BHG - From the primeval forests along the border to the upstream protection forests in Yen Minh district, they are being protected thanks to the participation of the community and the policy of payment for forest environmental services (PFES). These are resources that contribute to improving livelihoods and motivating people to join in forest protection.
Yen Minh district currently has 50,822.74 ha of area; of which, divided into 3 types, special-use forest 2,982.97 ha, protection forest 33,151.70 ha, production forest 14,688.10 ha. In the past, the area of forest and forestry land was contracted for protection to the community and families to benefit from programs and policies on forest protection and development. Determining that the task of forest management and protection can only be implemented well when the people understand and participate, the District People's Committee has directed specialized agencies to implement the forest environmental service regimes well. At the same time, it is necessary to increase the provision of information and promote propaganda so that people understand the effects of forests on the environment, the benefits of forest protection and actively participate in management and protection.
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| People and functional forces of Ngoc Long commune patrol the forest. |
Ms. Mua Thi Vu, Ban Da village, Na Khe commune shared: People used to think that the forest had nothing to do with them. Since the payment for forest environmental services began, the whole village receives nearly 100 million VND each year. We discuss how to use it to build roads, repair water facilities, and support forest patrols. Now everyone considers the forest a valuable asset. Although the amount of money is not too large, it is a motivation for people to protect the forest and remind each other not to burn fields indiscriminately like before.
In the period of 2021 - 2025, the total amount of payment for forest environmental services in Yen Minh district is over 50 billion VND. Of which, the forest area paid is over 20,000 ha/year with 187 villages/groups and over 3,200 households participating. This policy has brought in significant income, motivating individuals and communities to raise awareness of forest protection, limiting violations of the Forestry Law. Yen Minh district is also assessed as a locality that effectively implements payment for forest environmental services with a public process, strict monitoring and significant improvements in community livelihoods and forest conservation. Thanks to that, the forest area has developed well, the coverage rate increased from 39.8% in 2020 to over 42% in 2025; the number of violations of deforestation has decreased significantly.
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| Forest environmental service policy encourages people to cooperate with the Forest Rangers to protect the forest. |
Comrade Nguyen Viet Bach, Head of Yen Minh District Forest Protection Department, said: Previously, forest protection work relied mainly on the Forest Protection Force and local authorities, so there were many difficulties. Thanks to policies from DVMTR, people have directly benefited, becoming "extended arms" participating in forest protection. People have actively coordinated and accompanied the Forest Protection Force in patrolling, detecting violations early and effectively implementing the targets of forest protection and development.
To ensure that the payment policies for forest environmental services are implemented quickly, promptly, and to the right subjects, Yen Minh district actively coordinates with the Forest Protection and Development Fund, the Forest Protection Department, the Control Board, and payment service units to organize steps in accordance with regulations. Thanks to a firm grasp and understanding of the policy, many forest owners in the area have flexibly implemented creative solutions. These include: Establishing a specialized force to protect forests, patrolling and protecting vulnerable forests; building village conventions and regulations associated with forest protection and development; using forest environmental services money to invest in welfare projects... Along with that, building a community connection network, improving capacity, ensuring people's access to information and resources for forest protection and development activities.
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| Forests are greener thanks to policies supporting forest owners. |
When people see forests as assets and livelihoods, forests will be truly protected in the long term, so propaganda activities about the meaning of forest environmental services are included in the activities of villages, hamlets, schools, and associations. Strengthen the role of the community in developing plans for using payment money and monitoring implementation. However, in practice, implementation in Yen Minh still has certain difficulties due to the lack of specialized forest management staff, the large workload affects the updating of areas, and the preparation of payment records. There are few local forest rangers, in charge of many communes, making it difficult to closely follow each village and each household to identify forest owners. Lack of a modern forest management system, mainly relying on books and paper maps, so there are easy discrepancies between records and the field...
The forests in Yen Minh are being kept green not only by awareness, but also by the practical benefits from the policy of paying for forest environmental services. For the policy to continue to be effective, it is necessary to focus on overcoming difficulties, expanding transparent and practical methods and creating initiative for the community.
Article and photos: PHAM HOAN
Source: https://baohagiang.vn/kinh-te/202506/them-dong-luc-giu-rung-o-yen-minh-40205eb/
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