Recently, on March 21, 2025, the Forest Protection and Development Fund of Dien Bien province issued the Procedure for inspecting and supervising the management and use of payments for forest environmental services (PFES) for forest owners who are village and hamlet communities. With this inspection and supervision procedure, the provincial Fund is demonstrating a strong commitment to implementing environmental protection policies and promoting sustainable forest development.
Staff from the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund inspect and supervise the management and use of payments for forest environmental services (PFES) in Dien Bien district.
Speaking about the purpose of issuing the inspection and supervision procedure, Ms. Mai Huong, Director of the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, stated:
"The primary goal is to ensure that PFES funds are used for the right purposes, effectively serving the work of forest management, protection, and development, and improving the quality of PFES fund management by forest owners and relevant stakeholders. At the same time, it aims to identify and propose solutions to address existing shortcomings in the use of PFES funds, and recommend that competent authorities handle violations in accordance with the law (if any).”
Accordingly, the inspection and supervision procedure is carried out through six consecutive steps: developing an annual inspection plan; establishing an inspection team; notifying the inspection plan; conducting the inspection; preparing the inspection record; and compiling the final inspection report with recommendations and proposals. The process focuses on key aspects such as the organization and implementation of PFES payments at the village and hamlet community level, the outcomes of patrols and forest protection activities related to PFES provision, and the management of PFES fund revenues and expenditures.
Payments for forest environmental services (PFES) contribute to raising public awareness in forest protection
In April, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund organized inspections and supervision activities to assess the management and use of PFES payments by community-based forest owners in several communes of Muong Nhe and Dien Bien districts.
Field inspections revealed that, in general, forest owners have managed and used PFES funds in accordance with regulations. The payments received by community-based forest owners were primarily distributed to households within the villages to improve livelihoods, with a portion allocated to patrol and forest protection activities. Additionally, village communities held public meetings to agree on the management and use of PFES funds, with high levels of consensus on expenditure items among the households.
However, the inspection also identified several limitations in the management and use of PFES funds by some village communities. These include: some communities have not developed plans or regulations for managing and using PFES funds; record-keeping in PFES notebooks and patrol logs was unorganized, with signs of erasures and overwriting; and some expenditure items were not fully recorded in the PFES notebooks.
According to Lo Thi Ngan, Head of the Inspection, Supervision, and Communication Division of the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, the inspection work was conducted in accordance with the newly issued inspection and supervision procedure, ensuring transparency, objectivity, and effectiveness. The results of the inspection will be publicly reported to the district and commune People’s Committees, local village communities, and relevant agencies. The Fund will be responsible for monitoring and urging corrective actions for any shortcomings found. Furthermore, future inspections will be carried out regularly, at least once a year, to ensure that the management and use of PFES funds remain consistent and transparent.
Through inspection and supervision, the proper and effective use of payments for forest environmental services (PFES) is ensured.
Inspecting and supervising PFES payments is one of the key tasks to ensure that the State’s policy is effectively implemented and contributes to improving the livelihoods of local people. The issuance of the procedure for inspecting and supervising the management and use of PFES funds for village and hamlet community forest owners by the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund is considered an important step in ensuring transparency and efficiency in financial management related to forest protection and development. In addition, to further improve the quality of PFES fund management and supervision, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund will continue to strengthen regular and ad-hoc inspections at the grassroots level in the future, apply information technology in inspection and supervision, assign officers to monitor local areas regularly, and guide forest owners in managing and using PFES funds in accordance with regulations. It will also coordinate with local authorities to promptly resolve people’s questions or conflicts. These efforts contribute to improving the livelihoods of those involved in forest protection and serve the goals of sustainable forest management, protection, and development.