Over 85% of protected areas and national parks in Vietnam are situated in rural and remote areas, where poverty rates remain high. Local communities living in these areas, mostly minority groups, depend heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods. In many cases, conservation of natural resources leads to conflicts of interests with local communities living in and around protected areas.
Balancing nature conservation and improving rural livelihoods is a great challenge. Therefore, it is crucial to seek for feasible solutions for better governance of natural resources. PanNature will focus on:
PanNature will continue to implement the Piloting Integrated Market Access in Support of Nature Conservation in Hang Kia – Pa Co Nature Reserve project in Hoa Binh province. In addition, PanNature will also look for more opportunities to expand the coverage of the Natural Resources Governance Program to other areas.