Deputy PM Hai urges replicating effective forest protection and development models

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has asked for effective forest protection and development models to be followed while calling for further investment in the forestry sector.

Protective forest in Tan Phu Dong district, Tien Giang province. Photo: Huu Chi

The government official was speaking at a meeting held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Wednesday to review the 5-year implementation of the forest protection and development programme during 2011-2015.

Over the last five years, the programme implementation has helped protect and develop forest coverage, increasing from 39.7% in 2011 to 40.43% in 2014, and expected to reach 40.73% in 2015.

The forestry sector’s annual production increased almost two times compared to the 2006-2010 period, at an average of 5.95% a year, compared to 3.1% a year for 2006-2010. The export value of wood and non-timber products increased nearly 1.5 times, generating an estimated revenue of US$6.8-7 billion in 2015.

Deputy PM Hai praised positive results in forestry production and protection in the past years, saying that the forestry sector has shifted towards the market mechanism.

Despite some forestry production models generating VND30-40 million per ha, even hundreds of million VND per ha, such effective models are still not prevalent, so that along with replicating effective production models, it is necessary to draw further investment in the sector, he stressed.

The deputy PM, who is also head of the National Steering Committee on Forests Protection and Development Planning, also emphasised the need for improving dissemination on the role of forests and afforestation for national sustainable development, as the country is among the 20 nations suffering most from climate change.

He urged Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to continue to supervise and direct localities in implementation of afforestation, especially for coastal areas in response to climate change. The Ministry of Planning and Investment was also urged to finalise indicators for sustainable forestry development projects in combination with socio-economic tasks to submit to the Prime Minister for approval.

Deputy PM Hai also stressed the need to mobilise international resources through REDD+ projects, forest ecosystem development schemes and adaptation to climate change.

He also asked for improving operational efficiency of agro- forestry companies, continuing to effectively protect and develop forests, and firmly dealing with such projects that do not follow the alternative afforestation plans, even considering revocation of their licenses.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)