In 2023, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund paid more than VND 252.5 billion in forest environmental services to forest owners in the province. Of which, more than VND 3.3 billion was paid to forest owners who had not received them in previous years; over VND 168.6 billion in forest environmental services in 2022 and over VND 80.5 billion in advance in 2023. Along with that, in order for forest environmental services to be used effectively and for the right purposes, the inspection and supervision work has always received special attention from the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund.
From early September to late October 2023, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund chaired and coordinated two inspections on the management and use of forest environmental service payments for 18 forest owners who are village/hamlet communities in two districts: Tua Chua and Dien Bien Dong. The inspections showed that the management and use of forest environmental service payments were basically implemented by forest owners in accordance with regulations. Forest environmental service payments were used for patrolling and protecting forests, common tasks of villages and hamlets such as building cultural houses, purchasing tables and chairs for meetings, etc. and a portion was divided equally among households in the community to improve their living standards, with the consensus of all people in the village. Basic expenditures and expenses were recorded and relatively fully reflected in the forest environmental service payment handbook by the Community Forest Management Board.
Ms. Lo Thi Ngan, Head of Inspection, Supervision and Propaganda Department, Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund said: In addition to the achieved results, through inspection and supervision, some shortcomings and limitations in the management and use of forest environmental service funds by forest owners were also pointed out, such as: Some communities in villages and hamlets have not yet developed regulations for the operation of community forest management boards, regulations for the management and use of forest environmental service payments, have not established a community control board and have not yet developed an annual plan for the management and use of forest environmental service payments; The recording of the forest service payment handbook is not scientific and clear, there are still erasures and recording of the management and use of forest service money in many different handbooks... Also from frankly pointing out the limitations in the management and use of forest service money of village and hamlet communities, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund has proposed solutions, quickly supporting forest owners to overcome the shortcomings, so that the payment of forest service money is implemented in accordance with regulations.
Not only checking the management and use of forest environmental services by forest owners, every year, the Executive Board of the Forest Protection and Development Fund coordinates with the Fund Control Board, relevant units and local authorities to organize inspections and verification of forest areas eligible for providing forest environmental services; payment of forest environmental services by Fund Executive Board staff; disbursement and payment of forest environmental services to forest owners by service providers; checking and urging units using forest environmental services to pay money to the Fund according to signed contracts; checking the area of replacement forests and scattered tree planting before transferring money to implementing units.
In 2023, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund chaired and coordinated with relevant units to organize 9 inspections and supervisions related to the implementation of forest environmental service payments, replacement forest areas from the Fund's sources and scattered tree planting. At the same time, it participated in inspection and supervision delegations of relevant units to inspect the results of scattered tree planting in the province in 2021 - 2022; supervise the implementation of forest environmental service payments in 2021 and 2022 in the province; inspect and accept the scattered tree planting project in Muong Lay town.
According to Mr. Tran Xuan Tam, Deputy Director of the Forest Protection and Development Fund of Dien Bien province: Through inspection and supervision, it is shown that the majority of forest owners have done a good job of forest protection management, providing forest environmental services, managing and using forest environmental services money according to regulations; units using forest environmental services comply with the provisions of Decree No. 156/2018/ND-CP dated November 16, 2018 of the Government; units implementing scattered tree planting, replacement forest planting planted the right tree species, at the right density, trees are cared for, average growth or higher, planting areas are well managed and protected.
The increasing area of forest supply and the amount of payment for forest environmental services are the clearest evidence that the payment for forest environmental services implemented in the province in recent times has significantly contributed to creating resources to help forest owners develop their livelihoods, increase their income, and feel secure in protecting and developing forests. Therefore, in the coming time, in addition to regularly and continuously inspecting and supervising the use of forest environmental services by forest owners, it is necessary to further strengthen training and guidance so that the management and use of forest environmental services money are in accordance with regulations, for the right purposes and achieve the highest efficiency, meeting the expectations of the Party and the State when issuing policies, which is to improve the livelihoods of people participating in forest protection, serving the work of protecting, developing and managing forests sustainably.
Source
Comment (0)