Search

The pulp and paper, timber, and rubber companies in the Lower Mekong Region face a pervasive risk of involvement in deforestation, human rights violations, and other unsustainable practices in their operations and supply chains. To mitigate this risk, companies and the financial sector must be aware of the harm associated with financing activities that negatively impact natural capital and recognize the benefits of preventing such destruction. In August, the UN-REDD programme published a research paper mapping the main companies in these sectors, and their financiers, assessing their policies for mitigating deforestation risks, evaluating the effectiveness of the region's financial sector policy environment, and providing recommendations for collaborating with the financial sector and regulators to protect natural capital while promoting economic development.

In Viet Nam, the policies, laws and regulations related to tenure of land and forests are not consistent across the country and vary considerably between provinces. Furthermore, the process of FA/FLA has not been applied consistently across all provinces in the country. Forest cover and land management contexts differ significantly across provinces as well. The study in six provinces found that the area of forestland that has been allocated to households and communities is considerably smaller than that allocated to State entities. Allocation of forestland to households and communities has been more widespread in Lao Cai, Bac Kan and Ha Tinh provinces (Northern and North Central regions), while less extensive in Lam Dong, Binh Thuan and Ca Mau provinces (Central Highlands, South Coastal, and Mekong regions).