Sustainable forest development, creating livelihoods for people

In the past time, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund has completed two tasks: disbursing forest environmental service fees and replacement forest planting fees for forest owners who are organizations and households. In addition, the unit is assigned the task of protecting forests to provide environmental service values, creating water sources for units to use according to regulations.

Units managing large forest areas will benefit from revenue from forest environmental services. Photo: NGO NHAT

Payment according to the difference in service value

The Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund has completed the payment for forest environmental services (FES) in 2024 as planned. Accordingly, the total payment amount is more than 9.6 billion VND, with a total area of ​​more than 75,110 hectares for 8 forest owners who are organizations, 617 hectares for forest owners who are households and 13 organizations assigned to protect forests and provide water supply environmental services.

One of the notable points is that in 2025, the Forest Protection and Development Fund will determine the area of ​​forest environmental service provision according to the new regulations of Decree 91/2024/ND-CP based on the coefficient K according to the forest supply values. Specifically, coefficient K1 adjusts the payment level according to the forest reserve value; coefficient K2 adjusts the environmental value according to 3 types of forests (special-use forests, protection forests, production forests); coefficient K3 adjusts the payment level for forest environmental services according to the origin of forest formation including: natural forests and planted forests; coefficient K4 adjusts the payment for forest environmental services according to the level of difficulty in forest protection work in communes of regions I, II, III.

Revenue from forest environmental services helps people in mountainous areas improve their livelihoods, aiming towards sustainable forest development. Photo: NGO NHAT

According to the Phu Yen Forestry Department, the results of applying the K coefficient bring about differences in the value of service provision for each forest type supplying water to factories and industrial water-using facilities. For the Song Hinh Hydropower Plant basin, the area paid for forest environmental services when applying the K1 coefficient has a unit price of 242,990 VND/ha, the area calculated according to Decree 91/2024/ND-CP has a unit price of 304,412 VND/ha. Previously, without applying the K coefficient, all forests had the same payment price. That did not reflect the true value of each type of forest creating water sources for production facilities using water sources, and was unfair among forest owners.

According to the Forest Protection and Development Fund, revenue from DVMTR combined with capital from other programs such as the Sustainable Forestry Development Target Program, the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority Areas, etc. has contributed to improving people's livelihoods. This will be the basis for promoting sustainable development goals in mountainous communes of the province, according to the policies of the Party and the State.

Mr. Dang Viet Bac, Deputy Director of the Protection Forest Management Board of Song Hinh district, said: “The money from DVMTR is used to pay salaries for forest protection activities; assign forest protection contracts to households in Song Hinh commune; carry out propaganda work, purchase equipment for propaganda purposes... This is also the source of income for 36 people who are performing the task of managing and protecting forest areas of about 26,000 hectares. The funding from DVMTR helps the unit operate and operate more effectively.”

"The revenue from DVMTR is very large for some protective forest management boards that are managing large forest areas. This is the revenue source of the public service unit, contributing to gradually increasing the level of autonomy in regular spending, reducing the expenditure source of the state budget allocated to forest management boards in forest protection activities, gradually moving towards autonomy in regular spending for units with stable revenue sources, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of public service units according to Resolution 18/NQ-TW of the Party in the province", said Mr. Huynh Xuan Quang, Deputy Director in charge of the Phu Yen Forest Protection and Development Fund.

Woody fruit trees with a business cycle of over 20 years, such as durian, contribute to increasing forest cover. Photo: NGO NHAT

Increasing revenue from alternative forestation

Implementing the policy of reforestation to replace the area of ​​forest use conversion to implement socio-economic development projects in the province, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund has received a total of projects with notices of payment for reforestation of more than 80 billion VND, equivalent to an area of ​​1,278.77 hectares (121 projects). Of which, the functional unit has prepared design and estimate documents to approve 40 documents, with a total amount of nearly 71 billion VND, equivalent to a planted forest area of ​​1,193.81 hectares.

According to the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, this is a significant source of income for the people and if there is a suitable policy, it will create a foundation for the people to participate in reforestation and forest restoration in the fields under the forestry planning that have been encroached upon. This will contribute to increasing the coverage, especially solving the livelihood of the people, protecting the forest in a sustainable way.

According to the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, revenue from DVMTR combined with capital from other programs such as the Sustainable Forestry Development Target Program, the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority Areas, etc. has contributed to improving people's livelihoods. This is the basis for promoting sustainable development goals in mountainous communes of the province, according to the policies of the Party and the State.

“Currently, the support policy for people is applied according to Decree 58/2024/ND-CP with a support level of 15 million VND/ha for planting large timber forests with a cycle of over 10 years. This support level will not encourage people to participate. In fact, in recent years, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has issued many documents directing communes to mobilize people but it is not feasible. To complete the task of reforestation in general and reforestation according to the programs prescribed in Decree 58/2024/ND-CP, it is necessary to develop a policy to support 30-50% of the investment rate for reforestation for people to participate in planting large timber trees, woody fruit trees with a business cycle of over 20 years such as jackfruit, durian, giổi for seeds, cinnamon, sassafras...”, Mr. Huynh Xuan Quang added.

According to the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, Decree 58/2024/ND-CP allows localities to develop their own policies, if the support level is higher than the decree, to encourage people to participate in afforestation on old degraded fields under forestry planning, contributing to sustainable forestry development, ecological restoration, and meeting the implementation of the national forestry planning according to Decision 895/QD-TTg, dated August 24, 2024 of the Prime Minister , in which Phu Yen was approved for 131,310 hectares of production forest.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/kinh-te/202506/phat-trien-rung-ben-vung-tao-sinh-ke-cho-nguoi-dan-35f5a36/