Effective promotion and application of Decree No. 91 is crucial

Utilizing hidden values

During the conference to disseminate Decree No. 91/2024/ND-CP, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan emphasized that issues within the forestry sector have remained as a major focus of concern for the National Assembly. During the recent seventh session, delegates at the National Assembly raised several questions regarding support for forest protection forces, and policies for investment and development of ecotourism.

"The issuance of Decree No. 91 has addressed multiple issues, and fostered a new mindset that focuses on utilizing new values from the forest," added the Minister.

After receiving feedback from various ministries, sectors, and local governments, the Minister noted that from a management perspective, the majority of stakeholders expect a high level of transparency. Accordingly, Decree No. 91, issued on July 18, has partially addressed this concern by stipulating the procedures for approving ecotourism, recreational, and leisure projects in forests and decentralizes approval authority to local levels.

The procedures for forest allocation, leasing, reclamation, and land use purpose conversion have resolved the challenges posed by Decree 156/2018/ND-CP. Notably, administrative processing time for the conversion of forest type has been reduced from 75 to 50 working days for cases approved by local authorities; and from 45 to 30 working days for cases approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Consequently, the authority to approve the conversion of forest land use purpose is consolidated to a single level, the Provincial People's Council, for all types of forests. The processing time has also been reduced from 50 to 35 working days.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri noted that Decree No. 91 encompasses a wide range of applications, involving a diverse range of stakeholders and complex issues. He further emphasized that the ultimate goal of Decree No. 91 is to stabilize and improve the livelihoods of local communities, forest protection forces, and forest management boards. By utilizing forest values, Decree No. 91 aims to provide consistent support to stakeholders within the forestry sector.

Following his visits to on-site forest protection checkpoints, the Minister empathized with the challenges faced by local forest protection forces.

The recently issued Decree No. 58/2024/ND-CP increased the support level for forest protection contractors to a maximum of 500,000 VND per hectare per year. However, after accounting for inflation and price fluctuations over the six years since the implementation of the Law on Forestry and related regulations, the additional income remains largely impractical.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri further explained that drafting and issuing legal documents is a key annual task for the forestry sector. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has assisted the government in issuing four forestry-related decrees since early 2024. Decree No. 91, presented to the Ministry 19 months prior, underwent four rounds of review by the Government Standing Committee involving 18 detailed reports and presentations.

“Forestry regulations, including Decree No. 91, covers an extensive range of applications with diverse stakeholders and complex issues. Nevertheless, the forestry sector dedicates substantial intellectual and practical efforts to ensure the practicality of issued legal documents,” the Deputy Minister stated.

Decree No. 91 must be utilized as a commodity

During the conference, local representatives agreed that Decree No. 91 alleviates their concerns during the implementation of forestry policies. "Before the introduction of Decree No. 91, minor issues involving small forest land area, or the unregulated installation of a power pole in a protection forest, posed significant challenges due to inadequate legal foundations," shared Do Ngoc Doan, Deputy Director of Phu Tho province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Dang Van Chau, Director of Lai Chau province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, noted that provisions under Decree No. 91, which exempt entities leasing forest environments for ecotourism, recreation, and leisure services from paying forest environmental service fees, is expected to further attract business interest and investment.

Minister Le Minh Hoan acknowledged that Decree No. 91's role extends beyond addressing the shortcomings of Decree No. 156. It aims to engage organizations, individuals, and communities in activities within the forestry sector. The Minister emphasized the goal of increasing forest visitation and diversifying activities such as ecotourism, recreational activities, and medicinal plant cultivation under the forest canopy.

The Minister has instructed the Administration of Forestry and the Department of Forest Protection to promote the aforementioned legal documents through information and communication activities; thereby raising awareness regarding Decree No. 91 among various levels of government and the public.

Despite its inability to cover all emerging issues, Decree No. 91 has detailed various critical aspects including forest environmental services, procedures for changing forest type and use purpose, forest allocation, and leasing. The Decree provides a strong legal framework to assist local governments in effectively managing and utilizing forest resources.

Addressing several hundreds in-person and online delegates nationwide, the Minister requested stakeholders to adjust their traditional management and request-based mindset. Decree No. 91, along with other legal documents issued by the Ministry, aims to support local governments in creating sustainable values in a collaborative manner.

"When converting natural forest land for industrial zones or resorts, we must consider the impact on GDP versus environmental consequences. How will the communities surrounding these developments be affected? These are critical questions because extracting value from forests involves more than simple numbers," Minister Le Minh Hoan emphasized.

Tran Quang Bao, General Director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, noted that carbon sequestration and carbon credit services constitute a broader range of forest environmental service issues. Following the issuance of Decree No. 91, the Ministry, in coordination with the Administration of Forestry and the Department of Forest Protection, will continue to study and improve the legal framework before providing further guidance to local governments.