Ensuring that payments for forest environmental services are made to the correct recipients.

(Baonghean.vn) -This afternoon, February 28th, the Provincial People's Committee held a working session with the Forest Protection and Development Fund. Mr. Dinh Viet Hong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and Chairman of the Management Board of the Forest Protection and Development Fund, chaired the meeting. Leaders from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Finance, and the Department of Planning and Investment also attended.

Comrade Dinh Viet Hong – Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee – chaired the meeting.

After more than a year of operation, the Nghe An Forest Protection and Development Fund has stabilized its organization and issued regulations for the operation of its Management Council. The Fund has organized 10 training sessions on the forest protection and development fund at the provincial and district levels. It has reviewed and compiled a list of units using forest environmental services that are required to pay for these services in the province. It has signed entrustment contracts for the payment of forest environmental services with 3 hydropower plants already in operation in the province. Nearly 21 billion VND of entrusted funds were collected into the Fund's account in 2012. The Forest Protection and Development Fund has coordinated with the Forestry Sub-Department to develop temporary guidelines for reviewing forest boundaries, area, current status, and forest allocation for the implementation of forest environmental service payments. To date, 4 facilities have submitted registrations and declarations for payment to the Fund in 2013, totaling over 28 billion VND.

However, the revenue collected from the entrustment contracts of hydropower plants has not yet been disbursed to forest owners providing forest environmental services because they are awaiting the results of the assessment by the competent authority approving the boundaries and area of ​​forests in the watershed, and the boundaries, area, and current status of forests for each forest owner in the watershed of the hydropower plant. In 2013, the projected revenue from the registered plans of the four hydropower plants is over 28 billion VND; the payment for forest environmental services in 2012 needs to be expedited to ensure timely and on schedule.

Concluding the conference, Comrade Dinh Viet Hong stated that the payment for forest environmental services must be made to the correct recipients and for the correct purposes, in accordance with the plan approved by the Provincial People's Committee. It is necessary to complete the review of forest land allocation at various facilities to determine the payment coefficient for forest environmental services. The Forest Protection and Development Fund Management Council should promptly finalize the documents and guidelines for collecting the forest protection and development fund from hydropower production facilities and paying for forest environmental services to eligible recipients in 2013.

Hoang Vinh