Publisher :
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2005
Thematic : TEEB
Language : English
Note
This study has investigated the economic dependence of the Ka Tu people on the A�Vuong
watershed in Vietnam. It is part of the Swiss-Re funded A�Vuong watershed project, which
focuses on developing a comprehensive framework for the management of freshwater and
forest resources by indigenous Ka Tu communities in the upland watershed areas of Quang
Nam province, Central Vietnam.
The upland A�Vuong is one of the primary watershed systems that supports the Thu Bon
river, with six other critical watershed forests contributing to its mighty flow. The area is
highly valuable in terms of its biodiversity � dense rainforests cover most of the watershed. In
1993, the area became internationally famous for the discovery of a new species of mammal,
the Saola. Since then, several other animal species have been discovered.
At the same time, the mountainous region of Quang Nam province in which the A�Vuong is
located, is rated as one of the poorest in Vietnam. The Committee for Ethnic Minorities and
Mountainous Areas (CEMMA) has ranked 60 communes in the six mountain districts as
highest priority for poverty alleviation and development assistance, out of a total of 63
communes in the region. The population of these six districts is 87% ethnic minority, from 12
different ethnic groups. In the upper A�Vuong area, transport, market access, education, basic
infrastructure, health care and social services are all minimal, whilst the effects of war are still
present. �Agent Orange� defoliant, carpet-bombing, unexploded ordinance, and massive social
upheaval have ongoing repercussions on the stability and development of communities and
local institutions in the area, 30 years after the conflict ended.�
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Keywords : quantitative genetics
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
