Pàng Dề B village currently has 134 households undertaking the planting, care, and protection of over 90 hectares of forest, of which nearly 80 hectares are eligible for PFES payments. Understanding that the forest is an asset and a livelihood, communication about the significance of FES is regularly integrated into the village’s general community activities. The villagers also remind each other not to engage in slash-and-burn farming or indiscriminate deforestation.

Mr. Mùa A Làng, the chief of Pàng Dề B village, said: “To manage and protect the forest effectively, the village has established a forest protection team with 15 members. The team can conduct patrols independently or in coordination with the forest ranger force and the commune’s mass organizations. Entering October also marks the beginning of the dry season, so the village’s forest protection patrols have been intensified. Patrolling and protecting the forest is specifically assigned to each household or group of households to carry out regularly each month, averaging 2-3 times per month.”

Sáng Nhè commune was established on the basis of merging three communes: Xá Nhè, Mường Đun, and Phình Sáng. After the merger, the commune now has over 7,258 hectares of forest. Of this, the area providing FES with payment eligibility is over 3,798 hectares across five river basins: Sông Đà, Trung Thu, Nậm Mu 2, Nậm Pay, and Mùn Chung 2.

According to statistics from the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, in 2024, the Fund paid out over VND 2.8 billion in PFES to more than 320 forest owners in Sáng Nhè commune. Along with other income from the forest, the FES fees have contributed to increasing income and have encouraged people in the commune’s villages to become more active in forest protection.

Benefiting from the care, protection, and development of the forest, many village communities in Sáng Nhè commune have changed their mindsets and ways of working, focusing on caring for the forests to make them greener. For example, the communities of Hột and Kép villages currently have over 694 hectares of forest providing FES. In 2024, the two communities were paid over VND 423 million in PFES. Similarly, the community of Sín Sủ 2 village, with an FES supply area of over 254.5 hectares, received over VND 322 million in PFES in 2024.

Mr. Trần Ngọc Duyên, Vice Chairman of the Sáng Nhè commune People’s Committee, stated: “In the forest areas receiving PFES payments, people’s awareness of planting, caring for, and protecting the forest has increasingly improved. The situation of encroachment and deforestation has been gradually pushed back. The commune also focuses on coordinating with the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund to promote communication about PFES to raise awareness among local people about forest management, protection, and development. Since the beginning of 2025, the commune has organized 10 communication sessions on forestry laws for 456 households, while also mobilizing people to sign commitments to manage and protect the forest. Forest inspections and patrols are carried out regularly, with 75 patrols conducted.”

Although it has brought many benefits, the implementation of the PFES policy in Sáng Nhè commune still faces some difficulties and obstacles. Some forest owners have not yet completed the procedures related to receiving PFES payments.

Recently, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund coordinated with the Sáng Nhè commune People’s Committee and the Tủa Chùa district Forest Protection Unit to hold a working session on the implementation of the PFES policy. At the meeting, the specific reasons why some forest areas in Sáng Nhè commune, despite being eligible to supply FES, could not yet receive payment were addressed and resolved. These issues were mainly related to the incorrect allocation of forest areas, the incorrect issuance of land and forest allocation decisions to forest owners, and some forest owners not yet having opened bank accounts.

Regarding these difficulties, the parties at the working session proposed solutions to resolve the obstacles soon. The provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund also requested that the Sáng Nhè commune People’s Committee promptly resolve cases of incorrect allocation, overlap, and disputes related to forest land. At the same time, the Fund will continue to promote communication and dissemination of laws regarding the PFES policy; guide communities on how to record PFES payment handbooks and forest patrol handbooks for FES supply; and manage and use PFES funds according to current regulations. It will also increase inspection and supervision. These steps are aimed at ensuring the PFES policy is truly effective in Sáng Nhè.