Ba Be Lake Community-based Stewardship Program
The Stewardship Program promotes village-led collaborative management of Ba Be Lake and surrounding natural resources. The goal is to support sustainable fisheries and diversified farmland economies to complement the conservation of biological resources. Increased involvement of Tay women and fishermen in protecting livelihood resources, through the Ba Be Lake Management Cooperative.
Project goal
The goal of this project is to strengthen involvement of local women and fishermen of the indigenous Tay ethnic group in management of Ba Be Lake resources, in order to improve livelihoods while protecting the natural resource base for those livelihoods.
Background
A range of different stakeholders are dependent upon Ba Be Lake’s resources. It is the centre piece of Ba Be National Park and is the premier tourist attraction for the mountainous region of north east Vietnam, drawing visitors to the national park and providing a source of revenue to some local people, and particularly local boatmen.
Traditionally the lake supports the livelihoods of the local indigenous Tay people who live in the villages around it, most importantly through its fisheries. For years the lake’s resources were being uncontrollably exploited from detrimental fishing techniques, such as fish bombing, and poor organisation of the boatmen.
In 2004, the Ba Be Lake Management Cooperative was established to bring together lake resource users to manage the lake’s resources more effectively. Some activities such as fish bombing have stopped and the boatmen are now more effectively organised. Still some sectors of the local community, who were dependent upon the lake, were under-represented in the lake management cooperative, particularly the local women and fishermen.
With support from the Regional Network for Indigenous Peoples, PRCF has been supporting the local people, focussing on the local women and fishermen, to strengthen their involvement in the lake management board. Through the programme self-help groups have also been established in five villages, to support improve local livelihoods.
Project partners
- Ba Be Lake Management Board
- Ba Be National Park
- Regional Network for Indigenous Peoples
Ba Be Ecological Research Station Program
In collaboration with the national park, the PRCF established an Ecological Research Station to increase the current understanding of interactions between culture, socioeconomics, ecology, and biological diversity. Recent projects include research on insects, ecotourism, geographical information systems, bats, climate change, fisheries, and attitudes and perceptions of local people toward conservation.
The Ba Be National Park Ecological Research Station (BBERS) was established in 2004 to further understanding of ecological aspects within the Ba Be National Park and the surrounding Buffer Zone, with a view to supporting conservation management, broadening the knowledge base, and helping Vietnamese researchers gain experience through practice. BBERS is located at the National Park Headquarters in Bac Kan Province, approximately 300 kilometers north of Hanoi.
Goal of BBERS
To strengthen the conservation of biological resources through improved learning opportunities, by fostering a greater understanding of the environment and people’s interactions with it.
Objectives
- Improve the scientific basis for environmental management at the local and national level
- Provide facilities and support for collaborative research by national and international students and scholars
- Foster local community interest and participation in the management of natural resources
- Promote understanding of local cultures and their links with the environment, the preservation of traditional knowledge and support for local customs
- Promote development of research proposals to benefit national conservation and development objectives
Previous research conducted at Ba Be National Park includes the following:
- Conservation of Bat Fauna in the Ba Be / Kim Hy Karst Complex
- Francois’ Langur status survey at Ba Be National Park