Drivers of forest change in Hoa Binh,Vietnam in the context of integration and globalization

This study identified spatial patterns of forest change in Hoa Binh, Vietnam, from 2005 to 2017 by integrating Landsat data and Geographic Information System (GIS) data. A Multiple Logistic Regression (MLR) model was adapted to analyse drivers of three types of forest change, including (i) deforestation and forest degradation, (ii) forest regrowth and (iii) plantation expansion. The results reveal that accessibility and local economic development were determinants of forest cover dynamics during the integration and globalization period and that increased population pressure and poverty were no longer the main factors in forest cover transition. Several key policies in this time period positively affected forest cover change, triggering private sector participation in developing the forest economy by including households and small and medium enterprises in particular. The findings of this study can provide learning points for the implementation of sustainable forest management policies in other Vietnamese provinces or in neighbouring countries. This research has provided an effective tool for visualizing human‐forest ecosystem interaction, and this tool can be applied to subsequent studies to determine causes of forest cover change at the provincial level in Vietnam.     

Distribution and genesis of high-fluoride groundwaters in Ninh Hoa district, Vietnam

In 2003, we initiated the first systematic investigation of the occurrence of high-fluoride groundwaters in the Ninh Hoa district, China. The study involved the measurement of F- and other ionic species （by FISE and HPIC techniques） in well and bore samples throughout the district. The results helped ascertain the precise extent of fluorosis risk within the local population. Treatment of the data within a GIS enables recognition of particular hot-spots of fluoride concentration, and provides a valuable tool for the minimizing of local health risks and identification of possible source, or sources, of fluoride.