Abstract:In this brief book, we have set out to answer some basic questions about the extent to which forest resources have served and will serve the goal of poverty alleviation in Vietnam.We have also asked t...In this brief book, we have set out to answer some basic questions about the extent to which forest resources have served and will serve the goal of poverty alleviation in Vietnam.We have also asked to what extent the plans for massive reforestation in Vietnam are consistent with the government's goal to eliminate poverty.It is not yet possible to do full justice to these questions because there has not yet been any primary, empirical research directed specifi cally at answering these questions.Nevertheless, we have attempted to answer these questions as best we could using the ample secondary literature that touches on these questions indirectly.We did so believing that there are some important points of information and lessons to be gathered and integrated, in spite of the considerable constraints on what the available information can tell us.We are confi dent that we have assembled a useful body of knowledge that will offer guidance to policy makers, planners, researchers, students, and members of donor and aid organizations doing work in two realms: improvement of wellbeing, and improved conservation and management of Vietnam's forests.Our fondest hope is that this book will be of use to our colleagues at the Forest Sector Support Program (FSSP), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), and other government institutions working on these issues.We hope that the information and ideas presented here can at least provoke thought, and that in the best case it can serve as a conceptual frame of reference on how to address these complex and vitally important issues.Read More