From Legal Acts to Village Institutions and Forest Use Practices

Devolution that transfers authority over forests and forest management responsibility to Iocal communities is often viewed as a promising solution for conservation and alleviation of rural poverty. There are now devolution policies for natural resource management in many countries around the world. Although devolution is on the increase, "How does devolution work?" is still a question that gains the interest of researchers. This study tries to answer the above question by seeking to understand the effects of forest devolution on local forest institutions. The study also responds to the concerns of Vietnamese policy-makers about solutions for an effective forest management. The study approaches the issue of forest devolution in Vietnam's Central Highland province Dak Lak from a property rights perspective. It examines the change in local property rights and governance structures. In the broader context, it hopes to empirically contribute to the literature on forest devolution. It also provides an approach for understanding community-based natural resource management with respect to forest devolution.