Implementation of payment for forest environmental services and its influence on the livelihood of ethnic minorities in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam

Abstract

Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) is considered a major breakthrough in socializing the forestry sector by transferring money from forest resource users to the local communities in charge of forest protection activities. This paper aims to elucidate the PFES implementation in Thua Thien Hue Province, and to assess the influence of the PFES on the livelihood of forest protectors, especially ethnic minorities. We interviewed 133 out of 397 households in two villages in Hong Kim commune, divided into two different groups: Forest protection groups (FPG) and Non-forest protection groups (NFPG). Our study indicated that the success in negotiating and expanding the number of service users has increased the forest area covered by the PFES for seven years. Nonetheless, revenue from PFES still fluctuates from year to year due to their great dependence on a limited number of service users. PFES payment (only 2%) did not contribute significantly to the total income of forest protector households. Interestingly, both monetary and non-monetary values seem to encourage local people to join the forest protection group. To better implement PFES, it is necessary to identify and expand service beneficiaries. Remote sensing technology improved PFES in TTH by aiding forest patrols, but there is a lack of maintaining forest quality during degradation, needing commitments to restore degraded forests and raise patrol accountability.