According to VNFOREST Deputy Director Pham Van Dien, forest carbon sequestration and emission reduction services, a new feature of 2021, will add between 300 to 500 billion VND to the sector’s annual income from environmental services.

Last year, the revenue from those services stood at 2.56 trillion VND, meeting 91 percent of the yearly target

The number fell short of expectation due largely to severe water shortage taking place at large hydropower reservoirs between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2020, said the Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund (VNFF). The shortage affected business performance of hydro power companies.

In addition, complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic locally and globally last year directly impacted businesses employing these services.

The fund added revenues from forest environment services supported 226 forest management boards and 138,000 forest owners, while creating incomes for 81 forestry companies and livelihoods for more than 172,000 families in mountainous areas.

According to Dien, forest environmental services income are now mainly sourced from hydropower plants and firms producing clean water.

Experts recommended collecting environment service fees from other sources like ecotourism businesses, industrial production establishments, and aquaculture facilities./.VNA

The special story of the ‘odd’ man with the ancient ironwood forest

Trieu Tai Cao, 80, in Quang Ninh province, a Dao Thanh Phan ethnic minority man, always has a feeling that money is never enough, and if the forest is cleared, it will be a lifetime regret.