Efficiency from payment for forest environmental services

In recent years, Branch 2 of the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund has coordinated with relevant agencies and localities to review and determine forest areas eligible for payment and implement full and timely payments, helping forest owners have more income and motivation to participate in forest protection and development.

Forest protection team of Ot Cha village, Phieng Pan commune patrols to protect the forest.

Mr. Mai Hong Luu, in charge of Branch Area 2, said: After the merger according to the 2-level local government model, from July 1, the Branch was assigned to manage and pay for forest environmental services (FES) in the communes: Yen Chau, Chieng Hac, Long Phieng, Phieng Khoai, Yen Son, Mai Son, Phieng Cam, Phieng Pan, Ta Hoc, Muong Chanh, Chieng Mai, Chieng Sai. The Branch has assigned staff in charge of the area to coordinate with the grassroots to propagate the policy of FES payment. At the same time, it grasps accurate information about forest owners; reviews and updates points with changes in forest status on the forest developments and forest environmental services map.

Up to now, Branch Area 2 has completed the construction of a map to determine the forest area covered by MTR service payments in 2025, with nearly 65,000 hectares, for nearly 10,000 forest owners; of which, 9,000 forest owners are households and individuals; 252 forest owners are group households; 420 community forest owners; 207 forest owners are socio- political organizations; the rest are forest owners of commune People's Committees. Since the beginning of the year, the Branch has coordinated with the Mai Son Social Policy Bank Transaction Office to make payments through the accounts of 10,000 forest owners, with a total amount of over 20.5 billion VND, reaching 99.98% of the plan. At the same time, the Branch has promoted and mobilized communities that receive MTR service fees to voluntarily participate in developing village, hamlet, and sub-area regulations to manage and use MTR service fees in accordance with regulations, effectively, publicly, and transparently. Organize conferences to guide, deploy, build and replicate the model of managing and using MTR service fees in the villages, with over 5,000 participants. From the MTR service payment fund, help the villages build many works to serve the people's daily life, such as building roads, building village cultural houses, domestic water works, sports fields...

Mai Son Social Policy Bank transaction office pays MTR service fees to households.

In addition, Branch Area 2 has coordinated with the Provincial Farmers' Association to register a model for managing and using MTR service fees. In particular, Ngo Hen village, Mai Son commune, allocated nearly 5 million VND from the MTR service fee fund to buy 3,000 eucalyptus and acacia seedlings to plant on 0.5 hectares of community land; the village assigned the forest protection team to regularly care for and manage the trees; so far, the trees have grown well. As for Doan Ket village, Yen Chau commune, allocated 10 million VND from the village's MTR service fee fund to buy 3 sows for 3 poor households to raise; so far, the number has increased to 13, and the village will then transfer them to other poor households in the village for breeding.

Mr. Luong Van Phong, Party Cell Secretary, Head of Ot Cha Village, Phieng Pan Commune, shared: The village manages and protects over 950 hectares of forest, with a coverage rate of nearly 45%. Every year, households are paid nearly 54 million VND; the village community is paid over 200 million VND from MTR service payments. Over the past 5 years, the village has agreed to meet to discuss spending on building internal roads; building a cultural house, and a kindergarten, with a total budget of over 400 million VND.

In Chieng Hac commune, there are nearly 13,000 hectares of natural forest, assigned to the community of 41 villages for protection. Mr. Cao Xuan Dung, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said: Every year, the commune receives more than 1 billion 150 million VND in environmental services. Thanks to that, in recent years, deforestation, encroachment on forest land, and illegal exploitation of forest products have decreased sharply; people have actively participated in protecting and developing afforestation. Up to now, the forest coverage rate of the commune has reached nearly 47%.

Practical results show that the policy of paying for MTR services has contributed to creating livelihoods, helping people stay connected to forests, reducing deforestation, illegal exploitation and transportation of forest products, and protecting and developing forests better.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/xa-hoi/hieu-qua-tu-nguon-chi-tra-dich-vu-moi-truong-rung-0kFbtduHg.html