"Local Governance, Social Networks and REDD+:Lessons from Swidden Communities in Vietnam"

Moira Moeliono, Thu Thuy Pham, Ngoc Le Dung, Tien Nguyen, MaaritKallio, and Maria Brockhaus

ASFN Sixth Conference: Inle Lake, Myanmar, 1-6 June 2015

- dynamic vs static- linked through multiple social networks vs isolated- enhancing carbon stocks (below ground) vs driving

deforestation- adapting to change and new opportunities, e.g.

through migration and remittances

In this process communities also adapt, ignore,bypass and manipulate the various constraining rulesand thereby change and reproduce these

Swidden communities:perceptions, understanding, discourses

Means by which society (or in this case the swidden community)makes or shapes or implements decisions on how natural

resources are to be used and or managed

Formal structures: formal organizations and institutions, howhierarchy plays out

Informal structures: social relations, how people work togetherin practice creating a social network both include a set of rules and procedures that guide

objectives and outcomes

Environmental governance

Questions

What are key lessons for REDD+ and PES schemeswhen analysing

- the formal and informal structures in swiddencommunities

- the social networks in these communities throughwhich information and resources are exchanged

Data Collection

FGDs, gender disaggregated: what areimportant ‘governance systems’affecting your land use decisionmaking, drivers of changeEgo-network survey:• who are the three most influential

persons involved in the systems?• why and who are the most important

people with whom you most frequentlyexchange information and benefits?

• what types of information and benefitsdid you exchange?

Key informant interviewsWorkshops

Study sitesCharacteristic Lay village Que village

Main ethnicity Hmong TaiLocation(remote/relativelyeasy access)

Remote Remote but with thenew road moreaccessible

National park Core zone of the XuanNha National Park

Bordering, bufferzone of the Pu HuongNational Park

Swidden farmers (atleast partially)

80.4 91.5

Population (No. ofhouseholds)

96 84

No. of respondentsinterviewed

48 40

Most forests are rich in “natural” resources but theyare also rich because local groups have enrichedforests through their knowledge and practice.

THINKING beyond the canopy

Swidden systems and environmental governance: complexinstitutions, management rules, regulations and norms

SWIDDEN FALLOWADAT LANDADAT LAND

TEMBAWANGTEMBAWANG

THINKING beyond the canopy

Overall governance and mass-organisations

Vietnam’s formal governance structure follows theofficial administrative system of three tiers: province,district and commune- main actors in the local government is the Peoples

Committees- village head and village government

Mass –organization:- at commune and village level, most people belong

to mass organizations, observed changing role fromparty-extension to civil society organisations

Motivation to join mass-organisations

Village

Access tomicroloans

Access toin-kindbenefits(seedlingetc.)

Labourexchange

Informa-tionexchange

Enter-tainmentactivities

"Herdeffects"

Securityissues

Lay 9 0 7 20 0 2 5

Que 9 1 0 2 3 14 0

Security issues inthe remote villageSecurity issues in

the remote village

Taking part in swidden - and in massorganizations

ActorsPSD bankAgricultural extension officers (representing both the commune anddistrict agricultural boards)Forest rangers representing Forest Protection Board of the national parkStaff from the Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentCommune government and village leadersBorder security policeMass organizationsGoldminersCommune health clinicOutside and itinerant tradersVillage shop ownersAgents and traders from townOther ethnic peopleInternational NGO

Actors’ reputational power inswidden governance

Informalgovernance:

Linkagesoutside

village aremost

important

Informalgovernance:

Linkagesoutside

village aremost

important

Networks of swidden related informationexchange: Lay

Networks of swidden related informationexchange: Que

- almost all innovations (seeds, new techniques) andinformation (on new techniques, market prices, andopportunities) are brought in by outside traders in both cases

- Influence of informal actors might indicate a governancevacuum- government agencies presence limited (forest protection measures,

agriculture extension services)

traders might be door openers for large scale drivers of DD,however people rely heavily on these actors.

Simultaneously, government efforts on reforestation andreduce emissions so far did not consider diversity incommunities

Swidden, deforestation/degradation andsocial networks

THINKING beyond the canopy

Implications for REDD

REDD+/PES schemes require MRV (information sharing) andbenefit (and cost) sharing architectures

swidden communities and related governance systems arehighly diverse, formal and informal elements - dominance andrelevance depending on multiple factors

.. In a situation of formal governance: misconceptions ofswidden dominant, diversity not captured, lack ofconsultation may lead to misinformed policies.. In a situation of informal governance/absence of stateunbalanced power relations dominant, often to thedisadvantage of people and forests

THANK YOU!