Over the last decades, Vietnam has seen substantial shifts in forest landscape uses and associated livelihoods. We document the livelihood transformations in Nam Dong, a mountainous district of Central Vietnam, where land uses have changed from the utilisation of products from natural forests and shifting cultivation (swidden agriculture) to acacia tree-dominated plantation forestry. Forestry policies (forestland allocation, plantation development agendas), the increase in the economic value of acacia, and household livelihood assets are the primary factors driving these changes. We also found that there are differences in the access to and ownership of forestland with regard to households of different communities and between poor vs wealthy households. Therefore, careful attention needs to be paid to guide future land use policies in the area to foster social and ecological sustainability.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Major livelihood and forestland-use changes have taken place in central Vietnam over the last two decades.
• There has been widespread conversion of forestland (degraded natural forests, swidden land) and cropland to acacia plantations.
• Household-scale forestland use changes were primarily driven by forestry policies, the market for woodchips, and land resource access.
• There is inequality in access to and ownership of forestland between poor and wealthier households in the mountain district of Vietnam.
• Cases of illegal forestland conversions pose challenges to ensuring sustainable forest landscapes.