USAID and the Government of Vietnam are working together to protect Vietnam’s globally unique biodiversity and preserve its high conservation-value forests. Forest and biodiversity conservation is challenging because many people live in and around these forests and depend on these resources for their livelihoods. Therefore, it is critical to improve livelihoods in other ways to reduce pressure on the high conservation value forests. One such way is improving livelihoods in the production forest sector.

On June 19, USAID joined Thua Thien-Hue province’s Forest Owners’ Sustainable Development Association (FOSDA) and Scansia Pacific (a Vietnamese furniture manufacturing firm and an IKEA supplier) to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, which outlines how the three parties will work together to tackle the challenge of forest degradation and improve the lives of people living in and around forests in Vietnam’s Annamites Range. USAID’s new partnership with Scansia Pacific and FOSDA will significantly improve forestry practices, lengthen the growing cycle of Acacia plantations, and improve environmental, social, and economic performance by expanding adoption of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification program, which ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits. 

So What? Providing long-term, environmentally sustainable livelihood opportunities will reduce pressure on high conservation value forests, thus helping to conserve biodiversity.