Project News

On 3rd July 2017, the 3rd Meeting of Lang Biang World Biosphere Reserve Management Board (LB-BR MB) was held in Dalat City, Lam Dong Province with more than 50 participants including villagers. Discussions were made mainly on the following 3 topics.

1. Five-year management plan for LB-BR (2018-2022)
2. Marketing strategy and Logo design for LB-BR
3. Progress on activities for Collaborative Management Agreement (CMA)

(1) Five-year management plan for LB-BR (2018-2022)

In order to realize the nature conservation for the future and the sustainable development of communities in harmony with the nature of LB-BR, cross-sectoral initiative must be taken by various entities, considering its wide area and involvement of many organizations in its management. Therefore, the Project has been working on the formulation of the five-year management plan, which indicates operation guidelines and major activities related to relevant organizations since the establishment of the management operation structure for LB-BR is one of important tasks.

After the explanation on the draft plan, fruitful discussions were made toward its finalization among the participants. For example, concrete comments were made on necessity for the creation of opportunities to learn from advanced cases as well as to incorporate various training programmes in order to promote appropriate understanding on the concept of Biosphere Reserve (BR). And requirements for institutional support from "Man and Biosphere National Committee of Vietnam" was proposed to make the management plan approved by Lam Dong Provincial People Committee (PPC).

The draft management plan was finalized based on the result of the above discussions, which is currently in the process for the approval by the PPC.

(2) Marketing strategies and Logo design

Since Lang Biang was recognized as Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO a few years ago, the recognition of LB-BR is currently not yet high. Therefore, marketing strategies have been being developed in a way 1) to establish "LB-BR brand" based on the rich ecosystem and the cultural value of LB-BR for the improvement of the level of recognition on LB-BR, 2) to permit the use of the logo to businesses and products which match the brand concept of LB-BR.

In the meeting the gist of the strategies, candidate businesses and products for branding and candidates of logo design were presented. And candidate branding products such as persimmon, coffee and natural water within the area of Bidoup Nui Ba National Park (BNBNP) were exhibited with packaged form close to actual commodities, and the participants exchanged their opinions for future branding of the products. Logo design will be finalized based on the comments including opinions on the products.

(3) Progress on activities for collaborative management

The Project was conducting CMA activities on natural resources among forest owners (BNBNP Management Board and Da Nhim Watershed Protection Forest Management Board), Commune People's Committee (CPC) and villagers as a very important tool for sustainable conservation and the management of LB-BR. CM is a system to conserve natural resources through the improvement of effectiveness of forest patrol based on the forest protection contracts between forest owners and villagers under the Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) scheme widely practiced in Vietnam as well as through the improvement of livelihood of the villagers, and the Project has been implementing these trial activities. In the meeting, progresses and issues of CMA activities were explained to the participants with focus on the improvement of PFES patrol through the utilization of drones (fly-cam), delineation of boundaries between cultivated lands and forestry lands, and livelihood improvement of the villagers.

The LB-BR MB meeting organized twice a year provides an important opportunity for stakeholders of LB-BR to understand progresses and issues of wide range of activities and to exchange opinions and make decisions for the improvement of activities. Next LB-BR MB meeting is scheduled to be held at the end of November.

Group Discussion

Presentation on the marketing strategy and logo design for LB-BR

Exhibition on branding candidate products of LB-BR

Coffee produced from targeted villages of the Project was served during tea break

Exhibition on natural water from BNBNP packaged in sample bottles as one of the potential branding products of LB-BR