People Resources and Conservation Foundation

PRCF Vietnam is an amazing organisation with a sophisticated network of rangers, village committees and farmers, held together with a combination of an excellent managerial system and strong relationships between charity staff and the local communities. Using this conservation infrastructure the PRCF has not only done great work in protecting and strengthening biodiversity in its conservation areas but it has improved the livelihoods of the local people who live in and around the protected areas. Over the three months I volunteered with the PRCF I gained a valuable experience about the inner workings of a biological conservation charity and an important insight into the profession.

I have worked as an internship for PRCF in Vietnam. With me, that period of time was precious. I was able to learn new concepts and skills related to environment. Besides, I realize that PRCF is a wonderful organization which operates for the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainability of the environment. Their innovative approach - ccollaboration with local community proved efficient in conservation of wildlife. I think that if PRCF has more and more funding, they will strongly develop and contribute to protecting environment and wildlife.

People Resource Conservation Fund ( PRCF) , an Conservation NGO working to strengthening the local communities to manage their natural resources.

I worked directly with the organisation in a community-based gibbon conservation project in northeastern Viet Nam in 2005 and 2006. At that time PRCF had a small office but impressively with dedicated and professional staff, both international and local, in biology, species conservation, forestry management, community based rural planning and development. PRCF was our project’s partner conducting an initial resource use assessment and socio-economic study landscape of our eastern black-crested gibbon conservation area in the Tay and Nung ethnic communities of Cao Bang province. What was unique in PRCF’s approach to conservation was its commitment and strong actions in developing local expertise by collaborating with local universities and research institutes, supporting local researchers and encouraging participation of local communities in all aspects of its work.

I volunteered for PRCF - Vietnam in 2007-2008 while working on my Masters thesis on Civil Society in Vietnam. I became interested in this organization because of my passion for wildlife conservation and community development in the developing world. PRCF gave me the opportunity to work at Ba Be National Park, located in a very remote region of Northern Vietnam. I was able to witness a simpler way of living where the locals villages live off the land and their limited natural resources. I can say this was one of the most rewarding experiences in my lifetime. I got involved in an environmental education project that raised awareness among village school children of their natural environment. In one activity, we organized a local children's painting contest and the winners' pieces were printed into a calendar and t-shirts. I found this made positive impact and the children were gratified to see that there was an importance to their work. We also raised awareness for the protection of the Francois' langur by helping the community understand the importance of this endangered species and to curb their current practices of poaching these animals. PRCF is a growing organization that has strong conservation values and a devoted team of people. I enjoyed my time as a volunteer and would recommend it for anyone that is adventurous, resourceful, adaptable and has a strong passion for the environmental sustainability in the less developed areas of the world.

Working as an artist with PRCF, it was truely wonderful to be able to have that hands on experience with local people, which meant so much more when I then worked from afar for PRCF. Their role, which so often uses simple approaches, causes great wonderful impact upon local people.

I have been working with PRCF as part time conservation project office in Cambodia to conserve threatened birds and environment. The programme is so very useful and help full for conservation. Staff work very closely with the nature and fund have been use wisely and carefully 80 to 85% of entitle funding come strait to conserve the nature at this field. Staff willing to work with no office and old equipments with highly commitment with conservation.

In Vietnam, PRCF is working with local people and authorities in biodiversity conservation. PRCF's staff are professional, dynamic and committed to work in the field. PRCF are contributing to conservation of endangered species of Vietnam.

I recently spent 3 months (Dec 2011 - March 2012) working with the PRCF staff shooting a documentary about their conservation efforts with Francois' Langurs in North Vietnam. I found everybody connected with this project to be very dedicated to educating the local communities about Francois' Langur conservation, and in general helping local communities cope with their environmental problems. Without PRCF's conservation work in this area, the 80 or so remaining individual members of this leaf eating monkey species in Vietnam, would have very little chance of survival.

PRCF is serious about people-centered biodiversity conservation. Their approach is hybrid of sorts -- part international organization specialized expertise and part local organization with knowledgeable and committed national staff. The activities PCRF supports and the unique geographical areas served represent some of the more difficult conservation challenges we face: critically endangered species; complex challenges to sustainable landscapes; and economic marginalization due to ethnic trends and poverty cycles. PCRF is making a difference in the communities and countries that is serves. I am certain they would welcome your support, advise and volunteered contributions.

I have been working with PRCF for over three years. It is a great organization which focusses mostly on grassroot level conservation and capacity building. Together we have successfully established a community forest in Karen State, Burma and trained the villagers who are currently conserving the forest on their own. We also conjoinlty produced a hoolock gibbon status survey in Khe Shor Ter Forest, Burma by using the pro-people method. Summarized, I guarantee that this organization has genuine capacity and desire to work with all stakeholders for the purpose of pro-people natural conservation.

Focused work that underlines long-term impact with building of local capacity and skills in-country. PRCF have been an extremely effective, small and lean organization that have been an excellent grantee in terms of the professional management of the grants we have awarded them, their impact and their relationships with local communities and local authorities in the countries in which they work.

PRCF Vietnam works in often neglected, highly biodiverse areas that truly benefit from their presence and support. My experience in Ba Be National Park as an intern with PRCF gave me the chance to coordinate household surveys to better understand attitudes and perceptions of the park and to support sustainable fishing management, which are crucial to the ecosystem conservation of the largest natural lake in Vietnam and its surrounding forests. They have remained dedicated to conservation in this region, and I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

I first began to have a deeper understanding of conservation and the type of people active in conservation when my daughter Clea became passionately involved in conservation in her teens. (Almost 20 years later she is still as passionate). After coming to live in Vietnam I met similarly dedicated conservationists. One organization's name consistently came up in their discussions as truly dedicated to both conservation and support for minority people. That organization was (and is) PRCF, People Resources and Conservation Foundation. As the years went by I met more people working for and with PRCF and had the opportunity to see first-hand some of the work they were doing in Vietnam. In every case I was struck by their dedication and professionalism. I was honored when invited by PRCF to work with them in my areas of culture development, team building and strategic development. In that role I have had the opportunity to work with PRCF people from several countries. Their dedication and professionalism is shown by their every action and the results they have achieved. They are an exceptional group of people in an exceptional organization.

I have been involved with PRCF since 2004. Initially in my free time supporting to develop its biodiversity conservation programme in Vietnam, by developing project ideas, helping write grant proposals and providing technical advice in my fields of expertise. In the past few years I have become more involved regionally, including a scoping visit to the Philippines, involvement in regional strategy workshops and acting as Exec. Secretary to the Board. I am happy to give my free time to PRCF. It is staffed and supported by very committed individuals who put in great energy in response to PRCF's vision and collegial working spirit. The vision of PRCF places strong emphasis in supporting local communities in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management, which is both extremely challenging in this region and inspirational.

BirdLife International Cambodia Programme has worked with PRCF for several years tying to improve the management of Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia. Via our role under the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund we have also provided a small grant to PRCF. PRCF are professional in the delivery of projects, innovative in their approaches and work closely and develop strong relationships with local civil society organisations.

PRCF is managed by conservation professionals who are non-paid and simply want to further global conservation goals beyond what they may be doing in their own area of work. As such PRCF is extremely cost effective - delivering maximum impact at the field level at lowest cost. I am based in East Africa, but I am able to use my 20+ years of experience in Asia in guiding work through the PRCF in indochina and Myanmar. Though I now work professionally on forest issues and livelihoods development in Africa, I still participate in the exciting work of PRCF in discovering new species in Myanmar or in managing critical ecosystems in Vietnam. We all benefit.

We have collaborated with PRCF between 2005 and 2008 on several conservation projects PRCF was implementing in Kalimantan, Indonesia and Ba Be National Park in Vietnam. We found PRCF's work in conservation with indigenous peoples very innovative and empowering to grassroots communities. Their local partners valued highly the technical and scientific assistance which PRCF provided to them. I can attest that the indigenous peoples and their respective communities who have partnered with PRCF over the years have succeeded in implementing their conservation cum anti poverty projects partly because of PRCF's sustained help.

I haven't worked for People Resources and Conservation Foundation, but I am familiar with their work and projects. Although they are small organization, they have a very strong local presence and this helps them to achieve greater impact. PRCF focuses on involving the remote communities in identifying the best ways to conserve their environment, and very often this means conserving some of the most valuable landscapes or species in the Asia-Pacific region. PRCF staff are important link between local people and global research findings and markets. However, it's not always easy to be present on the ground, as it requires funds and resources. It is therefore very good to share PRCF work with the general public and secure more support to continue their conservation and capacity building work.

PRCF’s activities have been directly contributing to the enhancement of conservation effectiveness and livelihood opportunities at the local level. Lessons from PRCF’s community-based conservation and development approach should provide useful information to national and sub-national policy making processes to make conservation policies and practices more effective and sustainable and work for local people. Because of such potential impacts, PRCF deserves more support and funding to expand and intensify its work in Asia and other parts of the world.

PRCF is composed of dedicated staff, both on the management level as on the field level. The projects they implement are truly focused on conservation of biodiversity. What impressed me when I met the team in Indonesia is the loyalty to the organization based on their view that PRCF works on the ground with communities, something they themselves can help shape through their own actions. They are happy to work for PRCF because the nature of the organization lets them do that and they feel that PRCF is really focused on the community level. Funds that go to PRCF represents well spent money, as only a minimum goes into overhead, without a bloated set of staff. Topics that PRCF typically seeks to cover focuses on threatened and endangered species, looking for community based resource management options wherever possible.

As a current volunteer, I assist the organization with developing ideas for marketing campaigns and help with grants and database updating. For example, I recently worked on a "tweet blast," using the social media network Twitter, to spread the word about Earth Day and give environmental tips and information. The staff that I have worked with have been very open and friendly, and I feel very comfortable communicating with them. They are very flexible with my schedule and assign me meaningful tasks and projects that utilize my skills.

I am one of three founding directors of the PRCF in 1996. The PRCF works with local communities, in cooperation with local government agencies, to improve their lifestyles through improved livelihood programs and the protection, conservation, and management of their forest resources. Working with PRCF community development programs is exciting, challenging, and rewarding. Since 1996 I have personally been involved in training programs that assist communities in Indonesia Vietnam, and the Philippines to develop, manage, and protect their surrounding forests, and to also develop and manage tree-based agroforestry systems for food, fuelwood, fodder, planting materials, and timber. Currently, I am involved with an exciting PRCF project that uses assisted natural regeneration (ANR) to help restore degraded forest habitat of the critically endangered Cao Vit Gibbon (or Eastern Black Crested Gibbon) in four pilot valleys of the 28 valley Cao Vit Gibbon Conservation Area in Northern Vietnam. As PRCF expands into other countries, I look forward to working with communities in the future to implement similar community forestry and conservation programs.

PRCF is a small, but deeply committed NGO, with a unique focus on environmentally sound management of natural resources and respect for local people's culture and livelihoods. PRCF does not make great waves, but quietly and solidly contributes to improving the environment and improving the lives of forest-dependent people.

Working with PRCF was a great learning experience. Their work in the remote parts of northern Vietnam involving local communities in biodiversity conservation underlines their deep understanding of conservation needs. The people at PRCF are highly motivated and passionate about their work. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

The PRCF's commitment to the conservation of biological diversity through community involvement programs in developing countries draw me to join their team in Vietnam for a 6-months internship. My work with them is now sadly coming to an end, and looking back I can sincerely say that the opportunity to participate in their conservation efforts has proved to be a daily enriching experience. Leading innovative local solutions to one of the toughest challenges facing humanity, PRCF is an organization I hold in high regard and that will always be a source of inspiration in my environmental career.

The PRCF team is very welcoming and provided much support for me during my placement. Knowing very little about environmental issues in South East Asia prior to my assignment at their Indonesian office, I gained a wealth of information and have a new found interest in these important conservation issues. The organization may be small, but they are working towards tackling big issues in a results oriented approach. Their work in empowering local comnunities seems to be the driving force of their current successes and is one reason why I would love to work with the organization again