Sending a question to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Ms. D. T. N. H (Gia Lai) said: The Forestry Law and Decree No. 01/2019/ND-CP are still in effect, so regulations on forest protection must still be implemented.
Decree No. 131/2025/ND-CP defining the authority of local authorities at 2 levels in the field of state management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has a division of authority in the fields of forestry and forest protection.
Ms. H asked, so does the Provincial People's Committee have authority over forest rangers? Does the Commune People's Committee have authority over forest rangers?
Is it true that the district-level Forest Protection Department, formerly the Regional Forest Protection Department, has the task of advising and assisting the Head of the Forest Protection Department and coordinating with the Commune-level People's Committee to perform the tasks of the forest rangers?
Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment answers as follows:
Based on the Forestry Law (amended and supplemented by Law No. 146/2025/QH15), the Law on Organization of Local Government, the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants and related guiding documents (Resolution No. 190/2025/QH15 dated February 19, 2025 of the National Assembly stipulating the handling of a number of issues related to the arrangement of the state apparatus; Clause 3, Article 18 of Decree No. 01/2019/ND-CP dated January 1, 2019 of the Government on Forest Protection and Specialized Forces for Forest Protection, amended and supplemented by Decree No. 159/2024/ND-CP; Clause 2, Article 19 of Decree No. 150/2025/ND-CP dated June 12, 2025 of the Government stipulating the organization of specialized agencies under the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities and People's Committees of communes, wards, and special zones under provinces and centrally-run cities, amended and supplemented by Decree No. 370/2025/ND-CP; Clause 1, Article 67 2025 of the Government stipulates the position of civil servant; Clause 21 of Decree No. 158/2018/ND-CP dated November 22, 2018 of the Government stipulating the establishment, reorganization, and dissolution of administrative organizations; Circular No. 19/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025 of the Minister of Agriculture and Environment guiding the functions, tasks, and powers of specialized agencies on Agriculture and Environment under the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities and People's Committees of communes, wards, and special zones under provinces and centrally-run cities... ); accordingly, regarding the management of organizational structure and staff, the Provincial People's Committee decides to establish, reorganize, dissolve, stipulate the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the sub-department and implement civil servant management according to regulations.
People's Committees at all levels perform state management responsibilities for forestry in localities according to Article 102 of the Forestry Law and according to decentralization.
The Forest Protection Organization is regulated in Article 105 of the Forestry Law and related legal documents, accordingly, the Forest Protection Department is a unit directly under (internal organization) the Provincial Forest Protection Sub-Department, performing the functions, tasks, and powers of the Forest Protection Department and other forestry tasks when assigned by competent authorities in the assigned management area.
Implementing the Party and State's policy on arranging the organizational structure of the political system, streamlining, operating effectively and efficiently, and at the same time implementing Resolutions on arranging administrative units and organizing local governments at two levels, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has submitted to the Government a draft Decree amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decrees in the field of forestry and forest protection in Official Dispatch No. 243/TTr-BNNMT dated December 23, 2025, which includes the content of amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 01/2019/ND-CP dated January 1, 2019 of the Government on Forest Protection and Specialized Forces for Forest Protection.
Accordingly, the draft Decree has amended regulations on the organization and tasks of the Forest Protection Department, ensuring compliance with the 2-level local government model, contributing to improving the efficiency of forest management, protection and development.
