ERPA strategic financial lever for forest protection in Quang Tri

With effectively allocated financial resources, ERPA not only strengthens the green lung of the province but also opens up unprecedented livelihood development opportunities for local communities, while affirming Vietnam's pioneering role in efforts to respond to global climate change.

Community empowerment - expanding benefits

The story of positive change in Rum Ho village, Kim Ngan commune, is a vivid testament to the power of ERPA. Ho Mong, a Bru-Van Kieu ethnic person, shared with excitement: "In the past, due to lack of stable jobs, people often went into the forest to cut down trees and hunt wild animals. Now things are different. Thanks to funding from ERPA, I and many other Van Kieu people have actively participated in forest patrol teams. Together, we have protected more than 15,000 hectares of special-use forests and production forests around Cau Khi area."

From ERPA funding, ethnic minority people in Quang Tri have been supported with trees and seeds to stabilize their livelihoods and return to protect the forest more effectively. — *From ERPA funding, ethnic minority people in Quang Tri have been supported with trees and seedlings to stabilize their livelihoods and return to protect the forest more effectively.*

Not only Mr. Mong, his wife, Ms. Ho Thi Mim, also had the opportunity to improve her family life: "My wife, Ho Thi Mim, is now also supported with a cow and a homestay model to develop the household economy combined with community and ecological tourism. Now, many Bru-Van Kieu people in Kim Ngan commune understand that actively joining hands to preserve the forest well is to maintain a sustainable prosperity for the village." This sincere sharing emphasizes the change in awareness and action, from deforestation to forest protection for the future of oneself and the community.

A worthy gift for the Forest Keeper

Mr. Bach Thanh Hai, Director of the Dong Chau - Khe Nuoc Trong Nature Reserve Management Board, affirmed the key role of ERPA in local forest management. He said: "Many Bru-Van Kieu people in Kim Ngan commune understand that actively joining hands to preserve the forest well is to maintain a sustainable prosperity for the village. With a total forest land area of more than 34,000 hectares assigned for management, in 2023 and 2024 alone, the unit has been allocated more than 10 billion VND from ERPA by the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund (BV-PTR). The 2025 budget is still in the process of being paid."

*With the support of ERPA, the villagers living near the forest in Quang Tri feel secure in protecting the forest and know how to use the forest for tourism under the forest canopy.*

Forest protection to exploit forest advantages has been effectively implemented by people living next to forests in Quang Tri province for the past 3 years thanks to ERPA funding.

Mr. Hai also emphasized the specific effects that this financial source brings: "Thanks to the benefits from ERPA, many Bru-Van Kieu communities in Rum Ho, Mit Cat, Trung Doan, An Bai, Ha Lec, and Bach Dan villages in Kim Ngan commune have had more opportunities to improve their quality of life. They participate in contracting forest protection, forest fire prevention and fighting, wildlife protection, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood development from livestock farming, farming, community and ecological tourism."

KEEP STARTED — *Thanks to good forest protection work, the forest cover rate in Quang Tri has now reached over 61%.*

*Thanks to good forest protection work, the forest cover rate in Quang Tri has now reached over 61%.*

To increase the effectiveness of forest protection, the Management Board has also proactively signed seasonal contracts with local people: "In addition, from 2023 to now, the Management Board has also signed seasonal contracts (3 months/time) to protect the forest with 16 people, mostly Bru-Van Kieu people, with a salary of 7-10 million VND/worker/month. This source of funding has helped forest owners increase the forest protection force through contracts with communities living along the forest; at the same time, there is an additional source of funding for forest development by implementing silvicultural activities, contributing to improving the quality of natural forests.

“ Quang Tri province currently has a total natural area of 1,270,000 hectares, of which the forest area is 841,224 hectares (natural forest is more than 596,000 hectares, planted forest is nearly 245,000 hectares) . By June 30, 2025, the total amount received from the Central Fund and bank interest reached nearly 365 billion VND. The Quang Tri Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund has disbursed more than 328.7 billion VND to forest owners' accounts, reaching 90.21% . Specifically, Quang Binh province (old) disbursed more than 271 billion VND, reaching 90.78%; Quang Tri province (old) disbursed more than 57 billion VND, reaching nearly 90 %. This funding source has supported 11,900 households, 23 forest owners who are organizations and 56 forest owners who are commune-level People's Committees to improve the effectiveness of forest protection and development work. contributing to improving stable livelihoods . In addition, the whole province has 127 communities assigned to manage forests that have benefited from ERPA with an amount of 8.2 billion VND; 92 communities participating in forest protection contracts have also had their financial plans approved for 2024; 160 residential communities are supported with an additional 50 million VND/community/year to carry out livelihood development activities chosen by the communities themselves .