Next to the villages in Nguon Rao Pin hamlet (Huong Son commune, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province), there are nearly 2,000 hectares of natural forest, which used to be subject to deforestation and encroachment. To protect the forest, the locality assigned this forest area to the community for management. However, it was not until 2019, when nearly 200 hectares were paid for forest environmental services, that forest protection work here was improved.
Mr. Ho Van Kieu - Head of the Forest Protection Team of Nguon Rao Pin village said that nearly 200 hectares of forest are located in the Rao Quan hydropower basin, the community participating in forest protection is paid 800 thousand VND/1ha/year, so the people are very excited. With income, forest protection patrols are carried out regularly, if people enter to destroy the forest, encroach on land for farming, they will be propagandized, prevented and if they do not comply, they will be handled. Thanks to that, the natural forest next to the villages of the Van Kieu ethnic minority is protected and green.
In Huong Son commune alone, more than 2,000 hectares of forest are paid for forest environmental services. Mr. Truong Minh Hau - Forest Ranger of Huong Son commune (Huong Hoa Forest Ranger Department) said that people receive 800 thousand VND/ha/year for forest environmental services, plus 126 thousand VND/ha/year for carbon credits, so they are very excited. "The forests next to residential areas are growing, the forest rangers are also less pressured because there are indigenous forest protection forces to support them" - Mr. Hau informed.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Tri province, in Quang Tri province, there are 10 hydropower plants and 1 clean water business establishment using forest environmental services, making entrusted payments through the Forest Protection and Development Fund. Of which, 6 hydropower plants and 1 clean water business establishment signed a trust contract through the Forest Protection and Development Fund of Quang Tri province.
To ensure the payment of forest environmental services in accordance with regulations, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund has consulted the People's Committee of Quang Tri province to approve the payment unit price, prepare the revenue and expenditure estimates for the payment of forest environmental services, replacement forest planting fees, etc. On that basis, timely payments have been made to forest owners to effectively implement forest protection and management in the basins of hydropower plants.
In 2023, the Quang Tri Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund paid nearly 20 billion VND to forest owners in the basin and over 661 million VND to support scattered tree planting for agencies and units in the province.
Mr. Tran Xuan Duong - Director of the Forest Protection and Development Fund of Quang Tri province said that revenue from payments for forest environmental services has contributed positively to forest management and protection and poverty reduction, contributing to creating income and improving the lives of people in the two mountainous districts of Huong Hoa and Dakrong. Through the policy of payment for forest environmental services, organizations, households and communities have clearly recognized the importance of forests and actively participated in forest protection, forest fires, encroachment on forest land and illegal logging have gradually been limited.
