National forest service payment mechanism generates 120 million USD annually
The Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) system implemented at national scale under an USAID project now generates approximately 120 million USD annually to finance the management of approximately 6 million hectares of Vietnam’s forests.
Pine trees planted in the Ta Dung National Park in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong (Photo: VNA)
Lam Dong (VNA) – The Payment for ForestEnvironmental Services (PFES) system implemented at national scale under anUSAID project now generates approximately 120 million USD annually to financethe management of approximately 6 million hectares of Vietnam’s forests.
The figures were released at an Earth Day event held in theCentral Highlands province of Lam Dong’s Da Lat city on April 22 to mark thecompletion of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’sVietnam Forests and Deltas project.
The 31.4 million USD climate change programme was implementedby Winrock International from 2012-2021 to support Vietnam’s transition toclimate resilient, low-emission sustainable development.
Over its more than eight years of implementation at thenational level and in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Nam Dinh, Son La, Thanh Hoa,Nghe An, Lam Dong and Long An, the project supported the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development to successfully implement the PFES system at the nationalscale. The PFES has contributed to increasing incomes and living standards forhundreds of thousands of people living in the mountainous areas who receivepayments to help protect forests.
In addition, the project trained approximately 350,000people on climate change adaptation, forest management and livelihoodsdevelopment and helped over 200,000 people implement climate change riskreduction practices in the Mekong and Red River Deltas.
At the event, USAID Acting Mission Director Bradley Bessiresaid the Vietnam Forests and Deltas project is the first climate changecollaboration programme between USAID and the Vietnamese Government, aiming tostrengthen forest management and build resilience for vulnerable communities inthe Red River and Mekong Deltas.
On the occasion, USAID also announced two new projects – theSustainable Forest Management project (2020-2025), which seeks to avoid carbonemissions from natural forest conversion and increase carbon sequestrationthrough the improved plantation management; and the BiodiversityConservation project (2020-2025) that aims to maintain and increase forest quality,and protect and stabilise wildlife populations in national parks and naturalreserves. These projects will work in 12provinces across Vietnam./.
The south-central province of Ninh Thuan is focusing on strengthening the management and protection of natural forests, afforestation and developing the forest economy in association with building livelihoods for people in the buffer zone.
Nearly 4,200 hectares of forest owned by Quy Nhon Forestry Co., Ltd in the central province of Binh Dinh have been granted the sustainable forest management certificate in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards.
The central province of Quang Tri, the second-largest timber producer nationwide, is targeting 100,000 ha of forests being granted forest management certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) by 2030; four times higher than the current figure.
The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai has been growing new forests and protecting existing ones in recent years to expand forest cover and improve people’s livelihoods.
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Pine trees planted in the Ta Dung National Park in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong (Photo: VNA) 
