However, besides these many positive outcomes, new obstacles have arisen that may undermine the reform process’ sustainability. How vulnerable does the poor remain, how vulnerable will they be in future amidst the challenges of global change, climate change in particular, and to what degree have the tenure reforms contributed to cushioning negative effects? Even if landlessness is not a key problem in Vietnam, other risks endangering sustainability arise: Although devolution is on its way in Vietnam, local governments still lack incentives to balance private and public interests and, together with landowners and users, to manage the lands in a sustainable way. This may refer, for example, to local land-use plans.
Empirical evidence shows that secured land tenure fosters investment in agroforestry and perennial systems, even in soil conservation measures. LUCs encourage higher adoption of land conservation attempts, like ditches and other anti-erosion practices. However, the distribution of LUCs and resulting effects on land conservation measures should be closely monitored. Accessing secured land rights must not imply an accelerated conversion of forests, pastures, or wetlands into the private domain, which might not only lead to unsustainable production that endangers the delivery of ecosystem services and biodiversity but also to delinking the rural poor from income streams arising from common pool resources such as non-timber products or fodder.
Although several negative feedback mechanisms can be expected as secondary effects of land reform, particularly related to equity and income distribution as well as environmental issues, the positive