According to Mai Hương, Director of the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund, the new procedure aims to ensure that funds for forest environmental service payment are used effectively and for their intended purposes, supporting forest management, protection, and development. It also serves to detect issues and propose solutions or legal action where necessary.

The process includes six key steps: Annual inspection planning, formation of inspection teams, notification of inspection plans, on-site inspections, documentation of findings, and reporting and proposing actions.

Accordingly, inspections will focus on: How communities organize and implement forest environmental service payment disbursements, results of forest patrols and protection activities, collection and expenditure records of funds for forest environmental service payment, and initial results and identified shortcomings.

In April 2025, the Fund conducted inspections in selected communes across Mường Nhé and Điện Biên districts. Most communities were found to be compliant, allocating funds to support local households and covering patrol and forest protection costs. Decisions on fund use were typically made via village meetings, ensuring transparency and community consensus.

However, some shortcomings were observed: Several communities lacked formal plans or regulations for forest environmental service payment fund use, inadequate or altered record-keeping practices in forest environmental service payment and patrol logs, and some expenses not properly documented in financial records.

Lò Thị Ngân, Head of the Inspection, Monitoring, and Communications Department of the Fund, affirmed that all inspections adhere to the principles of transparency, objectivity, and effectiveness. Results are shared with local governments and stakeholders, and the Fund tracks corrective measures. At least one inspection per year is mandated to maintain oversight.

The oversight of forest environmental service payment use is crucial to ensuring state policies translate into tangible benefits for forest communities. The new procedure is seen as a pivotal step toward transparency in forest finance management.

Going forward, the Fund plans to: Increasing both regular and ad-hoc inspections, applying digital tools for monitoring, assigning staff to support local implementation, and collaborating with local authorities to resolve public concerns.

These efforts aim to strengthen community-based forest protection and improve livelihoods for forest stewards, laying the groundwork for sustainable forest management in Điện Biên province.