To make forests truly "gold"

12:14, 04/04/2024

BHG - Tan Thanh is a particularly disadvantaged commune in Bac Quang district. The entire commune has nearly 5,000 hectares of forest receiving forest environmental services (FES). With many innovative and effective approaches in managing and utilizing FES funds in conjunction with forest protection and development, the commune has been bringing prosperity to its forest keepers.

Nam An and Phin Ho are two remote, mountainous villages facing many difficulties. However, both villages possess "golden forests" that are covered by the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) program. According to Pham Thi Thom, Deputy Head of the Bac Quang Forest Ranger Station: "Thanks to the PES policy, ethnic minority people here have increased their income, leading to improved forest management and protection. The people have a better awareness and responsibility for forest protection. Surveys and assessments of forest reserves in the community forests of Nam An and Phin Ho villages over the years show that: Most of the forest area has improved from poor to medium forest, and from medium to rich forest, with standing timber reserves exceeding 200 m3/ha." Currently, in addition to the 43 households and individuals in Nam An and Phin Ho villages benefiting from the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) policy, the community of these two villages directly manages and protects over 3,100 hectares of forest, receiving over 1 billion VND per village per year in PES payments. The head of Nam An village, Trieu Chan Sinh, shared: "The PES payments, besides covering forest patrol, control, and protection costs, have significantly contributed to improving the quality of life for the people. Many households have proactively purchased seedlings to plant forests, or planted cardamom under the forest canopy to increase their income from forestry, or invested in building auxiliary facilities to ensure convenience and aesthetics. Out of 43 households in the village, only 6 are now poor and 1 is near-poor. Four of the six poor households and one near-poor household are striving to escape poverty in 2024."

Leaders of Tan Thanh commune (Bac Quang district) inspect the forest area in Nam Mu village.

According to Thieu Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the Tan Thanh Commune People's Committee: The entire commune has nearly 5,000 hectares of forest receiving payments for forest environmental services, totaling over 3 billion VND per year. Of this, 243 households receive payments for forest environmental services covering nearly 630 hectares; the remaining area is managed by the Commune People's Committee. The biggest change since the implementation of the forest environmental service policy is the improved awareness and responsibility of the people in managing and protecting the forest. This policy not only contributes to increasing resources for forest protection and development but also provides a stable income for the people. Each month, the communities in the villages receive a certain amount of additional income to support the development of rural infrastructure and technology. This creates an incentive for them to actively and proactively participate in forest management, protection, and development activities.

To operate the forest protection and development payment system, the Tan Thanh Commune People's Committee established a Commune-level Forest Protection and Development Management Board; forest protection teams were also established in each village. Annually, the Commune's Forest Protection and Development Management Board, in coordination with local forest rangers, inspects the contracted forest areas, pays forest protection and development fees, and monitors the forest protection activities of contracted households as well as other households in the commune. Simultaneously, they develop plans to disseminate information and guide people in villages with forest areas within the forest protection and development watershed to effectively manage, protect, and prevent forest fires. In particular, the Commune People's Committee regularly coordinates with relevant forces to patrol and monitor the exploitation, transportation, trading, and processing of forest products in the area. Therefore, in the past five years, Tan Thanh Commune has not experienced any forest fires; violations of forestry laws have been promptly prevented and handled, and are showing a downward trend.

Currently, the Tan Thanh Commune People's Committee manages 10 out of 12 villages with forest areas providing ecosystem services to 6 hydropower plants, including Nam Mu, Nam An, and Song Lo Hydropower Plants 4, 6, 8A, and 8B. To establish a basis for allocating funds for ecosystem service payments to forest owners and forest protection contractors, in 2021, the Tan Thanh Commune People's Committee developed a plan, approved by the Bac Quang District People's Committee, as a basis for managing and utilizing ecosystem service funds in conjunction with forest protection, yielding practical results. This plan clearly defines the benefits, rights, and obligations of those receiving and paying for ecosystem services. This contributes to raising public awareness about forest protection; minimizing negative impacts on forests; enhancing the function of protecting and regulating water resources and flow to supply water to hydropower plants and local production; and conserving and maintaining the biodiversity values of the forests. Furthermore, forest quality has improved through indicators such as the area of protected forest areas that have been inspected and approved for conversion into forest; restored forests that previously lacked sufficient timber volume are now eligible to be considered as having timber volume; and the forest cover of the commune has increased from 65% (in 2021) to 76.3% at present.

With the decisive involvement of the Party Committee and the government of Tan Thanh commune, and the consensus among the people on implementing the policy of payment for forest environmental services, forest resources have been well protected; promoting local socio-economic development, as shared by the head of Nam An village, Trieu Chan Sinh: "With forests, we can preserve the land and water, regulate the atmosphere, and those working in forestry can earn a decent income."

Text and photos: THU PHUONG

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