English 2.28MB - Center for International Forestry Research

. Achievements
During the project, our objectives were to
(a) test and adapt the MLA method as an appropriate mechanism for
integrating local perceptions and views in decision making and planning.
The method was successfully tested in the rural context of Khe Tran, and even
if the MLA was originally designed for assessments of local perceptions and
priorities of forest dependant societies in a tropical context, we have shown
here that the method can be adapted to situations where local communities
rely less on the forest products than they used to;
(b) provide baseline data that can be used for the biodiversity conservation
of the planned Phong Dien Nature Reserve. We have a considerable data
base from our different surveys in Khe Tran, with an amount of important
information on local priorities and perceptions, on the richness of the vegetation
in the village’s vicinity, on the uses of forest and non-forest products by the
local people as well as on the economic, social and demographic data of the
village. Seven hundred and fifty-four specimens of plants were recorded,
consisting of 439 species from 108 families, for which we registered 824
uses. All these data, including socio-economic data will be valuable for the
successful management of the planned nature reserve, providing information
on the biodiversity in the buffer and core zones, and on the different uses and
valuation of species and of natural resources by the local people;
(c) provide an overview of the importance of landscape and local species
to the people of Khe Tran and collect information on their livelihoods
and perspectives on Phong Dien Nature Reserve. Through community
meetings, participatory mapping and scoring exercises, the landscape of the
research area has been studied. Findings reflect the local point of view and