Make good use of revenue sources to protect and develop forests.
(Baonghean.vn) - This was the opinion of Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dinh Viet Hong at a working session of the National Assembly Delegation's supervisory delegation at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on the implementation of policies and laws on the management and use of non-budgetary state financial funds from 2013 to 2018 for the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, on the morning of March 20th.
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| Attending the working session were: Mr. Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; and the Deputy Heads of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation: Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hien and Mr. Tran Van Mao. Photo: Thanh Le |
Increase financial resources
The provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund was established in 2012. It is a state-owned financial institution operating as a public service unit under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Accordingly, the Fund has organized, managed, and utilized the Fund's resources for payments for forest environmental services (FES), reforestation, and the Fund's operational activities.
After 7 years of implementing the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) policy, the Fund has mobilized social resources to carry out the task of protecting and developing forests, contributing to the socialization of forestry.
The Forest Protection and Development Fund has collected a total of over 423.5 billion VND, creating a new, stable, and sustainable financial resource outside the state budget to support forest management, protection, and development.
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| According to Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dinh Viet Hong - Chairman of the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, the Fund needs to expand and effectively exploit revenue sources in a way that improves forest quality, develops forest ecosystems, and promotes the export of processed wood products. (Photo: Thanh Le) |
In addition, the Fund has also carried out the task of collecting fees for forest land conversion and controlling the disbursement of funds for reforestation according to regulations, contributing significantly to forest protection and development. To date, the Fund has disbursed 414.7 billion VND to serve forest protection and development and management activities.
In 2018 alone, the DVMTR (Forest Protection and Development Fund) allocated over 100 billion VND for forest protection and development. The area of reforestation benefiting from DVMTR funds reached over 400,000 hectares, contributing significantly to covering key forest areas requiring protection.
Shortcomings and obstacles
During the meeting, members of the supervisory delegation requested the unit to clarify the implementation of recommendations following inspections and audits, the expansion and effective exploitation of revenue sources, as well as the shortcomings and difficulties in implementing legal regulations, the payment rate to forest owners, and the slow payment of forest environmental service fees.
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| Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Trang, Director of the Provincial Civil Enforcement Department, requested the Fund for Protection and Development to clarify, besides the revenue from the Environmental Protection and Development Fund, what other sources of income they have and the percentage of payments made to the people. (Photo: Thanh Le) |
"According to regulations, reforestation to replace the planting of special-use and protection forests must involve planting specific tree species. However, in reality, reforestation mainly involves planting native production trees such as acacia, which does not comply with regulations," expressed concern Dang Quang Hong, Deputy Head of the Economic and Budget Committee of the Provincial People's Council.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Tien Lam pointed out inadequacies and obstacles in the implementation of legal documents, such as: The application of 16 coefficients K to pay for forest ecosystem services based on the origin of forest formation, forest quality, forest type and land use planning, and the level of difficulty in forest protection is still inadequate and not in line with reality.
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| The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development inspects reforestation in Yen Thanh district. Photo: Thanh Le |
"The government needs to clarify the integration mechanism and issue regulations on integrating funding sources for forest protection. The process of land allocation linked to forest allocation should be accelerated," the Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development suggested.
Concluding the meeting, Deputy Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation Nguyen Thanh Hien affirmed that the Forest Protection and Development Fund manages and uses the Fund in accordance with regulations; it has promptly advised the province on guiding documents for implementation, ensuring contributions to protecting and increasing forest cover, improving forest quality, and increasing income for the people.
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| Mr. Nguyen Khac Lam, Director of the Forest Protection and Development Fund, reports on the management and use of the Fund. Photo: Thanh Le |
The Deputy Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation suggested that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development should pay attention to disseminating information about the Forestry Law to ensure its implementation. As a public service unit, the Forest Protection and Development Fund will operate under a self-financing mechanism according to the roadmap; therefore, the unit needs to organize its operational structure effectively and efficiently, as well as develop solutions to expand the Fund's revenue sources in a way that improves forest quality, etc.
Regarding the recommendations of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Provincial National Assembly Delegation will receive and compile these recommendations to submit to the National Assembly, the Government, and relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.