Forestry development planning associated with environmental protection

Previously, on April 1, 2021, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 523 approving the "Vietnam Forestry Development Strategy for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050". The strategy aims to build the forestry sector into a truly economic and technical sector; establish, manage, protect, develop and sustainably use forests, as well as the land area planned for forestry. At the same time, ensure the broad and equal participation of economic sectors in forestry activities, maximize the mobilization of social resources; apply advanced and modern science and technology. Promote the potential, role and effects of forests so that forestry can make increasingly important contributions to socio-economic development, protect the ecological environment, water security, etc.

According to Mr. Trieu Van Luc - Deputy Director of the Forestry Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), the forestry production structure has shifted towards increasing added value, with a stable growth rate of 4.6% per year. Every year, the whole country plants over 260,000 hectares of forest. The productivity and quality of planted forests have been improved, providing over 70% of wood materials for forest product processing, serving export and domestic consumption. The export value of wood and forest products reaches an average of 15.8 billion USD per year, with a high trade surplus.

Regarding social security, forestry activities have created jobs for about 5 million direct workers. Policies support forest protection, forest protection contracts for households, individuals and communities with an average of about 6.2 million hectares/year. Creating income sources, improving livelihoods for people, contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction and new rural construction in mountainous areas. Regarding the environment, the forest coverage rate continues to be maintained at 42.02%; strengthening strict management and stopping timber exploitation from natural forests. Revenue from forest environmental services reaches an average of 3,650 billion VND/year. Notably, in 2023, 4,130 billion VND was collected; of which 997 billion VND was from selling forest carbon credits, contributing to reducing pressure on state budget expenditures.

The Forestry Department's report also said that the total budget mobilized to implement the 2021-2023 strategy to protect and develop forests is about 56.7 trillion VND. Of which, the state budget is nearly 12.6 trillion VND, forest environmental service revenue is nearly 11 trillion VND, and organizations and individuals self-invest more than 33 trillion VND.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tri - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development acknowledged that the results achieved after 3 years of implementing the Vietnam Forestry Development Strategy for the period 2021 - 2030 have made increasingly important contributions to socio-economic development, ecological environment protection, natural disaster mitigation, proactive response to climate change, ensuring national defense and security, and successfully implementing national goals on sustainable development. However, some important targets have not been achieved compared to the set plan, such as wood and forest product export turnover, or the added value of the forestry industry is not commensurate with its potential. The reason is that in recent times, the forestry industry has been facing many unpredictable fluctuations such as war or climate change.

Meanwhile, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Tien - Vice President of the Association of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development needs to soon complete the forestry planning to ensure consistency with land use planning at 3 levels: national, provincial and district levels. Allocate land funds appropriately to suit land use requirements and strictly manage the conversion of forestry land use purposes. At the same time, increase land access for entities with forestry production and business needs. Add subjects receiving transfer of forestry land use rights...

“
The Department of Forestry (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that after 3 years of implementing the Vietnam Forestry Strategy, revenue from forest environmental services reached an average of 3,650 billion VND/year. Notably, in 2023, 4,130 billion VND was collected; of which 997 billion VND was from forest carbon absorption and storage services, contributing to reducing pressure on state budget expenditures, paying for the protection of about 7.3 million hectares of forest, becoming an important and sustainable financial source for the forestry sector.

Source