national-reforestation-regional-deforestation-cross-border-trade-and-forest-transition-in-vietnam

Vietnam confidently proclaims that it is capable of supplying most of its timber demand itself, but reports by NGOs claim that Vietnam has met its timber needs largely by importing illegal wood from Laos and Cambodia. Using a panel dataset for 60 provincial units over the period 2005-2011, this masters thesis reports regression results using Tobit models, in an attempt to determine whether the Vietnamese borderland with Laos and Cambodia is actually deforesting (reducing its forests) or reforesting (increasing its forests). A number of factors has been controlled for in the statistical analysis, such as border checkpoint density, population, provincial transparency level, wood production, etc. These factors have a significant impact on either deforestation, or on reforestation, or on both. The main conclusion of this study is that the Vietnamese borderland is subject to less reforestation than other regions in the country and that there is evidence of leakage. When it comes to reforestation and the prevention of deforestation, other regions are more successful.