Da Nang shares experience in forest environmental service payment with Laos

Representatives from Vietnam's Department of Forestry and Forest Protection, and the Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund also attended the meeting.

According to a report presented at the meeting, Da Nang has a total natural area of 1,186,718 hectares, including 745,027.42 hectares of forests and forest-planted areas. The city’s forest coverage rate stands at 58.25%.

To date, 354,836.38 hectares of forest are covered by the payment for forest environmental services (PFES) program, accounting for 70.49% of Da Nang’s natural forest area.

Established in 2012, the Da Nang Forest Protection and Development Fund plays a key role in organizing and implementing PFES in the city.

Over the past 14 years, total revenue from forest environmental services has reached VND1.995 trillion, with an annual average of about VND142 billion. A total of VND1.887 trillion in PFES has been disbursed.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed matters related to the development and implementation of the PFES policy in Vietnam.

The discussions focused on the decentralized management structure between the central and local levels.

The Forestry Department is responsible for state management, while the Forest Protection and Development Fund system directly manages financial operations.

The participants also discussed the identification of beneficiaries, mechanisms for collecting payments from service users, and transparent allocation methods based on data on the current status of forest areas.

Also, the two sides shared practical experience in applying technology to monitor forest areas, as well as ways to address staffing challenges in provinces with limited PFES revenues.