Rehabilitating forest and marginal land using native species in mountainous northern Vietnam

Forest cover in Vietnam has increased dramatically over the past 30 years, largely driven by plantations of exotic tree species. The potential to utilise of Vietnam's diverse native flora in reforestation has remained largely unexplored. At two locations in northwest Vietnam, Na Bai-Leo and Na Noi, we established forest rehabilitation trials using two approaches: scattered planting on marginal agricultural land and enrichment planting in degraded natural forest. We collaborated with local communities to select native species for planting. After two years, species varied greatly in their survival and growth, both between and within the sites. Nevertheless, the majority of community members surveyed reported increased awareness of the value of native species and forests. There is great potential to rehabilitate Vietnam's extensive areas of marginal agricultural land and degraded forests using native species plantings. Communities were keen to be involved in forest rehabilitation – the main barrier to involvement was resourcing (e.g., provision of seedlings, training in tree planting). Projects, such as this one, provide a way to overcome initial resourcing barriers, provide a framework to improve knowledge about native species and forests, and improve awareness of, and management techniques for, degraded forests, marginal agricultural lands, and native species.