Payment for forest environmental services contributes to the protection and sustainable development of forests.

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - Joining us in surveying the actual effectiveness of payment for forest environmental services (PFES) in Van Xuan commune, comrade Pham Anh Tam, Director of Xuan Lien National Park and some officers in charge of forest protection here, said: Xuan Lien National Park is assigned to manage 24,728.6 hectares of forest. Of which, 23,816.23 hectares are special-use forests, the remaining area is production forest. The area providing FES by July 2025 is about 24,000 hectares in the basins of Cua Dat, Doc Cay, Xuan Minh, and Bai Thuong Hydropower Plants.

Workers of Thuong Xuan Protective Forest Management Board clear vegetation to serve forest fire prevention and fighting.

In recent years, the unit has implemented forest protection contracting under the Payment for Forest Environmental Services program for residential communities in 5 buffer zone communes of the national park. Xuan Lien National Park has signed a contract to better implement sustainable forest protection work with 12 buffer zone village communities.

The outstanding results in recent years are that Xuan Lien National Park has fully and promptly implemented the policy of paying for forest environmental services according to the State's regulations. It has actively promoted awareness and responsibility of all levels, sectors and people in managing, protecting and developing forests in a sustainable manner. The forest protection team system of the contracted villages and hamlets at Xuan Lien National Park has about 300 members. This is an important force in organizing forest security patrols and inspections, reducing the pressure on the current shortage of staff at Xuan Lien National Park, actively contributing to the socialization of forest protection work at the root.

Currently, the entire forest area has been protected by local people; violations of the law on forest protection, development, forest fire prevention and fighting have gradually decreased. In recent years, Xuan Lien National Park has not violated the Forestry Law. Good implementation of the payment for forest environmental services policy at Xuan Lien National Park has made an important contribution to the management, protection and development of forests and improving the lives of people in the area, contributing with the local government in sustainable poverty reduction for people participating in forest protection and new rural development.

Specifically, from 2013 to August 2025, Xuan Lien National Park has paid for forest environmental services with a total amount of more than 22.5 billion VND to individuals and communities contracted to protect forests. From the fund for forest environmental services, villages and hamlets have built and upgraded 12 cultural houses; built more than 5km of fences for controlled livestock grazing areas; built and repaired 2km of intra-field canals to serve agricultural production; built more than 20km of village roads and alleys in villages and hamlets; repaired the loudspeaker system; created a source of loans for economic development for poor households in the locality..., contributing to promoting socio-economic development in the area.

Forests play a role in regulating water resources, absorbing CO2, creating beautiful landscapes... Therefore, businesses, production and business establishments, and individuals who benefit from forest environmental services such as hydropower, clean water, eco -tourism , aquaculture, water for industrial production or factories emitting CO2... must pay forest environmental service fees.

As of August 2025, Thanh Hoa province has more than 648,370 hectares of forest, of which 399,504.87 hectares of forest participate in providing forest environmental services. Implementing the 2025 plan, it is expected that by December 31, 2025, the whole province will collect 31.43 billion VND. As a result, by early August 2025, the whole province has collected more than 16.8 billion VND in forest environmental services. In 2024 alone, the whole province collected 31.39 billion VND in forest environmental services. The entire amount has been paid to forest owners, including organizations, individuals, and households that plant, care for, protect, and regenerate forests... The average payment level is 120,000 VND/ha/year. Of which, the highest is 143,899 VND/ha/year (Tri Nang hydropower basin), the lowest is 5,963 VND/ha/year (Cam Thuy 1 hydropower basin). For basins with low payment levels, the guaranteed support amount is 32,236 VND/ha/year.

Along with collecting and paying for forest environmental services, localities, units and forest owners have proactively planted replacement forests. To date, the province has planted 7,570 hectares of replacement forests, mainly production forests. The entire replacement forest area is being cared for, protected and implementing measures to prevent and fight forest fires, and the trees are growing and developing well.

Implementing the policy of paying for forest environmental services in Thanh Hoa has contributed to stabilizing the lives of forest workers, contributing to the implementation of the policy of socializing forest protection and development at the root, creating sustainable momentum for forestry economic development.

Article and photos: Thanh Quan

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/chi-tra-dich-vu-moi-truong-rung-gop-phan-nbsp-bao-ve-va-phat-trien-rung-ben-vung-259489.htm