Luận án Tiến sĩ: Bảo tồn tài nguyên rừng dựa vào cộng đồng dân tộc Tà Ôi, huyện A Lưới, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế

The increasing pressures from economic development, rapid population growth, and poverty globally have led to severe degradation and depletion of natural resources, particularly forests, threatening biodiversity and local livelihoods. In Vietnam, the Central Truong Son region, especially A Luoi district in Thua Thien Hue, is a critical biodiversity corridor inhabited by ethnic minority groups like the Ta Oi, whose culture and sustenance are deeply intertwined with forest resources. Despite the critical importance of these forests, existing top-down administrative approaches often fail to engage local communities effectively, resulting in continued forest degradation. This thesis addresses the urgent need for sustainable solutions that integrate traditional knowledge and community participation for effective forest conservation and development in this vital ecological and cultural landscape.

Researchers, academics, and policymakers in environmental science, sustainable development, and ethnography, especially those focused on community-based natural resource management and ethnic minority development in Vietnam.

This doctoral thesis, titled "Community-based forest conservation of Ta Oi ethnic group in A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province," delves into a crucial aspect of environmental management: the interplay between natural resource conservation and sustainable development, with a particular focus on the unique context of ethnic minority communities. The research aims to establish a scientific foundation for effective community-based forest management for the Ta Oi people in A Luoi, a region recognized as a significant biodiversity corridor within the Central Truong Son range. The study systematically evaluates the theoretical and practical underpinnings of community-based forest conservation, analyzing the current state of forest management, including existing challenges like illegal exploitation and the limited involvement of local communities despite their profound dependence on forest resources. It meticulously identifies and assesses the intricate relationships among various stakeholders in forest conservation efforts within A Luoi. A core contribution of this work is illuminating the indispensable role of the Ta Oi ethnic community, emphasizing how their deep-rooted traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and customary laws ("luật tục") are not only integral to their livelihoods but also powerful assets for effective biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource utilization. Employing a comprehensive research methodology, including the collection of both primary and secondary data, the thesis analyzes how traditional practices can be harmonized with modern conservation strategies. Ultimately, it proposes a set of feasible policy, organizational, technical, and livelihood-based solutions designed to enhance the Ta Oi community's participation and empower them as central actors in the management and protection of their forest heritage. These practical recommendations are intended to foster a "win-win" scenario, ensuring both the ecological integrity of the forests and the socio-economic well-being and cultural preservation of the local populace, thereby offering valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners in similar contexts of community-based natural resource management.