Only pay for community participation in forest protection
In 2023, the Dakrong Nature Reserve Management Board (KBT) received more than 4.3 billion VND from the Quang Tri Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund for selling carbon credits. Of the amount received, the above unit spent 10% on management costs; more than 3.3 billion VND on support for communities participating in forest management; more than 64 million VND on support for the People's Committees of communes with communities participating in forest management; and more than 533 million VND on silvicultural measures.
Mr. Truong Quang Trung - Director of Dakrong Nature Reserve Management Board - said that the money from selling carbon credits is allocated, helping the unit have a source of funding to support people in the buffer zone communes to create jobs, increase income to stabilize their lives. From there, promote local human resources in forest management and protection through forest protection contracting activities. However, the payment of carbon credit sales is facing many difficulties.
According to the provisions in Appendix I issued with Decree No. 107/2022/ND-CP dated December 28, 2022 of the Government, the money from selling carbon credits will only be paid for forest protection contracts for residential communities. This means that for the forest environmental service area that the conservation area has contracted to individuals, households, groups of households and the area of self-protection units - it is impossible to negotiate and contract forest protection under the carbon credit sales program.
"Thus, many people participating in forest protection in the reserve are not eligible for payment from selling carbon credits, which is a big disadvantage," said Mr. Truong Quang Trung.
Remove to avoid disadvantages, help protect forests better
Dakrong Nature Reserve Management Board performs the task of managing, protecting forests, and conserving biodiversity on an area of 37,666.01 hectares. In addition, the reserve is assigned to manage the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail Landscape Protection Area with a natural area of 5,237.4 hectares.
In this unit, many natural forest areas are located in rugged areas with difficult access, where there are few or no communities living. Therefore, these forest areas can only be contracted to households, individuals or self-protection units, and cannot be contracted to communities. The regulation that the contracted subjects are communities does not meet the needs, and does not ensure the effectiveness of protected forest areas, causing difficulties in forest management and protection.
In addition, according to the provisions of Point C, Clause 2, Article 3, Decree No. 107, the implementation costs must ensure the principle of reasonableness and not overlap with other expenditures of the State budget.
This regulation has limited the sharing of benefits according to the purpose of the program. Because a part of the natural forest area under the management of the conservation area has been allocated funding from other State budgets according to current policies through programs and projects. If implemented according to the above regulation, it will be impossible to implement forest protection contracting as well as implement livelihood support policies according to the provisions of Decree 107.
Mr. Phan Van Phuoc - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Tri province - said that in the period of 2023-2025, Quang Tri province received 50 billion VND from selling carbon credits, and this amount is being allocated to forest owners, in which the Dakrong Nature Reserve Management Board is the unit that benefits the largest amount of money.
“During the payment process, some difficulties have arisen at the units. The units have proposed that the forest protection contracting activities should be expanded to include more subjects, and that the level of livelihood support for the community be increased or that investment sources from programs and projects be combined,” said Mr. Phan Van Phuoc.
