Since 2013, the Nặm Pắt village community (Mường Nhé commune) has been contracted by the Reserve Management Board to protect special-use forests, creating an opportunity for local people to directly participate in forest management and protection. Beyond its environmental significance, PFES has brought practical benefits, raising incomes, improving livelihoods, and transforming awareness among residents.

In the past, due to difficult living conditions, many households exploited firewood or encroached on forest land for cultivation. But since receiving contracts and PFES payments, the community’s awareness has changed markedly. Now, people understand that forests are a source of income and a foundation for stable livelihoods. Lỳ Tư Xè from Nặm Pắt shared that since being contracted to protect the forest, with an additional stable income, the lives of many households in the village have improved. With PFES money, they have built solid houses, purchased means of transportation and household equipment, and even accumulated capital for livestock and crop farming to create sustainable livelihoods. This has improved family economies and strengthened the community’s determination to protect the forest.

Since participating in contracts to protect special-use forests, households in Đoàn Kết village have earned an average annual income of about VND 17-18 million each. According to Lỳ Go Ly, PFES payments have provided a stable source of income, making everyone more responsible for the forest. To ensure the forest is protected under contract, villagers established patrol teams and assigned members to take turns monitoring the contracted areas, detecting and promptly preventing illegal activities or fire risks. This cohesion has fostered community strength, making forest protection more effective and sustainable.

In Phiêng Kham village (Mường Nhé commune), residents are contracted to protect more than 220 hectares of forest in the ecological restoration zone. In addition to gaining income from PFES, the community has allocated part of the funds to improve common infrastructure. As a result, local roads have been upgraded, public facilities have become more spacious, and conditions for daily life and production have improved. Resident Mào Văn Them noted: “When given responsibility for the forest, everyone clearly understood their role and duty. Protecting the forest is not only for the ecological environment but also for the practical benefits of the villagers.”

Currently, the Mường Nhé Nature Reserve Management Board is tasked with managing 46,730.51 hectares of special-use land, of which 36,100 hectares are forested. In 2025, the total forest area under protection contracts will reach 19,602 hectares, accounting for 54.29 percent of the total forest area covered by PFES. This area has been contracted to 28 buffer-zone communities and several local forces to protect. These units, organizations, and communities are responsible for managing and protecting the assigned forest areas, complying with contractual commitments, and closely coordinating with the Management Board in patrols and inspections to promptly detect and prevent violations of forestry laws or related offenses in the Reserve.

According to Đào Công Tiến, Deputy Director of the Mường Nhé Nature Reserve Management Board, implementing special-use forest protection contracts, the unit has developed a 2025 plan aligned with goals of sustainable forest resource management, protection, and development. At the same time, this activity contributes to creating livelihoods, increasing incomes, and improving the lives of buffer-zone residents, while also ensuring the unit’s 100 percent self-financed recurrent expenditures. In the first nine months of 2025, the unit disbursed PFES payments for 2024 to contracted households and groups in two installments, advance and final payment, totaling VND 26.26 billion. Payments were made via bank transfer, ensuring transparency, compliance with regulations, and timeliness.

The implementation of special-use forest protection through PFES contracts has brought about clear changes in public awareness. Forests, once regarded mainly as sources of timber and non-timber products, are now seen as “natural capital” generating stable livelihoods. PFES has strengthened community awareness in forest management, protection, and development, while gradually improving local economic conditions. As a result, illegal logging, encroachment, and unauthorized exploitation have decreased significantly.

These results confirm that linking local people’s economic benefits with forest management and protection is the right approach. Thanks to PFES, residents can secure their livelihoods while gaining stronger motivation to preserve natural resources and remain closely attached to forests, viewing them as their own valuable assets. The effective implementation of PFES policy has enabled the Mường Nhé Nature Reserve Management Board, functional agencies, and local authorities to achieve forest protection and development goals while also improving people’s lives and contributing significantly to poverty reduction in the area.