Workshop to Share New Tools for Monitoring and Evaluating Livelihoods and Vulnerability Indicators

The workshop was organized by the Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (CRES), part of Viet Nam National University. The workshop counted with the participation of representatives from provincial departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment, Forest Protection, Forest Management Boards and of the Center of Agriculture Extension of six provinces of Ca Mau, Kien Giang, An Giang, Soc Trang, Ben Tre and Bac Lieu.

The main issue presented were the results obtained by the project “Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER)” between 2012 – 2015. The results included REDD Environmental and Social Index (RESI) for provincial level; methodologies to develop Reference Livelihoods and Vulnerability Levels (RLVL) and its database for communities; and various training courses for local staff.

Mr Tran Huu Nghi, TBI Viet Nam programme’s director, gave a presentation entitled “Methodologies and Tools to Monitor and Evaluate Livelihoods and Vulnerability Indicators at Local Level in REDD and PES projects”. The presentation highlighted the foundations and steps to develop RLVL.

During the discussions, Mr Nghi also indicated that PEER is a research project, aimed to develop methodologies and new social science tools such as RLVL databases for community level, and RESI for provincial level. RESI will help to assess the likelihood of meeting conditions of success in REDD. Thus, RESI can be used as an effective tool to assess the potential success prior to REDD implementation, or to evaluate the impacts after carrying out REDD at provincial level. The participants showed a high interest on the purposes of RESI, how and where to use it, and where they could find more information about RESI and RLVL.

The project “Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER)”, which has financial support from the United States Agency for International Development and the National Science Foundation, is designed to create capacity among interdisciplinary social and environmental scientists and NGOs within Viet Nam to understand the potential livelihood impacts of REDD, and to use this information to help development partners to develop appropriate assessments and understandings of the potential pitfalls and successes of REDD at local levels.