Highlands benefit from ERPA policy

In recent years, the landscape of Nghe An's highland areas has undergone notable improvements. The living conditions of ethnic communities in these remote areas have visibly improved, and the burden of daily subsistence is no longer as persistent as before. This breakthrough has been achieved thanks to the widespread implementation of numerous forestry programs and policies, further amplified by the province's vast and fertile forest areas.

In fact, the Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) policy, the Sustainable Forestry Development Program, the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, and most recently the Emission Reductions Payment Agreement in the North Central Region (ERPA) have helped Nghe An province remove long-standing bottlenecks in forest management and protection while supporting livelihood development for local communities.

Mr. Nguyen Danh Hung, Deputy Director of the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment, affirmed, "In recent years, the entire sector has proactively implemented solutions to ensure sustainable development in the context of increasingly complex and unpredictable climate change. During the implementation process, we have applied agricultural and forestry production measures aimed at carbon storage, emission reduction, and low-emission practices across sectors, contributing to the goal of carbon neutrality."

The forestry sector benefits the most, as Nghe An ranks among the top three localities (alongside Lam Dong and Gia Lai) with the largest forest areas nationwide. The whole province currently has over 1.036 million hectares of forest, including more than 790,000 hectares of natural forest and nearly 246,000 hectares of planted forest, with a forest cover rate reaching 59.01%.

In the 2023–2025 period, Nghe An was selected to participate in the ERPA program. According to classification results, about 790,000 hectares of natural forest, over 38,400 forest owners (including organizations, households, individuals, and communities), and communal People’s Committees are eligible to receive payments from forest carbon credits.

The ERPA program has had a truly remarkable impact, which is likened to "a refreshing downpour in the midst of a drought." The program simultaneously eases the daily livelihood pressures of tens of thousands of highland households in Nghe An while enhancing the collective responsibility for forest management and protection.

During the ERPA pilot implementation, the Nghe An Forest Protection and Development Fund has provided effective advisory support, acting as an “extended arm” of the provincial People’s Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Environment. In addition, the Fund continues to work closely with local Forest Protection Units to review natural forest areas, compile data, and prepare lists of forest owners, including households, individuals, and communities, to facilitate payments in 2025. This serves as a solid legal corridor to prevent any unnecessary errors in the future.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Forest Protection and Development Fund, forest owners that are organizations and communal People’s Committees across Nghe An have accelerated the disbursement of ERPA funds. The process has become increasingly smooth. From January 1, 2025, to October 23, 2025, disbursements reached more than VND 134 billion, equivalent to 75% of the plan.

Of this total, households and individuals received over VND 22.2 billion; the residential community received more than VND 10.2 billion; communal People's Committees managing forest areas were allocated over VND 8.8 billion; forest owners that are organizations received nearly VND 91 billion; and more than VND 2.2 billion was retained by the Fund for management costs.

Leaders of Na Ngoi, Chieu Luu, Huu Kiem, Luong Minh, Yen Hoa, Nhon Mai, Nga My, and other communes, along with forest owners that are state-owned organizations, share the same viewpoint: thanks to practical policies like ERPA, the responsibility of forest management and protection has been significantly reduced. Beneficiary households have strengthened their awareness and responsibility toward the community, regarding the forest as a valuable asset that should be preserved together.

In addition, Nghe An's agricultural sector is also working closely and effectively with pioneering enterprises such as Green Carbon and Faeger to implement pilot projects on low-emission rice production and generate carbon credits through the AWD technical solution, covering a total area of over 19,000 hectares.

* USD 1 = VND 26,138 (Source: Vietcombank)