Motivation for communities to protect and develop forests

In recent years, the policy of payment for forest environmental services (PFES) has become an important resource, creating motivation for people to stick with, protect and develop forests sustainably. At the Song Da Protection Forest Management Board, this model not only contributes to stabilizing the livelihoods of households living along the forest but also helps the upstream forests to grow greener and greener, promoting the effectiveness of protection, protecting water resources and preventing erosion and soil degradation.

The Song Da Protection Forest Management Board is responsible for managing and protecting forests and stabilizing the water source of the Hoa Binh Hydroelectric Reservoir. The Board is managing more than 17,000 hectares of forest in 13 communes and wards. This area is located in the upstream area of ​​the Da River, with complex terrain and harsh weather. People's lives mainly depend on agricultural and forestry production. Previously, forest protection faced many difficulties due to lack of patrolling and propaganda personnel. However, since implementing the policy of paying for forest environmental services, socialized resources for forest protection have been expanded, hundreds of households living along the forest have become active "forest guards", participating with the government in monitoring and protecting the green forest more effectively.

Thanks to the policy of paying for forest environmental services, Mr. Bui The Can's family in Nai hamlet, Thung Nai commune actively participates in forest protection and development.

In Thung Nai commune, where many households depend on the forest for their livelihoods, the forest environmental service policy has brought about clear changes. The family of Mr. Bui The Can in Nai hamlet is a typical example. Mr. Can shared: Previously, people in the surrounding area mainly worked on slash-and-burn farming, sometimes encroaching on forest land to grow corn and cassava. But since being informed and receiving money for forest environmental service payments, people's perceptions have changed. My family considers the forest as our own property. In the dry season, we regularly patrol and clear firebreaks; in the rainy season, we patrol the forest and check for landslides or detect signs of encroachment, promptly reporting to the Song Da Forest Protection Management Board, Cao Phong Forest Protection Department, and the Commune People's Committee for coordination in handling. As a result, the forest is preserved, the lake water source is clearer, and people's lives are stable.

Thung Nai commune currently has more than 900 households receiving payment for forest environmental services. All households are committed to protecting the forest, coordinating with the forest rangers and the Song Da Forest Protection Management Board in patrolling, preventing and fighting forest fires. Forest protection teams and groups are established in each residential area, maintaining a rotational duty regime, ensuring that forests are regularly and continuously inspected. Along with that, the Song Da Forest Protection Management Board coordinates with local authorities to organize propaganda and training on forest protection skills, forest fire prevention and fighting. Many households that previously cut down forests for slash-and-burn farming have now switched to planting production forests, combining with livestock raising under the forest canopy, bringing double benefits.

Comrade Nguyen Van Hung - Head of the Song Da Protective Forest Management Board emphasized: Payment for forest environmental services is not only an economic policy but also a tool for socializing forest protection. When people benefit, they will be more responsible. In the coming time, the Board will continue to coordinate with localities to apply digital technology in forest monitoring, ensuring fairness and transparency in the allocation of funds. At the same time, encourage people to combine livelihood development under the forest canopy, such as growing medicinal plants, raising bees, and developing eco-tourism to increase the value of the forest. Up to now, the unit has coordinated with the People's Committees of communes and wards with land areas assigned by the Management Board to protect protective forests for 87 households, individuals, and communities in 11 communes.

In fact, in areas where people benefit from DVMTR, awareness of forest protection has been significantly improved. The number of forestry law violations has decreased significantly, and upstream forest areas have been better restored. The lush green protective forest canopy has contributed to protecting water sources for hydroelectric projects, regulating the climate, reducing floods and landslides during the rainy and stormy season.

The Da River protection forests today are not only the “green lungs” of the upstream area but also a testament to the effectiveness of the Payment for Forest Services policy – ​​a correct direction, linking nature conservation with sustainable economic development. When forests are protected, people have income, the environment is preserved, which is a solid foundation for green development, harmony between people and nature.

Hoang Huong

Source: https://baophutho.vn/dong-luc-nbsp-de-cong-dong-nbsp-bao-ve-va-phat-trien-nbsp-rung-242108.htm