Deforestation-free jurisdictional approach to ecosystem management and protection will be applied so that farmers can stay on their land for sustainable incomes.(Photo courtesy of the UNDP) The project has a total budget of five million EUR fundedby the EU through UNDP Vietnam. It willbe implemented over four years (2022–2026) in Lam Dong and Dak Nong.
The project’s targets by 2026 are to protect 25,000 hectares of natural forest;reduce harmful CO2 emissions by three million tonnes; enable 35 percent ofthe project area’s marginalised populations in both provinces to benefit fromimproved livelihoods, especially women and ethnic minorities; and increase thetotal value of commodities in the project area by 25 percent.
Its results will be replicated and integrated into Vietnam’sdevelopment strategies and policies.
Four international organisations are also providing additionaltechnical assistance to the project: the International Centre for TropicalAgriculture, the European Forest Institute, the Sustainable Trade Initiative,and the United Nations Environment Programme.
TheCentral Highlands region has been facing a significant loss of its naturalforests due to converting to plantation forests. From 2005 to 2020, the naturalforest area in the Highlands was reduced from 2.83 million to 2.18 millionhectares.
In addition, the degradation of agricultural lands due tochemical pollution and soil erosion has become extremely serious and has ledthe Highlands to account for 22 percent of Vietnam’s natural emissions inland use. Each year, approximately 6.8 million of CO2 is released fromcoffee farms in the Central Highlands from fertilisers, residues, and fuel.
In his remarks at the workshop, Jesus Lavina, first counselor,deputy head of the Cooperation Department of the Delegation of the EU toVietnam, said: “The project’s three specific objectives – to enhance forestecosystems, improve livelihoods, and sustain food production – are highlyrelevant in the Central Highlands and fully aligned with policies andstrategies of both Vietnam and the EU. Joining our forces in tacklingdeforestation and forest degradation will positively impact local communities,including the most vulnerable indigenous peoples who rely heavily on forestecosystems.”
Patrick Haverman, deputy resident representative of UNDP Vietnam,said the project is designed to use a deforestation-free jurisdictionalapproach, a holistic framework to demonstrate sustainable development withoutdeforestation in a particular jurisdiction as a key to achieve the expectedresults.
Havermanalso emphasised that the project will make significant contributions tosustainable forestry development in the Central Highlands and implement the VietnamForestry Development Strategy for 2021-2030 and the recently approvedStrategy for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development for 2021-2030./.
VNA
