USAID Sustainable Forest Management

The USAID Sustainable Forest Management project aims to reduce emissions from deforestation, forest degradation, and poor timber plantation management practices in seven provinces in Vietnam (Lao Cai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri, and Quang Nam) under the following objectives: 

IMPROVE AND EXPAND COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT

USAID partners with the Government of Vietnam (GVN), the Vietnam Forest Owner Association (VIFORA), and forest owners to develop and implement community forest management models to increase effective community participation.

INCREASE CONSERVATION-FRIENDLY ENTERPRISES IN FOREST DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES
To reduce forest dwelling communities’ reliance and pressures on forest resources, the project supports conservation-friendly enterprises to develop market-based value chains and creates additional and sustainable income opportunities in the targeted landscapes.

INCREASE FUNCTIONALITY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT SYSTEMS AGAINST FOREST CRIMES
USAID assists the GVN to strengthen its legal framework by concentrating in administrative enforcement identifying and addressing barriers to effective forest law enforcement, enhancing coordination between law enforcement agencies, promoting community self-governance, and building technical capacity in forest monitoring and forest crime case development.

IMPROVE PRODUCTION FOREST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Through providing training on best practices and helping organize certified timber cooperatives and forest owners, the project will increase production and quality of sustainable timber by small-scale foresters, increase market accessibility to certified timber, and develop market linkages between timber producers and the furniture industry.

MOBILIZE DOMESTIC RESOURCES FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

USAID works with the GVN, private companies and local forest owners to expand the Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) program and develop Carbon - PFES, both designed to compensate forest residents for forest protection and development while reducing carbon emissions.

EXPECTED RESULTS

USAID will provide training in sustainable forest management and livelihood development to over 25,000 people and 70 institutions to improve sustainable forest management; Support 35 conservation-friendly enterprises and promote partnership between wood processing companies with small household plantation owners to improve the livelihoods of over 60,000 forest dwellers; An estimated $12.5 million will be mobilized to finance sustainable forest management, and more than 260,000 hectares of forests will be under improved natural resource management; After five years of implementation at least 7,8 million tons of carbon emissions will be reduced from the direct project interventions, and 45,6 million tons of carbon emissions will be reduced through formulating 34 policies and technical support activities.