Special-use and protection forests foster holistic development

On December 8 at Pu Mat National Park (Nghe An), the Forestry and Forest Protection Department, in coordination with the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, held a conference to review the management of special-use and protected forests in 2025.

Chairing the conference, Mr. Tran Quang Bao, Director General of the Forestry and Forest Protection Department, stated: "The system of special-use and protection forests accounts for nearly 50% of the total forest area nationwide. These areas encompass most of Vietnam's critical ecosystems and play a vital role in biodiversity conservation, disaster prevention, protection of land and water sources, climate change response, ecotourism development, and national defense and security.

In 2025, the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment issued several key legal documents, strengthening the legal framework for forest management, particularly for the special-use and protection forest system. This served as the foundation for achieving positive results recently.

According to the 2024 national forest status report, the country has 14.874 million hectares of forested land, with a forest cover rate of 42.03%. Structurally by usage function, there are approximately 2,238,300 ha of special-use forests and around 4,689,500 hectares of protection forests.

Statistics show that the 5 provinces with the largest area of special-use forests nationwide are Dak Lak (nearly 224,300 ha), Quang Tri (over 176,400 ha), Nghe An (around 167,500 ha), Da Nang (nearly 158,800 ha), and Lam Dong (nearly 149,400 ha); the 5 provinces with the largest area of protection forests are Nghe An (over 326,300ha), Lam Dong (nearly 323,900 ha), Tuyen Quang (318,600 ha), Son La (nearly 314,900 ha), and Gia Lai (nearly 298,900 ha).

The current special-use forest system includes 35 national parks, 56 nature reserves, 18 species and habitat conservation areas, 63 scenic, cultural, and historical site protection areas, and areas designated for scientific research and experimentation. The majority of the special-use forest area is located within national parks and nature reserves (92%).

Watershed protection forests account for nearly 95% of the total protection forest area, concentrated mainly in the Northern Midlands and Mountainous regions. The area of protection forests for water source protection, protection forests against coastal erosion and sea encroachment, and protection forests against wind and shifting sand accounts for between 1 and 2% of the overall total.

Ms. Anja Barth, Chief Advisor of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) Viet Nam, assessed: "For many years, Viet Nam and the Federal Republic of Germany have cooperated closely to promote sustainable forest management, interwoven with conservation efforts. Consistent with the German Government's priority area of 'Protecting life on Earth - environment and natural resources,' GIZ and its partners in Viet Nam are striving and joining hands to address global challenges regarding climate change and environmental degradation."

Viet Nam is on the right track in establishing a better-connected network of special-use and protection forests, which will be much more resilient, effective, and sustainable than individual sites."

The year 2025 recorded many positive results in the management, protection, and development of special-use and protection forests compared to the same period. Over the past 11 months, the whole country detected 2,814 cases of illegal logging and forest fires, a decrease of 426 cases (17.5%) compared to the same period in 2024; the damaged area was 1,059 hectares, a decrease of 527 hectares (32.9%) compared to the same period in 2024.

Regarding forest development, the entire country has prepared 1.039 billion seedlings of various types for the 2025 afforestation plan, equal to 100% compared to the same period; over 85.68 million scattered trees have been planted, achieving 71.4% of the plan and increasing by 9% compared to the same period in 2024. It is estimated that the entire year 2025 will achieve around 100 to 120 million trees.

The highlights must include the breakthroughs resulting from the forest development policies. Specifically, the total revenue from the policy on payment for forest environmental services (PFES) from 2011 until now has reached over 1.098 billion USD (averaging 64.4 million USD/year). This revenue promptly supplements funding for forest owners, significantly improving the livelihoods of mountainous residents participating in forest protection. According to preliminary statistics, around 500,000 households, mainly ethnic minorities in mountainous areas, directly benefit.

Most recently, Viet Nam has transferred 10.3 million tons of CO2e from the North Central region for the period 2018-2025 to the World Bank at a price of 5 USD/ ton, thereby earning 51 million USD, managed under Decree 107/2022/ND-CP. Concurrently, a Letter of Intent was signed with LEAF to transfer 5.15 million tons of CO2e for the period 2022–2026 in 11 provinces in the Central Highlands and South Central Coast at a price of 10 USD per ton, earning 51.5 million USD. Currently, dossiers for negotiation and signing the Emissions Reduction Payment Agreement (ERPA) are being advised.

Regarding biodiversity conservation, localities and relevant units continue to step up the implementation of the Emergency Action Plan for Primate Conservation in Vietnam until 2025, with a vision to 2030, approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 628/QD-TTg dated May 10, 2017; the Project on Strengthening Management Capacity of the Protected Area System until 2025, with a vision to 2030, approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 626/QD-TTg dated May 10, 2017; and the National Action Plan for Elephant Conservation in Viet Nam until 2035, with a vision to 2050, approved by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) in Decision No. 2958/QD-BNN-LN dated August 28, 2024.