HCMC – The southernmost province of Ca Mau has established a forest protection and development fund to mobilize social resources for forest conservation and expansion efforts.
Ca Mau is home to around 93,000 hectares of forest, mainly comprising the U Minh Ha cajuput forest and coastal mangrove forests. The province hosts Vietnam’s largest mangrove ecosystem, accounting for 27% of the nation’s total mangrove area. These forests serve as natural sea dikes, help prevent coastal erosion, absorb greenhouse gases, and regulate the climate across the Mekong Delta region.
To preserve this UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve, the provincial government has set up the non-profit fund as a public service unit operating independently of the state budget. The fund’s organizational structure includes a management council of five members chaired by the director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, along with a supervisory board and an executive board.
The fund’s financial sources include payments for forest replacement in land-use conversion projects, domestic and international donations and aid, payments for forest environmental services, voluntary contributions from individuals and organizations, interest from bank deposits, and other lawful sources beyond the state budget.
Initially, the fund will act as a financial intermediary between forest service providers and users, ensuring transparency and compliance in fund management. It will also support forest protection and reforestation projects that create sustainable livelihoods for local communities, aligning with Vietnam’s roadmap to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
