Posted on November, 13 2024

“Since starting sustainable plantations, my income has increased significantly,” says Le Bien Hoa, an acacia wood grower from the foothills of the Annamite mountains in Viet Nam. “This has improved my quality of life, allowed me to raise my children well, renovate my house, and save for retirement. In short, I have overcome poverty.”

The project, aimed at improving forest management practices, increasing climate resilience and enhancing biodiversity, has led to truly life-changing results. WWF and IKEA have been working in landscapes in Viet Nam for almost two decades and understand that efforts to reduce deforestation and degradation must benefit both nature and people. The project involves allowing acacia trees to grow longer before harvesting, introducing native species to the plantations, and obtaining Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. The key was ensuring that growers and nature benefited in the long term.

In the Central Annamites landscape—a key biodiversity-rich forested area—thousands of small forest plantation owners produce acacia wood used in furniture around the world. Managed unsustainably, these plantations detriment the landscape’s ability to support threatened wildlife and the ecosystem services people rely upon. 

Hoa is one of these growers, whose work has been supported by the WWF and IKEA project. He explains that when trees are harvested too young, the quality of the wood is not as good. Aiming for FSC certification, he kept longer rotations between harvests (which protects soil and groundwater among other benefits for nature). This can be financially challenging in the short-term, however, and when his buyers started asking for larger quantities Hoa, like many other growers, could not produce enough on his own. 

WWF and IKEA therefore started connecting smallholders, who joined forces under a single association committed to responsible management practices through FSC certification—benefiting both the buyers and the growers. IKEA is also one of these buyers, meaning that they also play a role in strengthening the supply chain for responsible acacia in Viet Nam.

Preliminary studies have shown that by extending acacia rotation periods by 1-2 years, an additional 23 to 44% of carbon can be stored*.

* WWF-Viet Nam, 2022, Carbon Assessment for ‘Improved Forest Management through FSC Certification in Acacia Plantations’, for plantations up to 10  years old.

Hoa and other acacia wood growers have also chosen to go beyond certification by integrating native tree species into their plantations. Previously, many were unaware that growing only one type of tree in short rotation cycles harmed the soil and biodiversity. Nguyen Vu, WWF-Viet Nam explains: “When we introduced native tree species, in addition to sharing the benefits for ecology and biodiversity, our primary goal was to raise awareness of the role they play in the context of climate change. This is very relevant now, with increasing risks of forest fires and drought, pests and diseases, and landslides."

Since 2020, over 65,000 native trees have been planted across more than 110 hectares in Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, and Quang Nam provinces.

Watch the video to hear Hoa’s story in his own words, about how he has transformed his plantation for the better, improving both his livelihood and the forest. Over 17 years, the WWF and IKEA project has contributed to over 24,000 hectares of plantations securing FSC certification, with more than 3,000 plantation owners joining in.

“Our family will continue to maintain this sustainable acacia programme,” says Hoa. “I also want to encourage more people to join me.”

Video: Responsible forest management in Viet Nam: a win-win for nature and people