Forest owners in Nghe An will soon have additional income from selling carbon credits.
Nghe An is the locality with the largest forest area in the country. People and organizations that contract and protect forests will soon have additional income from selling carbon credits.
Waiting for new support
Following Mr. Luong Van Kim - Head of Bung Xat village, Chau Khe border commune (Con Cuong) to visit the forest areas managed by the Bung Xat community, he happily said that for generations, Bung Xat people have mainly lived on the mountains and forests. In addition to collecting forest products and planting trees under the forest canopy, people also have two sources of income from the forest, which are forest environmental protection service fees and support money from the Sustainable Forestry Development Program.
According to the support sources, each household in Bung Xat village, depending on the area of forest they receive to protect and plant trees under the forest canopy (mainly bamboo), receives funding from 1 - 3 million VND/household. Along with that is an average income of about 10 million VND/bamboo harvest, so people are very secure in their attachment to the forest and protecting it. Meanwhile, the communities contracted to protect the forest in Chau Khe commune receive an average support of about 30 million VND/community/year.
“When we heard the news that we were about to receive another amount of money from selling forest carbon credits, the people were very happy. To receive this additional amount of money, our villages and hamlets have recently coordinated with the Forest Rangers to inspect the forest area and forest owners who are eligible to receive it. Hopefully, the money from selling forest carbon credits will soon be available to the people,” Mr. Luong Van Kim happily shared.
According to Mr. Kha Van Thuong - Chairman of Chau Khe Commune People's Committee, in 2023, a total of 9 villages and hamlets of the commune received nearly 680 million VND in forest environmental services. Of which, forest environmental services payment for households and individuals was nearly 390 million VND; collective villages and hamlets were nearly 290 million VND.
It is known that, according to statistics, in 2024, Con Cuong district was approved by the Provincial People's Committee for 5,772 households, individuals and communities to benefit from greenhouse gas emission reduction activities through the sale of forest carbon credits. These subjects manage more than 28.5 thousand hectares of forest. In addition, the People's Committees of communes in Con Cuong district managing more than 10 thousand hectares of forest will also benefit from the sale of carbon credits.
Not only in Con Cuong district, many other districts and towns in Nghe An will also receive additional revenue from the North Central Region Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Payment Agreement (ERPA) in 2024. For example, localities and communities located in Pu Hoat Nature Reserve (BTTT).
Mr. Nguyen Van Sinh - Director of Pu Hoat Nature Reserve said that the unit manages and protects nearly 85 thousand hectares of forest and forestry land under the planning of special-use forests and protective forests in 09 communes of Que Phong district. Every year, the Management Board of Pu Hoat Nature Reserve has organized the assignment of forest protection contracts for more than 65,000 hectares to 44 village communities, with a total of more than 7,000 participating households, with a budget of more than 18.5 billion VND/year. Thanks to that, it brings an average income of 5 - 7 million VND/household/year. Of which, the source of support for forest environmental services is nearly 12 billion VND; the rest is the source of support from the Sustainable Forestry Development Program.
“And now, people in 44 villages and hamlets in the buffer zone of Pu Hoat Nature Reserve are preparing to have a new source of income, which is funding from greenhouse gas emission reduction activities,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Sinh. According to the Decision of the Provincial People's Committee dated July 2, 2024, Que Phong district has approved 44 village and hamlet communities in Pu Hoat Nature Reserve to benefit from funding from greenhouse gas emission reduction activities in 2024.
Speed up the disbursement process
In Nghe An province, in 2023, according to the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, households, individuals, and communities participating in forest protection contracts in the province received more than 115.6 billion VND. In addition to the annual forest protection fee payment for providing forest environmental services (according to the unit price of hydropower basins), the forest environmental service policy has also supported organizations and individuals to better serve forest protection work.
Up to now, Nghe An has nearly 21,000 forest owners who are households and communities and has more than 1,300 contracts for forest protection.
In addition to receiving financial support from forest environmental services and project programs under the National Target Program on sustainable forestry development with about 100 billion VND/year, people will receive additional support from selling forest carbon credits.
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Mr. Nguyen Danh Hung - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the list of eligible beneficiaries meeting the regulations of ERPA has been completed. Specifically, by the end of July 2024, after localities have reviewed and compiled data, eligible beneficiaries, the Department has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue decisions approving the list of beneficiaries. Based on this list, based on the transaction price of forest carbon credits and related regulations, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will preside, directly the Forest Protection and Development Fund will develop a payment plan and submit it to the Provincial People's Committee for approval; carry out the following procedures to complete the disbursement dossier of this support source.
According to the Decision of the Provincial People's Committee, tens of thousands of households, individuals, communities and organizations in Nghe An province will benefit from the revenue from the North Central Region Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Payment Agreement (ERPA) in 2024.
The approved list includes 3 groups of beneficiaries of the revenue from the North Central Region Emission Reduction Payment Agreement (ERPA) in 2024. The first group is forest owners who are households, individuals, and communities with 27,647 approved subjects, currently managing more than 150.7 thousand hectares of forest. The second group is 40 forest owners who are organizations, including management boards of protective forests, nature reserves, national parks, medicinal companies, forestry farms, and other agencies and units. These group 2 subjects are managing more than 521.4 thousand hectares of forest. The third group includes 19 district People's Committees with 211 communes with assigned forest areas, currently managing more than 118.1 thousand hectares of forest.
