When forest environmental service money is used effectively

After the arrangement of commune-level administrative units and the implementation of the 2-level local government model, from July 1, Regional Branch 6, Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, was assigned to manage and pay for forest environmental services (FES) in the following communes: Thuan Chau, Chieng La, Nam Lau, Muoi Noi, Muong Khieng, Co Ma, Binh Thuan , Muong E, Long He, Muong Bam, Quynh Nhai, Muong Sai, Muong Gion and Muong Chien.

Staff of Branch Area 6, Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund and Bay Village Management Board, Chieng La Commune determined the forest area to be paid for forest environmental services.

Mr. Do Quoc Hung, Head of Branch Region 6, said: Every year, the Branch coordinates with relevant agencies and localities to review and determine the forest area eligible for payment and implement full and timely payment to forest owners; propagate and guide forest owners to effectively use forest environmental services, especially building sustainable livelihood development models, such as: Saving models, buying seedlings to develop production, planting medicinal plants under the forest canopy, developing forests to increase revenue from forest environmental services and serve the lives of people in forest areas, contributing to protecting the ecological environment.

The unit coordinates with the People's Committees of communes, village communities, and relevant units in the area to propagate to forest owners about forest protection and management and forest environmental service payment policies. Propaganda to village community forest owners to build conventions for forest protection and development associated with using village community forest environmental service money in accordance with regulations, effectively, publicly, and transparently.

Branch Region 6 has done a good job of building maps to determine the forest area to be paid. Since the beginning of the year, the Branch has determined the total area of providing forest environmental services as revenue in 2024 to be nearly 87,400 hectares, with a total payment of nearly 47 billion 275 million VND to 4,406 forest owners for management and protection, including: Households, individuals, household groups, communities, socio -political organizations in villages, and People's Committees of communes. The Branch has coordinated with banks and People's Committees of communes to verify forest owners' information, guide forest owners to open new accounts for the first time, use Mobile Banking applications, register to withdraw cash at bank transaction points and carry out payment procedures to ensure accuracy, correct objects, creating favorable conditions for forest owners.

From the DVMTR payment fund, the villages can build many works to serve the people's daily life, such as: building roads, building village cultural houses, domestic water works, sports fields...

Nhop village, Nam Lau commune manages and protects 735 hectares of forest. The annual forest service fee is the main resource for investing in the construction of works serving the people in the village and serving the forest protection work. In 2024 alone, the village received 417 million VND in forest service fees. Mr. Luong Van Binh, Party cell secretary and head of Nhop village, shared: The meeting agreed to use the forest service fee to invest in building a cultural house worth 800 million VND, buy materials to make a 1,200 m long concrete road and allocate money to support the village's forest protection team at the rate of 200,000 VND/person/day of patrol. Realizing the benefits of the forest and the forest service fee, people's awareness of forest protection has improved, preventing fires, deforestation and forest clearing.

Officers of the Thuan Chau Special-Use and Protective Forest Management Board and Nhop village, Nam Lau commune inspect the forest area in the area.

In Bay village, Chieng La commune, which manages and protects nearly 118 hectares of forest, each year it receives about 75 million VND, which is spent on building roads and installing electricity to light up rural roads. Mr. Lo Van Thuong, Party cell secretary and village head, said: Previously, the road to the village was a dirt road, making it difficult to travel, agricultural products were sold at low prices, people had to transport their own agricultural products, even carrying them outside the village to sell. In 2022, the village received investment from the State to build a 4.5 km long concrete road, and people in the village donated 2,400 ^m2 of land and broke down fences to widen the road. The meeting agreed to use DVMTR money to buy materials and mobilize workers to rebuild fences for households, so everyone happily agreed. In addition, DVMTR money was also used to install 62 electric poles to light up the road, helping people travel more conveniently at night.

The road to Bay village, Chieng La commune is equipped with lighting poles from DVMTR money.

In particular, Branch Area 6, Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, in coordination with the People's Committees of communes, propagated and mobilized the construction of many effective models, such as: "Women's group to save and self-manage the use of forest environmental service money" Cong Chap village, Binh Thuan commune has been maintained since 2020 with 28 members, a total fund of nearly 144.5 million VND, including: Members contributed 52 million VND, DVMTR Fund 92.5 million VND, has lent 21 members, bought fertilizers, seedlings, and livestock to develop the family economy. Although the amount is not large, it helps women create a habit of saving, and have more resources to invest in production. The model of growing cardamom under the forest canopy in Cong Chap village, Binh Thuan commune, deployed in 2019, with a scale of 2 hectares, the cost of seedlings is only invested in the first year, from the 3rd year onwards, the revenue has gradually increased from 20 million VND/year, to 40 million VND/year now. The effectiveness of the model increases the value of using DVMTR money, helping people clearly see the benefits of preserving forests, planting medicinal plants under the forest canopy, preserving the natural canopy, maintaining humidity, preventing soil erosion, etc.

The effective use of forest environmental service revenue has contributed to improving the lives of people in forested areas, positively affecting the raising of awareness and sense of responsibility of the community and motivating people to participate in protecting and developing forests better and better.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/quy-bao-ve-va-phat-trien-rung-tinh-son-la/khi-tien-dich-vu-moi-truong-rung-duoc-su-dung-hieu-qua-xaV8xTrNg.html