More than 555,000 hectares of forest are protected by the policy of payment for forest environmental services.
(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of June 30, in Vinh City, Nghe An Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund held a preliminary review of the first 6 months of 2023 and a summary assessment of the results of forest environmental service payments in 2022.
Attending the meeting were leaders of the Fund Management Board and the Control Board of the Forest Protection and Development Fund; representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; Forest Protection Sub-Department; forest owners who are organizations, district-level payment organizations; representatives of households and village/hamlet communities.
In the context of limited budget capital for forest management and protection, revenue from forest environmental services and replacement forest planting has maintained stability, contributing to reducing pressure on the state budget in forest management and protection. At the same time, it has created many jobs, improved livelihoods, increased income and life of forest workers and forest protectors, especially people in mountainous areas, contributing to maintaining national security, social order and safety, and increasing forest cover in the whole province.
In the first 6 months of 2023, the Forest Protection and Development Fund basically completed and ensured progress according to plan, such as: Document consultation work, task implementation; Implementation of plan targets (Total 51 signed entrustment contracts, including 22 hydropower production facilities, 14 clean water production facilities, 15 industrial production facilities).The result was 63,098,481 thousand VND, reaching 52% of the plan and ensuring disbursement of forest environmental service fees; Well implementing replacement forest planting work;Communication work, improving professional skills and learning, sharing experiences with provinces. In particular, the workImplement cashless payment for forest environmental services...
In Nghe An, the number of subjects receiving payment for forest environmental services (in 2022) includes 20,938 forest owners who are households and communities with a payment amount of 27,119,774 thousand VND and 1,310 forest protection contracts with a payment amount of 52,681,247 thousand VND (the subjects of forest protection are mainly ethnic minorities).
In addition to the budget paid according to the 2022 plan, the Provincial Fund has balanced funding sources to advise on regulation and support to supplement the unit price for forest environmental service payments for hydropower basins with low unit prices after reaching the full support of 150,000 VND/ha/year. At the same time, timely funding has been provided to forest owners and in 2022 the forest area paid for is: 555,174.745 ha... Up to now, it has basically completedBuilding a map of forest environmental service payments.
At the conference, delegates contributed many ideas and discussions to supplement and perfect solutions to complete forest management and protection work in the last 6 months of 2023 and effectively implement the policy of payment for forest environmental services.
