The planning activity has been perceived as a positive innovation by

all stakeholders, creating more awareness and setng the path for future collaboration. However, many
participants found the two days allocated for the event too short. [12, 13]. Additionally, they reckoned
that more training events for more people, including refresher trainings on all levels would be useful to
successfully conduct the Green VDP. Last, and potentially the biggest concern was the implementation
in terms of time and available funding. It was found that the motivation and enthusiasm people show
for the approach drops considerably when there is a big delay between planning and implementation
and when only 10% funding is secured from the start. [12,13,18]. Whilst the level funding might differ
from commune to commune, uncertain funds for implementation of the Bufferzone Development Plan
has been a concern that has been voiced throughout the province at various levels, including the
workshops16. All in all, 155 Village and 13 Commune Development plans had been compiled using this
method.
15 The main approach being used is Participatory Impact Assessment (PIA), with typical activities like mapping, wealth
ranking, 3D models etc. Refer to the Green Handbook or brochure for more details.

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Other integrated planning documents and additional studies
After assessing the data which was readily available, the team realised that for some sectors and topics
information was limited and insufficient to produce a planning document. This chapter lists the
additional studies and project reports which have been produced to support the BZDP.

Figure 8: Picture prepared for PNKB report by Truong, Dec 2011.

Biodiversity

One of the sectors having been
underrepresented was biodiversity.
Every scientist working in PNKB
Region claims that the biodiversity

value of PNKB is high and some earlier
studies covering parts of PNKB NP
were available, however, none of
these studies included the extension
and the buffer zone. Furthermore,
even for the core zone, biodiversity
had not been systematically studied
except for a few species like primates. Since the Strategic and the Operational Management Plan for
PNKB Region was also under development and required additional surveys, a set of biodiversity studies
was commissioned and completed between January 2011 and May 2012.
Studies on Fauna included:
 Bats
 Cave invertebrates
 Reptiles and Amphibians

Figure 9: All additional documents classified by type and topic. The main
focus is on all things conservation: Biodiversity, Fauna, Forest.

 Macaque, Langur and Douc Monkeys
 Fish
16 Various documents [BZDP] have tried to shed a light on the various funds available; however, it seems as if not all
stakeholders have a clear idea on where the funding comes from. Since multidonor funding is required to cover the needs,
ensuring the funding is complex and will have to be detailed in implementation plan. Also the Park Management is affected as
stated in the Strategic Management Plan: “annual funds allocated to the National park are much less than what the
Management Board of the Park requested”.[21].

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 Rodents and Insectivores

 Small carnivores
 Birds
Additionally, there was also a study commissioned on Flora and Vegetation, as well as comprehensive
Study on the Extension zone, including a section on Flora and Vegetation.
Despite all the studies being rather economical time wise, a
Figure 10: Red-shanked douc monkeys
high biodiversity value was confirmed through all of them; (Pygathrix nemaeus). Photo credit: Tran
Van Bang, [23].
with a lot of the species being identified as endemic or rare.
Climate change study

The climate change study was the first of its kind for the region and contained concrete
recommendations on what the BZDP should include as climate change adaptations. The BZDP goes into
detail on the climatic trends and their likelihood, of which all weather events leading to soil erosion
will have the biggest impact due to the topography, the shortage of agricultural land and the shifting
cultivation practises.
Tourism and Livelihoods

Several reports looked into tourism and possibilities for alternative livelihoods. As several studies
revealed, the shortage of land, pressure and the lack of any viable alternative can lead to seasonal
migration. [18, 10, 2]. Tourism is an opportunity, however, home stays are not frequent and only few
villages in closer proximity to the caves will benefit from it. However, it was found that souvenirs play
an important role for most tourists and a label “Made in Phong –Nha- Khe –Bang” would be
appreciated by many tourists. Currently, the vending stalls do stock similar products, none of which are
from the region. [14, 4]. Whereas the BZDP clearly points out that there is potential in cultivating
handicraft further and improve its techniques so that it is viable to carry out, the link to tourism and
souvenirs has not been dwelled on. This is a pity because it misses out on opportunities that were
already pointed out in the GFA Feasibility Study in 2006 [10] and in the Sustainable Tourism
Development Plan [25], before they were further researched in 2012 by conducting surveys and
interviews. [14,4].

Another opportunity directly linked to protecting forests and being compensated for it is the Payment
for Forest Ecosystem Services. (PFES). A study looked into the possibilities of linking those payments to
tourism [17]. Vietnam has issued a Decree No. 99/2010/ND-CP where the conditions and possibilities
of PFES are detailed. So far, PFES has rather been linked to
watershed forests and payments of hydropower owners.
Whilst it will be difficult to quantify revenue any businesses
might get from tourism to PNKB, there is also the option to
include the fees in the visitor ticket and have the tourists pay
for protection the environment which could take place in joint
patrolling.[17, 16, 21]. This option is more unconventional but
is
being looked into. A higher ticket price does not seem to be
an issue according to a survey conducted by the project.
In general terms, the GIZ study on Tourism [4] and its related surveys as well as the fieldwork of the
FIPI consultants point out that the tourism sector and service culture has room for improvement and
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training courses on service delivery as well as language courses would be useful. 17 There are other
major challenges which should be mentioned since cross-linking between the areas of study: PNKB is
affected by floods and travelling there can be difficult. These are projected to increase because of
climate change. However, even without natural disasters occurring, tourism to PNKB is highly seasonal
and subject to change of services offers, for instance since the privately run Paradise Cave has been
established, less tourists visit the Phon Nha Cave and hence less visitors need a boat.
Land Use and Land Allocation

Since shortage of land is one of the major threats for NTFP and timber extraction and allocation of land
is a mean to increase the plots of the household, a study on those topics has been commissioned by
the GIZ. This study also looks into the SFEs/LCCs, their roles and management of the forest as well as
potential conflicts and can be seen as a response or starting point to look into the large and influential

stakeholders which according to the Gender, Poverty, Ethnicity Study had not been adequately
considered. Content of this report has also been incorporated into the BZDP, yet, the nature and
intensity of the land conflicts especially in Truong Son have not been elaborated on. Members of the
SFE were invited to the stakeholder workshops and participants did have SFE related questions,
however, no one had come.
Microfinance, Gender, Poverty and Ethnicity

It might not seem that obvious, but the two missions covering these topics are closely interlinked. At
the time of writing the Microfinance study as well as the follow-up mission for a social baseline study
had not been completed. Gender, Poverty and Ethnicity issues have been included in the BZDP,
however, main points like shortage of land and no funds for investments have been mentioned without
looking at their causes. Microcredits are partially available, at least to poor households, without
guidance and support on the creation of business plans, they might be spent on scheme which fails. 18
Microfinance, in the development context used to set up a credit system accessible to the poor, has so
far only been covered by one international project in the Bufferzone. Counterpart International, not
present in the region anymore, phased out in 2010. Apart from providing consultation services on
microcredits, business plans and how to create them, they also invested in agricultural extension staff
in each commune to demonstrate and advise on techniques in the villages. The regular extension
staffs, present in each commune, often lack funds for field trips but also supervision, instructions and
constructive feedback, which can make the system inefficient.
Vietnam has set up an elaborate system on lending money to the poor with certain credits only
available to poor households. This normally falls under the Poverty Reduction Fund (PRP). The
implementation of Microcredits, mostly under the Women’s Union at Commune Level, supported by
the Social Policy Bank often suffers from lack of consultation and monitoring. This also applies to
record keeping of loan receivers which became plain in 2011 when specific information on
Microcredits and household numbers as well as overall lending sums was requested for the thematic
maps.19 Not all loan receivers have created a business plan and received instructions on how to stick to
17 English language training courses have been supported by the Project and are held once a week in PNKB Region.Not sure if
that is fully true.
18 The Gender, Poverty and Ethnicity Study had the example of piglets 100 women invested in and almost all of them died.

Allegedly, many micro credit receivers default on their rates, because they have not conducted a market assessment before
embarking on their business idea.
19 Please refer to Mission Report No2: “unfortunately the information received on Microfinance has been too varied and it
became clear that the level of information available on Microfinance on village and commune levels differs a lot and that the
instructions for filling this sheet most likely had not been well understood by all data collectors”.

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the plan. Allegedly, there have also been groups which have been set up to fulfill the requirements but
which are not meeting and loans have been taken out by a poor household and transferred to a less
poor household. Due to these reasons many loans get defaulted on. A new GIZ study has been
commissioned to look into these issues and the possibility of setng up Microfinance systems
successfully.
Thematic Maps

The Production of thematic maps for the national park buffer zone had been commissioned in 2011
and included assessing the availability of geographic and statistical data. Soon it was found that not
every village could be mapped because the GPS points were missing, therefore a combined
spatial/statistical data collection in all villages and communes was initiated. After producing a set of 10
thematic maps in English the whole package was handed over to DONRE to verify the GPS points and
produce the Vietnamese version of the maps. A lot of statistical data was collected as well; some of it
remained unmapped and was meant to illustrate the BZDP.
Threat Assessment

Despite being mentioned last, the threats assessment towards the biodiversity values of the national
park had been one of the first reports to be written. The Buffer zone communes and villages are
categorized and ranked in reference to their posed threats to the park resources. A thematic map has
been produced to visualize them. This report has been used to prioritize field visits and has also been
mentioned in the BZDP.

Interactions between the Stakeholders
First and foremost, it needs to be stated that planning documents in Vietnam are usually elaborated by
a consultant or a team of consultants. Line-agencies and the agency employing the consultants are
rarely involved in any other way but providing relevant data which is readily available. Any missing data
usually gets collected by the consultant through directly connecting with relevant agencies or by going
to the field. The full responsibility for content and product lies with the consultant. Furthermore, also
the process and methodology is left to the consultant and only the final product will be assessed and
commented on. Because of the disconnection regarding the process, the sense of ownership for the
final product is small, even for the agency which commissioned the consultants.
To increase the ownership and involve all relevant stakeholders in the planning process, a participatory
and integrated way of planning was explored by getng all the relevant stakeholders on board. This
also included the Communes representing the villages, and the Districts and combined a top – down
with a bottom-up approach. Therefore the innovation for this planning approach came two-fold: the
first provincial Bufer Zone Development Plan elaborated in Vietnam including top-down planning
with a bottom-up planning activities in a holistic fashion.
Since this approach is new to the Province, not everyone involved understood the principle straight
away and the idea needed to be ingested first. The involvement and understanding came step by step
and was higher with line agencies which had an active part in the BDSG. The first activities on village
level20 were well received which also assisted in convincing other stakeholders to embrace the process.
However, authorising the BDSG through the PPC with the directive to support the process and a clear
set of TORs certainly gave the process the weight it needed to be taken seriously.
20 As a first activity on village level to prepare the bottom-up planning, Village Development Plans were elaborated and later
combined into Commune Development Plans. Refer to the chapter Integrated Planning for more information.

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Seven agencies, on provincial, district and communal level, (DARD, DPI Quang Binh, National Park, DPC
Bo Trach, CPC Thuong Trach, CPC Hoa Son, CPC Son Trach) interviewed on the BZDP and its process

stated that it is an important activity, and five stressed that the participatory approach and the related
activities help to increase awareness (DARD, DPI Quang Binh, National Park, DPC Minh Hoa, CPC Son
Trach and CPC Thuong Trach) pinpointing that the harmonization of bottom-up planning and top-down
approach is necessary (DPI Quang Binh, DPC Bo Trach.)
Integrating local people into the planning by using a bottom-up approach was seen as positive by three
agencies, two of them stating that the demand comes from the district. (CPC Hoa Son, CPC Son Trach,
CPC Xuan Trach 21. As pointed out by the Juergen Piechotta in his findings, the understanding of the
process and the rationale of the BZDP was higher on provincial and district level, on commune level
the BZDP was more seen in connection with related activities like the VDP/CDP and with consultants
being hosted for data collection for the BZDP or any related study.
The role of the consultants elaborating the plan have been rated as good point, but also been
mentioned as a weak point. It is worth noting that several consultants worked on the process, the first
rough outline was drafted by one international consultant. The process was then taken over by a team
of a international and a national consultant; both based in the region, however due to the complex
planning situation and the lengthy process, the team only got as far as the detailed elaboration of the
outline of the plan including content for the description of the current situation which was not
accepted by the BDSG and the PPC. The structure of the outline was too far removed from the
composition generally used for planning documents in the province. After the outline revision and the
approval of the PPC, a new team of national consultants was hired, all based in FREC, FIPI Hanoi; a
center which is renowned for their expertise. The same head consultant also elaborated the
biodiversity study for the extension zones of the PNKB park 22. The acceptance of the new team of
consultants was high in the Line Agencies directly working with them, potentially also linked to the fact
that the consultants are known and their expertise recognized. In the Communes, where the team had
little interaction except for data collection23, they were seen more elusive, e.g. not spending enough
time on the process and the communication as well as inviting only a limited set of people from the
villages to the meetings. (CPC Son Trach). Two agencies (DPI Quang Binh, FDP) claimed limited use of
the international consultant, lacking local knowledge. However, it is worth mentioning that generally
the strategy of teaming up an international consultant with expertise on the topic and an international
view on the topic together with a national expert who knows the institutional landscape and ways to
access data and tap into agencies’ resources has been successfully implemented for other related

studies (Climate, Gender and Ethnicity, PNKB Strategic and Operational Management Plan). The
lengthy process and the missing intercommunication probably contributed to the failure of the first
team. Even though the list of agencies involved was very comprehensive, it was felt that in order to
reflect and integrate issues on Gender, Poverty and Minorities, the VWU, CEM and DOLISA should be
invited to participate in the Buffer Zone Support Group. [18].

21 Stakeholder interviews conducted by Mission, augmented with additional interviews with DPI Quang Binh/BDSG
22 Xx verify the exact dates: Hoa, Ngoc Anh, I do not have that study, do you know when it was done?
23 Allegedly, the FIPI consultant team visited all 13 communes in May and June and collected information, total amount of
days spent in the field is unknown.

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Bufer Zone Support Group and meetings
The Buffer Zone Support Group was formally acknowledged in March 2011 by Decision No. 556/QĐUBND. Its specific activities are to be set by the head of the group and the group will cease to exist
after those tasks have been completed. The group met on needs basis, approximately once per month.
To share data and streamline the content of the BZDP, the buffer zone support group met irregularly on
request by the consultant and was reportedly well able to fulfil the information needs in a timely
manner. All relevant agencies were included and by and large, participation was felt to be sufficient 24.
[Field notes and Draft report, J. Piechotta].
Apart from the formal stakeholder workshops and group meetings which normally have a participants
list and meeting minutes with action points generated, there were also one-on-one meetings
conducted between the authors of the BZDP and the respective line agencies. However, meetings
between line-agencies not involved in the actual write-up of the BZDP did not happen on a one-on-one
basis. The integration of content was predominantly seen as a work of the consultants. The consultants
themselves described communication with the different line agencies as easy, happening primarily by
phone and email with around 4-5 meetings (e.g. around once per month) with the main line agencies
such as DONRE, DPI, FPD, DARD and to a lesser extent with DOF. Meetings with the National Park
Board and the KfW team drafting the Strategic Management Plan were not conducted as regularly,

which is an aspect that could be improved.
The consultants mentioned three main obstacles for faster processing of the information: the volume
of information (please refer to chapter Integrated Planning for more information on all studies), the
fact that the relevant information always had to be extracted out of lengthy reports and studies, and
that many authorities are not ready to submit digital copies of their data.25 Especially district and
communities have difficulties here, which can also be linked to limited information management and
information processing skills.
As solutions, specific budget requests to the national government and prioritization of activities have
been proposed. Another source of funds is the regular government budget and the integration of the
BZDP into the yearly and five-yearly planning is not seen as a problem.
In Vietnam, workshops and meetings are predominantly formal events and conducted in the following
fashion: The invitees receive the agenda and the documents to comment on. They then prepare
responses and comments which are presented in the workshop, commonly one after the other. A note
taker ensures that these responses are covered in the minutes. Working on content collaboratively
during an event and keeping the comments to one topic at a time and present them in an interactive
way during a debate is less frequent. However, for ensuring that comments and thoughts on specific
questions and issues are included and brought-up in a workshop, a breaking up in working groups can
be helpful. This should include the elaboration of a clear set of questions and clear instructions, since
free debates and brain storming on a topic are less widespread in a group setng.
24 However it was commented by DONRE Quang Binh that there should have been a government agency taking the overall
responsibility. The FPD commented that the consultant only approached the support group in case of problems, which was
not felt to be efficient. The CPC in Son Trach said that the process “was done in a rush and only the key people from the local
authorities and the villages participated”.
25 In Vietnam, the official stamp approving the data or content of a study is seen as validating the data and the permission to
use it in reference to the stamp and the administrative process linked to it. A workaround could be, getng a hardcopy
stamped but still provide the current soft copy to avoid having to type everything out from the hard copy.

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Challenges
Data

Data is sensitive and information valuable which is why data and harmonising it is an issue in almost all
contexts. Some technical challenges have been mentioned in the mission reports from 2011 [19], but
were reiterated by the consultants working on the BZDP during the interview. Some specific
recommendations on these problems can be found here.
In the current context some data was unavailable which would have been good to include in the BZDP
such as assessment and current status of the infrastructure, especially roads, irrigation and power
stations/electrical grid system.26 Those three aspects are relevant for the analysis and
recommendations of the socio-economic aspect 27. Villages in mountainous areas with limited
livelihood options through agriculture and forestry will also have limited other economic alternatives if
they are not easily accessible and not connected to a functional grid or alternative energy system.
Whereas statistical data can be compiled by conducting comprehensive data collection or secondary
data review, the spatial aspect of especially the irrigation and the power lines cannot easily be
gathered without sending out a full mapping team.
The sheer volume of data and reports which were being produced and needed to be integrated was
difficult to manage. In fact, it was found after the review of the first draft that the consultant team had
forgotten to include key documents. They had overlooked some reports and geographic datasets that
had been made available to them. Given that the team had around 274 reports and planning
documents as well as raw data sets to study, this is not surprising.
The team also reported discrepancies between village/commune level data and district data. This
also does not come as a surprise, depending when data was collected and at what level, it can easily
differ, especially when the figures are naturally fluctuating like population. When possible, the
consultants’ team used commune level data; however, if data sets from different level could not be
harmonized the next higher level was used. This also became necessary for statistical data which was
not always available at commune level.
Despite the fact that it is recognised to be of great importance, environmental impact assessments
which have to be conducted were not considered or not requested. Whereas this was because of lack
of time or unavailability of the assessments could not be determined. The Strategic Management Plan

for the National Park [21] details the process further: “In Vietnam, any project that uses part or all of
the land area of or causes an adverse impact in a world heritage site or national park protected under
decision of a Provincial People’s Committees is required to prepare a full Environmental Impact
Assessment Report. The Provincial-level environmental protection agency must review, approve and
certify the environmental protection schemes and examine and inspect the environmental protection
work (Decree No. 80/2006/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 21/2008/ NĐ-CP). However, the Strategic
Management Plan also pointed out, that the procedures of how an EIA/SEIA is conducted and the
intervention approved should be streamlined for the whole region.

26 According to the Data Collection conducted for the Thematic Maps in July 2011, especially remote villages in Dan Hoa,
Thuong Trach, Tan Trach and Truong Son are not connected to the national grid system. Of 129 villages around 29 were not
connected, for 27 the status is unknown.
27 In an interview, the FIPI consultants who elaborated the BZDP also claimed that these aspects are important but
information difficult to obtain.

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Communication and Interaction

Another challenge stated by the consultants’ team but also cited in the Poverty, Gender,Ethnicity Study
as well as in the Forest Land Use and Ownership study are linked to communication with and data
accessibility of SFEs. Local people have been dissatisfied with the communication and slow land
allocation; whereas SFE representatives claim that the local people have been integrated in the
planning and working process. This can also be a reason why threats from other entities but local
population have not been sufficiently considered in the analysis; there are political dimensions to be
considered. Whereas private investors, especially when linked to tourism can see a value in
cooperating and minimizing impact as long as it is economically viable, this is not necessarily the same
for others.
Monitoring

A majority of the commissioned studies as well as the stakeholders recognise that law enforcement
and monitoring28 is extremely weak. However, most stakeholders are fast to accuse the local
population of hunting and encroaching, but rarely look into the dynamics of the markets and who is
commissioning and re-selling the products from the National Park and its buffer zone. Since many of
the plants and animals are re-sold internationally 29The new Circular 47 issued by MARD on the
commercial exploitation of 180 species, contested by MONRE30, is believed to aggravate this problem
since some of the species are difficult to distinguish and it is hard to prove that they have been reared
and not just caught in the forest and put in a pen. Whereas this is common knowledge, it has not been
mentioned in the BZDP document.
Time constraints

The timeline to process all information was generally tight, but the consultants’ team also did take on
other commissions during the same time. It was felt that the human resources assigned were not
sufficient to complete it in a timely manner.
Existing planning documents

Whereas the common agreement on bottom-up planning seems to be “Let’s do it”, the quality of the
plans was not deemed to be sufficient by everyone. The process was considered to be too short and
consultation by extension workers and experts not sufficient to make informed decisions. However, the
main issues seem to be that the implementation rate and the monitoring is poor; lacking clear
guidance from local authorities. Therefore it is imminent that the Green VDPs are evaluated by the
expert and only recommendations and plans which are truly in-line with the objectives and the overall
strategy should be included in the Operational Management and the Yearly Implementation Plans.
Livelihoods
28 There are various reasons for insufficient monitoring: Rangers are at the low end of the hierarchy, neither receiving
sufficient remuneration nor recognition for their tasks, resulting in lack of motivation. Often, they also lack training and
capacity building opportunities. Additionally, only 50% of the ranger positions required for an area like PNKB have been
created and filled. Sophisticated equipment like binoculars, GPS, cameras etc to fulfill the monitoring tasks are not adequately
available. Law enforcement support from Police, Border army and the districts has been ad-hoc and has not been

institutionalized. [16].
29 Cited by FIPI as well as FFI were various species of orchids, turtles, beetles, geckos, but also medicinal plants. Most of them
are red list species and exporting them is illegal. Amongst the countries of import are Japan, China, but also European
countries.
30 MONRE points out the issues which can arise from such measures on
/>
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their

webpage:


As Mr Luong from FFI points out, business opportunities for small business owners are there, but
consultation on businesses plans, finance and coordination is mostly inexistent or weak. This has also
been confirmed by other stakeholders [18]. A former staff member of Counterpart International also
claimed that effective monitoring and active involvement of agricultural extension staff would improve
the way micro credits are granted and utilized.
Authority and Mandates

The official guidelines are very clear on the general mandates; however there are also some
overlapping tasks between some of the main authorities. 31 In some instances, the mandates or
authority granted to one agency can also be limiting. The National Park Authority have the mandate to
manage the park, however, they have no say in what type of construction projects are approved, since
this is being decided by the PPC.

Recommendations
Before making recommendations, the analysis as well as the elaboration of the content have to be
examined. Since this is the most challenging and critical part of the BZDP, it is important to have a
closer look. Some of the recommendations which can be found in this chapter are also included in the

Guidelines.
Analysis and Elaboration of the Content
It is not possible to assess the full content of the BZDP. Since it is still under revision, the chapter would
be outdated too fast. However, the process of elaboration of content was looked at and generic
considerations are stated.
It was found that spatial planning and moreover spatial analysis have not found their way into
Vietnamese planning procedures. Data is not collected to be analysed but to augment
recommendations and arguments which were discovered and formulated during fieldwork and when
discussing with local populations. This ensures that local knowledge is taken into consideration,
however, requires a consultant to have all necessary information required to take a decision if a
livelihood activity can be successfully conducted in specific conditions at his/her fingertips. The major
challenge for integrated planning document such as the BZDP is to conduct cross-sectoral analysis
which is more difficult when the deduction and elaboration of each sector is happening in the
consultants’ head and is not quantified.
Unconventional ways of extracting information on species were found by asking and visiting the
hunters. Their whereabouts were disclosed by the village leaders. Whereas this helps to assess the
situation, it should also be translated into a set of recommendations that could trigger changes in
livelihood. Law enforcement and the presentation of viable livelihood alternatives need to go hand
in hand.
It became evident during the first revision and the final stakeholder workshop, that whilst it makes
sense to finish the strategy first, that the 5yrs investment plan with more explicit recommendations is
required to assess the planning and its effectiveness since the strategy document is supposed to be
kept short and not go into the details of implementation. However, a planning document is only
31 Refer to Portfolio on Biodiversity [28] where the roles of MONRE and MARD are analysed.

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useful if implementation and the necessary funds for implementation have been identified and
elaborated on.

Also, it was felt that the first versions did not contain enough graphs, pictures, maps to illustrate the
strategy sufficiently. [DPI].
Analysis and Outcome of the BZDP
Elaborating a complex plan like a BZDP is challenging since so many different aspects have to be
analysed and reflected on. The sheer volume of information that needs to be processed can be
daunting. It is a time consuming activity. The following points should be considered:
 Ensure that the consultants conducting the analysis can explain how it was achieved and how
they reached their conclusions. Repeating the objectives of all other planning documents
without reflecting on their compatibility with conservation objectives is not useful.
 It is possible to present a common set of recommendations in the Master Plan for the sake of
volume; however, these will need to be made spatially explicit in the implementation or
investment plan. Ideally, the planning maps are also explicit; if no commune level maps are
produced in the first step; those should be included in the implementation plan.
 Recommendations presented as “pick and choose” options can only work if experts or
technical staffs are available to guide the process on village and commune level. A hydropower
plant will only be feasible under certain conditions. Same as fish keeping or other forms of
husbandry. Apart from the necessary budget, also certain natural criteria need to be present to
successfully implement livelihoods activities. If no spatial explicit recommendations are made,
the advantages and disadvantages as well as the prerequisites for implementing those
recommended activities need to be clearly presented to the stakeholders. The villages and
communes need to be empowered to make an informed decision on which activities they are
going to pursue.
 It appears as none of the mapping agencies spoken to have a clear policy on data
management and update. This also encompasses data management and data dissemination. If
the responsible person leaves chances are high that the knowledge of when and where data
has been updated, treated, stored, goes missing. There is no clear policy of sharing data
amongst agencies. A circular on how to track data changes, produce effective metadata and
share a change log file with all other agencies using the same datasets would be more than
useful.
 Comments presented during a workshop mostly evolved around figures and formal

presentation of the content. It could be useful to prepare a set of questions before the event
and include the instructions that feedback on structure, spelling and order of topics should be
compiled in writing and submitted prior the event. This might help keeping the comments and
debates during the event focused on the content.

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