Opening a way out of poverty for people through forest protection

Forest protection from the contract policy

Son La province has the third largest forest area in the country, with 5 special-use forests and nature reserves, playing an important role in conserving biodiversity, protecting rare species of animals and plants and maintaining the ecological balance of the region. Recognizing the important role of forests, in addition to implementing strict protection measures, the management board of special-use forests and nature reserves also promotes forest protection contracts with the community.

As one of the five special-use forests and nature reserves in the province, Xuan Nha Special-use Forest has a total area of 18,173 hectares, of which the forest area is more than 15,000 hectares. Every year, Xuan Nha Special-use Forest Management Board proactively coordinates with the community to do a good job of patrolling, controlling, protecting forests, preventing and fighting forest fires and developing forests. Accordingly, from the annual environmental service payment fund, Xuan Nha Special-use Forest Management Board has assigned forest protection contracts to 16 communities in the buffer zone of Xuan Nha Special-use Forest with an average forest area of over 11,000 hectares/year.

To effectively contract out forest protection, Xuan Nha Special Use Forest Management Board and local authorities regularly organize meetings with people, village conferences, and disseminate information via loudspeakers about the Forestry Law and forest protection regulations. Provide guidance and support to the communities that have contracted to protect forests, establish core forest protection teams made up of community members to carry out patrols. At the same time, guide community forest protection teams to develop monthly forest protection patrol plans, and guide community forest protection teams to use the SMART mobile application (forest protection patrol application and collect patrol data on mobile phones) during forest patrols.

Thanks to the forest protection contract policy and the close coordination between the Xuan Nha Special Use Forest Management Board, local authorities and the community, people's awareness and responsibility in patrolling, controlling forest protection, forest fire prevention and fighting and forest development have been significantly improved. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that many individuals and groups have achieved good results in detecting, preventing violations or saving forests in time.

Escape poverty by protecting forests

In addition to raising people's awareness and responsibility in forest protection and development, the forest protection contract policy also plays an important role in creating stable livelihoods, helping people escape poverty. Currently, the Xuan Nha Special Use Forest Management Board has signed a contract for forest protection from the annual environmental service payment fund between the Management Board and 16 hamlet communities in the buffer zone of Xuan Nha Special Use Forest. Accordingly, in 2025, the forest area contracted from the forest environmental service payment fund is 11,205 hectares, the total amount of forest environmental service payment for 16 hamlet communities is more than 2.3 billion VND.

Talking to reporters of the Vietnam Law Newspaper, Mr. Hoang Trong Thang - Deputy Director of the Xuan Nha Special Use Forest Management Board said that the forest protection contract brings the clearest economic benefits to the community. Village communities receive forest protection contract money from the forest environmental service payment fund, the fund is used by the Village Management Board to develop spending regulations (according to the instructions of the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund) for the purpose of paying for forest protection activities, repairing community welfare works, paying people on holidays, Tet...

In addition, there is also a buffer zone support policy as prescribed in Article 8 of Decree 58/2024/ND-CP of the Government . In 2025, 20 buffer zone communities will be supported with construction materials such as cement (27 tons/village equivalent to 50 million VND per village) to repair community works, renovate roads and carry out other essential works.

“Revenues from forest protection contracts provide a stable, supplementary cash income for village communities. They help people have more resources to cover essential expenses, reinvest in production, help communities improve infrastructure, and contribute to improving living conditions. Although poverty reduction depends on many factors, a clear downward trend can be seen in communities contracted to protect forests. Specifically, in the period of 2024 - 2025, in Cot Moc village, the poverty rate decreased by 6.12%; in Sa Lai village, the poverty rate decreased by 6.48%; and in Nga village, the near-poor rate decreased by 6.99%. Not to mention, forest protection also brings many other benefits such as water resource preservation and natural disaster prevention, factors that, if not guaranteed, can increase poverty,” said Mr. Hoang Trong Thang.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/mo-huong-thoat-ngheo-cho-nguoi-dan-thong-qua-bao-ve-rung.html