Nam Ka wins community support to preserve great forest

A foundation built from twinned villages

The Nam Ka Special-Use Forest Management Board, spanning four communes Nam Ka, Dak Phoi, Dak Lieng, and Krong Ana, is not only a “green lung” regulating water sources for major rivers such as the Krong No and Krong Ana, but also a repository of some of the Central Highlands’ most valuable plant and animal genetic resources. However, with most forest-edge residents being ethnic minority communities facing difficult livelihoods, the pressure on forest resources is immense.

Luong Huu Thanh, Director of the Management Board, said the unit currently manages more than 20,395 hectares of forest and forest land. In 2025, despite rising agricultural commodity prices that encouraged some residents to re-encroach on forest land for cultivation, the “people-centered” strategy helped fully protect existing natural forest areas, with violations of forestry laws dropping significantly compared to the previous year.

One of the Board’s greatest achievements over the past year has been realizing the role of local communities in forest protection through twinning models and forest protection contracts. According to Luong Huu Thanh, the unit has contracted forest protection to 372 households and signed twinning agreements while allocating protection responsibilities to 55 households in Buon Phok and Buon Plao Sieng (Nam Ka Commune).

With a total contracted area of over 807 hectares, the Board pays more than VND 220 million annually to participating households. On average, each household earns over VND 5 million per year from forest environmental service payments.

“Although not a large amount, this is a stable source of income that helps households cover living expenses and, more importantly, strengthens their sense of responsibility in protecting forests in their own homeland,” Thanh said.

In addition to contract payments, social welfare efforts in the twinned villages have received special attention. In 2025, the Board provided 450 macadamia seedlings to support garden-based economic development.

Activities such as holiday visits, Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, International Children’s Day gifts, and support for policy beneficiary families have become regular, strengthening the bond between forest rangers and local residents. Once community trust is secured, residents not only abandon intentions to encroach on forests but also become effective collaborators, promptly reporting suspicious activities in the special-use forest to authorities.

Mobilizing resources from buffer zones and international cooperation

To ease direct pressure on the core conservation area, the Nam Ka Special-Use Forest Management Board has expanded support to all 34 villages in the buffer zone. By mobilizing funding from sustainable forestry development programs, the unit provided economic support totaling VND 1.7 billion in 2025.

According to Luong Huu Thanh, the Board goes beyond direct financial support by serving as a bridge between businesses, scientific organizations, and local communities. In 2025, it mobilized VND 225 million in non-state funding to support conservation and development of indigenous medicinal plant resources in the buffer zone.

As a result, three medicinal plant cultivation models have been established. The Board is now working with enterprises to plan and develop medicinal plant raw material areas within the buffer zone. This approach aims to create sustainable economic value chains that provide stable jobs and income for local people without resorting to illegal forest clearing or land encroachment.

Notably, the presence and support of the international organization Tropenbos in Nam Ka have brought new momentum to conservation efforts. The Board has effectively coordinated with the organization to conduct research, biodiversity assessments, and to propose adaptive livelihood solutions. The combination of local management experience and international scientific knowledge is helping Nam Ka gradually address challenges in reclaiming encroached land for forest restoration.

“We have chosen to engage in direct dialogue with buffer zone communities to raise awareness about natural forest restoration. When people understand the value of ecosystems for their water sources and living environment, efforts to reclaim encroached land have shown very positive signs,” Thanh emphasized.

In 2026, the Nam Ka Special-Use Forest Management Board aims to effectively manage assigned forest areas and restore 40 hectares of forest on previously encroached land. With a strategy that uses buffer zone livelihoods as a foundation for conservation, the Nam Ka forest is expected to remain strictly protected, preserving its natural heritage for future generations.

$ 1 = VND 26,113 - Source: Vietcombank.