Strengthening supervision of the implementation of forest environmental service payment policy

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of September 20, the Government Office held an online conference to review 3 years of implementing the policy of payment for forest environmental services (PFES) according to Decree No. 99/2010/ND-CP at 37 locations nationwide.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai chaired the conference. At Nghe An, Mr. Nguyen Tien Lam - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, along with the Fund Control Board and leaders of hydropower plants attended the conference.

Conference scene at Nghe An bridge point

After 3 years of implementing Decree No. 99/2010/ND-CP of the Government on Payment Policy for Forest Environmental Services (2010-2013), nationwide, positive results have been achieved, specifically: Total accumulated revenue up to August 2014 reached 3,329 billion VND, of which 80.73% was from the Central revenue fund, 19.27% ​​was from the provincial revenue fund. The revenue source of the fund is concentrated in 3 groups of subjects: Hydropower (97.7%), Clean Water (2.19%), Tourism (0.10%). The payment and disbursement results reached 1,601.8 billion VND, payment to service providers reached 1,781 billion VND, disbursement to forest owners reached 1,393 billion VND, reaching over 78%. The policies have solved difficulties in operating costs for forest owners, improved the lives of ethnic minorities, and increased the income of people working in the forest protection contract from forest environmental service payments to 1.8 million VND/household/year, typically in the provinces of Lam Dong, Binh Phuoc, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Hoa Binh, Lai Chau, etc.

However, the implementation of the forest environmental service payment policy still has some limitations, namely: Some provinces are slow to set up an apparatus to organize and implement the policy, have not mobilized all revenue sources, some localities have low disbursement rates, and payment levels vary between localities.

In Nghe An, after 3 years of implementing the Forest Service Fund, it has mobilized over 109 billion VND in revenue, mainly mobilizing entrusted revenue from hydropower plants and clean water supply plants. The new expenditure has only reached over 28 billion VND, reaching over 26%, mainly spending on Forest Service sources, supporting production forest planting projects. The scope of activities of the Forest Service Fund is mainly in 3 districts of Tuong Duong, Que Phong, and Ky Son. Nghe An province proposed to allow the use of the fund in preparing documents, allowing loans for forest owners to develop forest protection projects, especially needing a mechanism to use the fund's revenue in State management agencies.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai suggested: In the coming time, relevant ministries and branches should guide localities to strengthen the direction, management, supervision, and organization of provincial funds, creating favorable conditions in terms of mechanisms, policies, and resources for the fund to be highly effective. Provinces should link the payment for forest environmental services with the implementation of the plan to encourage forestry development, integrate the program into development, and ensure the minimum unit price to forest owners is 200,000 VND/ha/year. The Deputy Prime Minister requested that before the second quarter of 2015, provinces should completely complete the review of forest area boundaries to forest owners in basins that provide forest environmental services.

Luong Mai