Monitoring of Field Patrolling Efforts, Vietnam: Insights from a Forest Station in Pu Hu Nature Reserve

In the various protected areas such as nature reserves and national parks in Vietnam, ranger patrols are crucial for protecting forest resources against the increasing threats from fringe communities. Previous studies have investigated ranger patrol efforts (RPEs) in conservation areas using conventional measures in terms of illegal activities encountered, but there has been little research into indices related to RPEs in the field, both worldwide and particularly in Vietnam. This paper explores various indices of RPEs and other aspects of forest patrolling at a local level. The number of rangers and patrol-days strongly influences the distance walked and the number of patrol-hours. However, neither the rainy season nor the Lunar New Year festival had any significant effect on patrol efforts, nor was there any effect on the relative altitude covered or the speed of patrolling during the long Lunar New Year vacation. Management responsible for protecting forest areas needs to consider the full scope of rangers’ efforts and identify the qualities of motivated staff. Our findings suggested ways in which rangers’ capacity to promote conservation may be assessed in the future.