Progress in Payment for Forest Environmental Services in Viet Nam

Pham Hong Luong, director of the Department of Planning and Finance, Viet Nam Administration of Forestry, provided a briefing on Viet Nam’s payment for forest environmental services (PFES). PFES was piloted in 2008 in two provinces, Son La and Lam Dong, and replicated throughout the country in 2011. The objective of the PFES policy is to mobilize social resources to protect and develop forests and to improve the livelihood of forest owners. Although positive results and impacts have been generated as a result of its implementation, PFES still encounters a lot of challenges such as low payment amounts and rates, weak fund distribution mechanisms, and lack of forest inventory data. For the successful implementation of PFES, it is essential, among others, that solid legal framework be established, there is strong commitment and political will from the government, and participation and collaboration among relevant stakeholders are encouraged.