Vietnamese smallholders help end deforestation – photo essay

In the foothills of Vietnam's Annamite mountains, hundreds of small forest owners are joining forces to produce sustainable acacia used in furniture around the world. With much of the country's plantations owned by individuals, expanding the approach may be the best chance for saving forests in the Greater Mekong

All photographs: James Morgan/WWF

"It all starts with the seedlings!" says Le Thi Thuy Nga (left), the manager of Tien Phong forestry company in central Vietnam's Thaa Thiin-Hua province. "All of ours are propagated from the 'mother tree' kept by the Academy of Forest Sciences in Hanoi. With a 99% survival rate, they effectively double overall plantation productivity."